Name: pictus .

Scientific Name: Pimelodus pictus .

Family: Pimelodidae.

Origin: Peruvian & Colombian Amazon.

Maximum size: 15cm 6”.

Tank size: 55g

Tank temp: 22-26C.

Tank setup: Lots of caves and cover where it can hide in for most of the day.

Tank compatibility: Needs to be kept in groups of 3+. Will eat anything that will fit in there mouths so anything under 3’ could be at risk.

Ph: 5.5 – 7.5.

Feeding: Accepts most foods but prefers meaty foods like blood worms, worms and prawns.

Sexing: Hard to tell for sure but females should be rounder than males.

Breeding: no reports.

Additional info:

Sub-species: There are two sub-species of pictus; the columbian and the peruvian. The Peruvian has larger blotches of black over its body, whereas the Columbian has smaller dots. They may not intermingle well.

Average size: 15cm IN CAPTIVITY. They grow to over 12" (30cm) in the wild, so beware when buying.

Tank setup: Each tends to claim a cave as its territory for spending the day. Make sure you have a minimum of one cave per fish and that it's large enough for them to turn around in. Also, they are very active swimmers, so caves and plants should be towards the rear of the tank, leaving the front length open.

Tank size: The amount of water isn't so much important as the length. The tank could be reasonably shallow, even, as this fish lurks at the bottom. A minimum of 3' length is required, but anything over 4' is more ideal.

Feeding: Generic flakes are far from adequate. Sinking meaty catfish pellets are well appreciated. These fish do not require much food, if the correct food is fed. In the wild, they are known to feed about once a week. Anything inadequate and you will see your pictus fade away aver the weeks.
A pictus will often take food into its cave and nibble on it over time.

pH: Whilst they can tolerate a pH up to 7, they are much happier in soft water with a pH of 6-6.5.

Other information: - ALL pictus are wild-caught. It is advisable to put them through a thorough de-worming session before adding to your tank as they are known carriers. Also, remember that being thrown into a tank with bright lights and lots of strange fish is incredibly stressful so please try to keep things as natural for them as possible.

- Be careful when netting and catching this fish as it has very sharp barbels that easily get caught in mesh and pierce bags. If netting, be prepared to cut away the net VERY carefully, using scissors. A bucket or other large container is preferrable for transporting adult fish. Young fish can be transported in thick double-bags.

- These fish are, by nature, nocturnal predators.

Thanks Time. If you have any pics of yours you could post that would be great aswell.

I've never been able to get a shot lol. They don't like being looked at and hide if they catch me staring I plan to recreate their natural home (OH permitting) when I move, so hopefully they'll be more at ease. I have both types, so pics would probably help differentiate the two.

I got my fist one, Tom, as a 'rescue'. He's a Peruvian. I deplore all wild-caught fish. Their methods of capture are cruel at the best of times and the number of deaths far exceeds the number that survive the trauma. I fell in love with pictus cats the first time I read up about them, but being firmly against wild-caughts, never got one. That didn't stop me doing all the research I possibly could.
One day, one of my lfs got in a whole bunch. They were all crammed into a tiny 1.5' x 1' x 1'. I was appalled; they could barely move. Over the weeks and months, their number dwindled, and so did their health. They became emaciated and would just sit on the bottom. After three months, I asked what the owner was feeding them and he said Tetra Pro. WRONG WRONG WRONG! I had had enough. Even if I didn't have a replica of their natural habitat, I had everything a pictus needs. I took one home, put him through a speedy quarantine and transferred him into the main community.
That night was awful. When all the lights were out, I watched him come out of his hidey-hole. He'd swim slowly up and down the glass as though trying to find a way out. It was heart-breaking. Had he made sounds like Willy crying, I would have bought a plane ticket to South America there and then and taken him home :'(

Wild-caught fish have no place in aquariums, in my opinion. It's like catching a wolf and chaining it in your backyard. It's unnatural and the animal suffers because of it. We hear lots of talks about goldfish and how the wrong conditions stunt their growth, but they are not the only ones (as well we know with how bettas are kept!).

Hey-ho. Probably not the right place for that, but I fancied telling Tom's story . He has a big belly now and lives under the arch in the tank. No fish may venture under there lol. He seems to have accepted things, although I often wonder if it's more of an 'existence' than a 'life'.

Thats a great story, and a lucky fish to get a great home with you. Sounds like hes been well looked after.
Out of interest what methods do they use to catch them? I know people that go on collecting trips just use nets but never really thought about how its done on a commercial scale.

I get your point about wild caught but personally dont really have a problem with it, after all every fish in the trade has come from a wild fish somewhere down the line.