Pictus don't school

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ragin_cajun

ragin_cajun

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Sep 8, 2013
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I have 3 of these, and they don't school. Here's a picture of mine
IMG_0018[1].JPG

Two have a spot under driftwood where they always stay. One just lays out in the open on the sand in the same spot. They never leave unless food hits the bottom. They don't school, they don't do anything together, and they don't let each other in their spot ever. Why is that?

They definitely don't do what these do--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THQ0DFEL0vI

Why?

IMG_0018[1].JPG
 
I have the exact same problem. I have 5 that don't like each other at all. They tail slap a lot and fight.

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Takes at least like 5-6 to actually school and even then it's a loose formation as opposed to tight schooling

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As pictus age ime they become solitary, I'm sure there are exceptions but its rare I see/hear of adult pictus getting along w/ eachother like most catfish when juvies numbers = safety as they grow up and "age" they split off and become solitary setting up boundries/ect. Obviously most of these exceptions are when the fish are given plenty of room/and or hide spots to set-up boundries ect. I was always taught to keep pictus in schools like cory cats ( ime even these guys can be highly territorial) and learned threw my own experience as well as customers that after a few years they stopped getting along and ofte times one would kill the other or stress/beat it to the point it was removed/re-homed ect.
 
MonsterMinis said:
As pictus age ime they become solitary, I'm sure there are exceptions but its rare I see/hear of adult pictus getting along w/ eachother like most catfish when juvies numbers = safety as they grow up and "age" they split off and become solitary setting up boundries/ect. Obviously most of these exceptions are when the fish are given plenty of room/and or hide spots to set-up boundries ect. I was always taught to keep pictus in schools like cory cats ( ime even these guys can be highly territorial) and learned threw my own experience as well as customers that after a few years they stopped getting along and ofte times one would kill the other or stress/beat it to the point it was removed/re-homed ect.
Click to expand...

That's how mine sound. Good to know someone else has seen what I'm seeing because EVERY article on them says to keep them in groups of 6 or more.

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2-3 is not a good number, as eluded to above... but I'd be much more worried about their inactivity at this point. They should be little, hyper rockets on steroids, whether the right number of them of not. What are your water parameters and how do you measure them (what test kit)? Please, include real numbers, the more the better - NH3, NO2, NO3, pH, temp, hardness, GH, KH, TDS, salinity.

How much aeration is used? (Can't really measure oxygen concentration with home kits).

A clear shot of the whole tank should help too.
 
My water's good. I use an API test kit for ammonia (0) nitrite (0), nitrate (5-40) and pH (7.8) at home. I test twice a week, and occassionally I'll bring a water sample to the LFS to be sure their test kit says what mine says. I wouldn't say my Pictus are inactive, when they "sit under their cave", it's really more accurate to say they swim laps into and out of their cave. They don't really sit still like, say a Pleco does. And they eat A LOT. But, they're not as active as they used to be. They've gone from 1.5 inch, when they were pretty hyper, to about 3.5 inches in 2 months. I had 4, rehomed one of them when I got a Pleco, because they really weren't schooling anyways.
 
Sounds excellent, except for the nitrates. What do you mean by 5-40 ppm? Do you let it increase up to the 40 ppm reading? It is a huge range which encompasses both the recommended range of under 10 ppm, tolerable range of up to 20 ppm, and not recommended range of over 20 ppm.

I guess the way I've read your OP gave me a very different impression of their level of (in)activity.

The growth you are reporting is excellent, if not exceptional for a pictus IMHO. I don't think I've heard or observed such a quick growth spurt. They will not go on like that.

As stated above by our colleagues, I think adding more youngsters (as you and I previously discussed, at least 6 but more is even better) should help. Also is important to have dim light or better yet no tank light and lots of cover where they can dart into if they need to. Little light and the availability of cover emboldens them to go out and have fun in the open.

MonsterMinis, I think, is right. If your big one is an adult, it will not school or will school very little and will defend his territory.

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I watched the vid - that's nice. That's what I often see at stores too - they are active, out in the open, and school even though the lights are bright. Although the tank looks open, the furniture pieces that are scattered on the bottom provide good cover for them to dart into if need be. They look to be very happy cats... although the big cat scares me as it's big enough to eat them. I could not even immediately tell what the big one is. Looks almost like a channel but something's off. Also resembles an Ariidae and a Rita species.
 
"If your big one is an adult, it will not school or will school very little and will defend his territory."

I think this is what's happening. I think 2 of the 3 are hitting adolescent/adult stage now and are starting to prefer staking out territory. I can't do 6 or more Pictus. Not enough tank, they'll out compete other fish for food on the bottom. I just can't imagine that.
 
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