I'm at loss as to what kind I have... Pics included

SandrA9810 · Post by **SandrA9810** » 15 Feb 2003, 01:36

I bought these two little suckers from Wal-Mart, which is something I rarely do. Well the guy told me that all the fish in the tank were different types of Bala Sharks. But these don't look even close to one. I found another aquarium site that told me to look here at to see if I can find which kind I have.
The pictures are taken with a web cam, so everything is on the yellowish side.
They have a flat bottom, and they are silver with black dots. and no more than an inch or two long. Usually stay towards the bottom, and love the TetraMin Flakes I feed them. But it still would be helpful to know what kind they are, and what I should expect in the long run.

http://www.angelfire.com/comics/sandra9 ... -table.htm

You can just skip all the way down to the bottom of the page, or skim through the top first if you like. There's four pictures of fish I'm trying to figure out, and a few more of my tank.

Post by **Silurus** » 15 Feb 2003, 02:07

The pictures are mostly one big blur to me, but they look like regular pictus cats (if they are even catfish in the first place, that is).
Do they look like this fish? If they do, they're pictus cats.

SandrA9810 · Post by **SandrA9810** » 15 Feb 2003, 02:50

Wow, thanks. That's what they look like. I told you, it's webcam pics with a cheap webcam. So of course the pics or going to be horrid as always.

Another thing, are thier bellies supposed to be kinda rounded and big?
Last night they seemed to be fine, and slim. But after feeding them today they're on the pouchy side.
Do they tend to over eat?
Is that even healthy for them?
Should I give as much as they want to eat, or portion out how much I feed?
Is a ten gallon tank suitable enough for them, or do I need a big tank for the long run?

I guess I shouldn't buy fish on impulse, if I really don't know how to take care of them first. But they looked so cute swimming around in the tank. And I wanted a new addition that my betta wouldn't get mad at.

oneoddfish · Post by **oneoddfish** » 15 Feb 2003, 03:35

Welcome to the planet!
You'r cat's will over eat if you just keep giving them food you should feed them smaller portion's 2-3 time's a day.And yes they will need at least a 29gal. tank to live in as they do grow kinda fast.but they are also a great catfish to own. good luck

T · Post by T » 16 Feb 2003, 01:00

If your betta is small they may eat it.

Post by **Silurus** » 16 Feb 2003, 01:23

Nah, the cats are too small and the Betta is too big.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » 16 Feb 2003, 06:38

I wouldnt worry about the betta no matter how small. Iv always read they will eat fish up to the size of a neon tetra but my three full grown pictus wont even touch quarter inch long white clouds.

T · Post by T » 20 Feb 2003, 22:30

I used to have 2 5" pictus cats that managed to eat 3" convicts.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » 21 Feb 2003, 01:38

Think about it, Pictus have relatively large mouths yes but certainly not big enough to consume a fish half their size let alon one and a half times. Also convicts are much taller (back to belly) than pictus. Maybe the convict wasnt three inches?? Anyways i wonder if maybe that could be a sign that mine is not healthy. That he isnt eating teh white clouds i mean.

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 21 Feb 2003, 01:45

@zack i have two Pimpictus and they are vicious eaters...i have no "victims" in their tank so i dont knwo what they eat. But the mouth size certainly not tells us what size fish can be killed. They Mystus i had for example killed fish half their size striking the fish and knocking it around and i would think the Pims are able to do this too if they want.

Graeme · Post by **Graeme** » 21 Feb 2003, 01:54

Are you reading all of this SandrA!!

T · Post by T » 22 Feb 2003, 01:15

The convict WAS 3 inches.

SandrA9810 · Post by **SandrA9810** » 22 Feb 2003, 01:42

I'm here, and all is well with my tank. I ended up looking into the pictus cats, and stuff, got caught up in that and forgot about my post here. Plus I forgot to bookmark it >.<

My fishies are doing just fine in the tank. I haven't had any problems with them. For now they got plenty of swimming room, although they like to mimic my plec. Which one is trying so hard to do right now. My plec is sucked onto the front of the tank, and the lil pictus is squirming about trying not to move, next to him.
LOL this is just about the funniest thing ever.

Anywho, my pictus cats are hyper as ever, always wanting to swim about. I have cut back on thier feedings. Twice a day, noon and about 8pm. Sometimes they get a little belly but it wears off in no time at all.
My betta is fine with them. Although he hates it when he wants to rest and they start swimming around him, bothering him. So he resorts to being at the top of the tank, right behind the heater. Where none of them go, and he can rest peacefully.
My plec gets somewhat annoyed by them to. So he's resorted to sticking to the underside of the top rock. And there's enough room down below for them to squirm aorund.

I do know I need a larger tank, and I really want a larger (maybe 100-gal tank). But it's not possible until I'm moved to Canada. The house got sold, and if there's no way I can get into Canada to live, then I get to be stuck in Dallas with my aunt for however long. And she definately won't let me set up a 100-gal tank. I'll be moving with 4 tanks as it is already.

Another thing, I've been thinking of adding a couple fish that are more mid-top level. I want to add some more color, but I want to make sure they'll get along with my betta, as well as the pictus cats.
I've already had a danio in there before. They did quite a bit of chasing (and a bit of nipping, nothing major, mainly my betta nipping, and the danio chasing) before they finally got along. But if I didn't keep him, he would've gotten flushed. Because my sis is the one that got him for my nephew, but it kept killing off some of the smaller tetras in the tank.

So any ideas on that?

And what's up with the * in the word p l e c o?

Connie · Post by **Connie** » 28 Mar 2003, 05:02

Your 10 gallon is already way overstocked.
Bettas usually like to be kept alone and pictus if when small need alot of swimming room and get pretty big.
Your pleco alaone will need a 55 gallon soon!! and they produce alot of waste.
I wouldnt add more fish.
It isnt nesessary to stuff as many fish as you can in a small tank to make it look nice and colorful, all that is going to happen is your going to have sick,unhealthy, stunnted growth and dead fish.
Connie

Post by **Silurus** » 28 Mar 2003, 12:07

And what's up with the * in the word p l e c o?

Internet superstition. Spelling the word correctly will kill the one you own.
Black cats, mirrors and all that jazz.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » 28 Mar 2003, 18:37

Ok t,I appolagize seems you were right. The few i had before would never attack even white clouds as i mentioned before but now i have a few younger ones in the tank and they seem to have perked everyone up. I dropped in a few one-two inch feeder goldfish to see what they'd do and they grabbed them and beat them around like coal-ila said his/her mystus do. I still think a betta is too big for even a full grown pictus though. The longs fins will give it the illusion of being bigger than it is.

I'm at loss as to what kind I have... Pics included

I'm at loss as to what kind I have... Pics included

pictus cat's