David593

Well until now I thought that the pictus catfish got up to 8 inches, but I am now seeing that they are more likely to hit only 5 inches. Right now I am in the midst of stocking my 55 gallon tank. So far I have 10 rummynose tetras and a small pleco. My stocking list was as followed:

6-harlequins
10-rummynose tetras
5-other tetra
1-angelfish
2-german blue rams
5-cories or 2-apistos
1-pleco

I really like the pictus cats. They would make a nice addition IMO. Should I put them instead of the cories? I would like to keep the rams if possible...

Also any other important info about these fish will be appreciated...

Shawnie

if you drop the pleco, the pictus and cories will be fine ....pictus like to be in groups of 2 or more..so even dropping the cories, and getting pictus, might be too much for the 55 gal with a pleco ...

AlyeskaGirl

They are one of my favs!! They are very active, peaceful and should not be kept alone. They have barbs on their fins and get stuck in nets, so a plastic cup should be used to catch them so they dont get hurt. I say yes, get them because they are fun to watch!!!

David593

Ya, i did my first wc since putting him in a week ago and was shocked? Where did all that waste come from? I don't feed him that much? It's amazing how much poo was in the tank. So for bottom dwellers I should have just the rams and then like 2-3 pictus?

Amanda

Oh, I was thinking of getting 2 pictus catfish also.
Def. let me know how it goes for you!

Shawnie

never kept rams so thats outta my league but if you do get pictus, id return the plec...pictus are all over the tank constantly and the two species seem to collide more than not

David593

ok. My plec tends to stay under the driftwood but then again, both are nocturnal. Ok... so I'm looking at

6-harlequins
10-rummynose
5-other tetra
1-angel
2-german blues
2-3-pictus catfish

are the pictus big poopers? The plec def. is and he counts as a big part of the bioload

Shawnie

pictus are not nocturnal at least the ones ive had are not..they are all over the tank day and night....pictus are not huge wasters like the plec...but they arent algae eaters either....do you have algae? is that why you have the plec?

David593

well the plec was origionally in my ten gal. Didn't know much then. Once I got the tank cycled, I moved him to the 55 so that he had more room. He loves the driftwood. The tank is still pretty new. it has been cycled for two weeks now (as of tomorrow). So no algae problems for now. However, when i removed the plec from the ten gal, algae started to bloom in the ten gal. I put in two otos and now the algae is getting better. The ten gal is in the same room though the ten gal gets more WPG of lighting.

Over all, i don't really know if there could be an alage problem in the 55. I currently have him eating algae wafers.

Shawnie

such a great feeling to have a tank cycled....phew!! I have a 75 gal with 2 pictus and a plec....they do fine together and again its not the issue of that, but more the bio load for the 55 gal and the fact that you might not need that much bottom feeding fish for that tank ....id almost not want to get rid of the plec as hes hung on there with the smaller tank and still going strong...so maybe change out the other fish if you really want the pictus?

David593

well i do admire the plec, yet I don't know if you know...It's a common plec. Yah, I know, how could I put a common plec in a ten gal. That's why I wanted to move him. I'm still shocked at how much poo there was during the gravel vac though. I may just keep him till he gets too big, then I may have to donate him and get the pictus. My LFS is very nice and they they know what they are doing, they have saltwater and a discus show tank. I thik they will treat my plec nicely... I'll wait until he gets pretty big though.

Shawnie

common or not, hes stuck it out with you ...we have all been down that road a time or two .....if you know he will go to a good place, then yes id switch for the pictus...but in the end, its your choice...you have seen the poo they do for you daily

David593

LOL. Its funny because I changed his diet and now its darker and not as noticable. Gross but helps. lol. I think I will stick with him and let him grow. He's been growing quickly. Although I don't see him much (usually under the driftwood) I am still attached to him. Axctually he has a nickname, though not too nice. LOL he got the name Mr. Retardo. The story goes that when I got him i tried to dump him out of the bag and not net him. When i tilted the bag, he swam AWAY from the water and then started to gasp for air. Also, sometime I catch him lying on top of the heater. luckily its not on when he does, but it could turn on and burn him. He's just a goof.

Shawnie

gotta love em! goodluck either way

David593

Thanks. Ill stick with the "keep plec until too big then switch for pictus" plan

David593

err i have been reading other posts and many have said that a pictus will eat the tetras or harlequins...

Amanda

They may try to eat Neons & Danios if they're not well-fed enough.

David593

ok. I have seen many iffy things and I don't want to put my rummy-nosers at risk...

Amanda

I was worried about my danios, so I'm probably not going to end up getting then either.

David593

ya. That stinks. I really like them... either way if I were to add them they would be last so they may have the whole (grow up toghether thing like the angels. Then again, the pictus are pigs and will most likely eat any tankmate