Need info on Pictus Cats

Cich Mind

Dovii
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Hello,
I would like to know how many Pictus Cats you would put into a 90g. I had one about 7-8 years ago and it did great with various cichlids. I like them because they are nice looking with a cool spotted pattern and they are very active for a cat. I've recently read a couple of posts about them being better off in groups. Is this true in your experience? Also, what do you feed them? It's been so long I forgot what I used to feed them. ?
 

kno4te

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Do better in groups of 3 or more ime. I’d keep 4-5 in the 90g. Fed my old pictus flakes, pellets, cichlid gold, bloodworms, cut up fish etc. They would take most foods w/o problems.
 

Fishman Dave

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In my opinion I would suggest three, maximum five but it would also depend on footprint of the 90g tank and on the decoration, making sure they can each have a territory. Issue in my mind will be the eventual size of commonly 5-6” (larger than the often quoted size).
Pictus will eat a number of food including flake, bloodworm, worms, pellets, mussel meat, fish bits, etc.
 

Cich Mind

Dovii
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Thanks for all your info guys. My 90g tank is a standard 48"X18". So it sounds they pretty much eat what the other fish in the tank eat, and do in fact like groups. Cool. The problem is finding Pictus Cats. Everybody used to sell them.
 

Fishman Dave

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In a 48x18x18 (56 UK g, sorry I always forget we deal in different gallons) I’d be pushed to keep the three six inchers happy that I have currently without major squabbling. I started with five in a 390 litre and with lots of hideouts they soon stopped schooling and took up territories and argued. Once that happens adding more smaller ones just imposed on them a death sentence.
Mine are now in a 6x2x2 around eight years old and still squabble a little but not often. They certainly don’t still hang out together but never have. I think giving them hide outs just gives them something to fight over, but I like natural setups.
 

Cich Mind

Dovii
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I'd do 6, especially if the smaller-growing Peruvian garden variety. They eat anything.

Our experience: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/27-pictus-catfish.678520/#post-7627500
Thanks for everybody's posts on this subject. Very cool link and video thebiggerthebetter thebiggerthebetter . If I can find some Pictus I'm going to grab a few. I must have had the Peruvian variety because he was spotted and didn't grow very large.
 

thebiggerthebetter

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The difference is not obvious. Peruvians have less and larger and better defined spots vs Colombians and grow perhaps an inch shorter to 5" vs 6"+ for Colombians.

As Kelly says you can keep one just fine too.

In general, it is a gamble and shoaling versus squabbling seems unpredictable. Ours shoal and squabble.
 

Humphreys91

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I can not for the life of me keep Pictus in groups for any amount of time, I’ve currently got a single specimen doing great, however the group I had him in just seemed to die off or I would wake up to pieces of them, god only knows but I’m reluctant to try keeping more, which I would love.
 
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