Pictus catfish care
Pimelodus pictus · Amazon and Orinoco basins
Pictus catfish are fast, silver, black-spotted catfish with very long whiskers that dash around the tank in a group.
- Tank size
- 55 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 72 to 79 °F (22 to 26 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 4.3 in
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 55 gallon
48¼ × 12¾ × 21 in outsideHow to keep pictus catfish
Pictus catfish are fast, silver, black-spotted catfish with very long whiskers that dash around the tank in a group. Keep three or more in a 55 gallon or larger tank at 72 to 79 °F with open sand and caves; they leave larger fish alone but eat any fish small enough to swallow.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Pictus catfish tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Boesemani rainbowfish
4.5 in · 55+ gal · 75–82 °F
Upside-down catfish
4 in · 29+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keyhole cichlid
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–80 °F
Golden wonder killifish
4 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Banded gourami
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Butterfly goodeid
4 in · 30+ gal · 70–75 °F
Blind cave tetra
4.7 in · 29+ gal · 68–77 °F
Turquoise rainbowfish
4.7 in · 55+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keep apart
Cardinal tetra: Adult pictus catfish eat fish under about 1.6 in; cardinal tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Black neon tetra: Adult pictus catfish eat fish under about 1.6 in; black neon tetras grow to 1.5 in.
Green neon tetra: Adult pictus catfish eat fish under about 1.6 in; green neon tetras grow to 1 in.
Ember tetra: Adult pictus catfish eat fish under about 1.6 in; ember tetras grow to 1.2 in.
Glowlight tetra: Adult pictus catfish eat fish under about 1.6 in; glowlight tetras grow to 1.5 in.
Marbled hatchetfish: Adult pictus catfish eat fish under about 1.6 in; marbled hatchetfish grow to 1.5 in.
What a pictus catfish tank needs
A tank of 55 US gallons or more (such as the 55 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter 200
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon pictus catfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Seachem Tidal 55
Rated by the maker for up to 55 US gal, which covers a 55 gallon pictus catfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon Pro 150
Pictus catfish need 72 to 79 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding pictus catfish.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 72 to 79 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 55 gallon tank · Heaters for a 55 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common pictus catfish problems
- Neon tetras and other small fish disappear at night.
- Their sharp fin spines catch in nets; move them in a container instead.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Pimelodus pictus. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Pictus catfish 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Boesemani rainbowfish H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Upside-down catfish John P. Friel Ph.D., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Keyhole cichlid D.W., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden wonder killifish Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Banded gourami Sandipan Das, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Butterfly goodeid Przemysław Malkowski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blind cave tetra James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Turquoise rainbowfish Thomnight, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Marbled hatchetfish Sven Kullander, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pygmy corydoras Birger A, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Salt-and-pepper corydoras D.W., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Panda corydoras Chronotopian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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