Pimelodus pictus
| Common Names: | Angelicus Catfish Pictus Catfish |
| Synonyms: | Pimelodella pictus Pimelodus angelicus |
| Family: | Pimelodidae |
| Category: | Catfish_Bottom_Feeders |
| Distribution: | America - South; South America. |
| Main Ecosystem: | River; River |
| Temperament: | Peaceful; Peaceful when young, though grows increasingly predatory with age. Pictus catfish, although solitary fish, can tolerate the company of their own kind in a large tank. Good for community tanks with medium sized fish. Will eat small fish such as Neons. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; Not picky, it will eat almost anything provided for it, including most processed foods. Worms and other small invertebrates are appreciated by juveniles, but adults are more avowedly predatory and appreciate more meaty foods such as small fish and shrimp. |
| Care: | Will feed from the bottom. Provide caves and hiding places, as well as open swimming area as pictus are active swimmers. Earthworms are an excellent source of protein for the Pictus Catfish. Be extremely careful when catching this fish. They have bones that will extend out when scared and will therefor get caught in your net. If this happens you should cut the net around them and over time it will detach itself, but to avoid this, try capturing with cup or another method where this bone will not get stuck. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 11cm (4.3") Female: 11cm (4.3") |
| Water Region: | Bottom; Bottom |
| Activity: | Nocturnal; Nocturnal |
| Gender: | Cannot be determined by external features. |
| Breeding: | Has not been bred in captivity. |
| Variants: | A small-spotted form and a large-spotted form are known. The large-spotted variety is the one most commonly imported and does not grow as large as the small-spotted variety. |
| Comments: | Be careful of the sharp dorsal spine when handling. Use only very fine nets when netting this fish. If the fish's spines get caught in the net, you will need to cut the net as it is next to impossible to remove it from the spine without the possible damage to the fin. |
| Main Colours: | Black, White, Silver |
| Markings: | Spots Large |
| Mouth: | Downturned |
| Tail: | Forked |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | © FishProfiles.com |
| Submitted By: | Adam |
| Contributors: | Natalie, Doedogg, longhairedgit, jake7 |
| History: | View changes to this profile |
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