Pictus Catfish

Pimelodus pictus

The Pictus Catfish (*Pimelodus pictus*) is the embodiment of dynamism in the aquarium. Famous for its incredibly long barbels (whiskers) that often exceed the length of the body itself, this splendid nocturnal predator exhibits a brilliant silvery or platinum livery entirely studded with sharp black polka dots and fringed fins with a very white edge. Unlike most static loricariids (like Plecos), the Pictus is a dynamo constantly in motion: it swims tirelessly back and forth along the lower glass, scouring every corner with its long sensors in search of food. Although spectacular and sociable, its predatory nature condemns to certain death any fish small enough to fit in its mouth.

Family: Pimelodidae
Origin: Sud America (Bacini dei fiumi Orinoco e Rio delle Amazzoni in Colombia, Venezuela, Perù e Brasile)
Tank use: Used in 0 tanks

Temperature

22 °C - 28 °C

6 - 7.5

Water type

Freshwater

Tank level

Zona inferiore. Nuoto rapidissimo rasente al fondale.

Adult size

15 cm

Description

The Blind School:

Pictus have very poor eyesight. In nature, schools of 50 specimens swim in turbid rivers relying entirely on their two immense barbels to chemically detect smells and vibrations on the bottom. If kept alone they go crazy, become apathetic and die. You must absolutely buy at least 4, ideally 6, so they do not feel in danger.

Care and observations

The Night Terror of Little Fish:

It is the classic fish bought by beginners by mistake and put in a 60-liter (15-gallon) tank along with schools of Neons and Guppies. As long as the light is on, it seems harmless and runs around minding its own business. As soon as you turn off the lights, it uses its immense whiskers to sniff out sleeping little fish, opens its large mouth and swallows them whole one by one like pills. Within 3 days your aquarium will be mysteriously empty. Insert it ONLY with fish at least 6-7 centimeters (3 inches) thick that it cannot swallow.

The Mortal Danger of Nets:

Catching a Pictus in the store or to transfer it is a bloody nightmare. On its pectoral (side) fins it has fearsome bone spines as hard as needles and jagged like little saws (invisible but venomous if they prick a human). If you try to catch it with the classic fine-mesh net, the spine will become inextricably entangled in the net. You will have to cut the net with scissors hoping not to chop off the fish's fin. THEY MUST ONLY BE CAUGHT BY MAKING THEM ENTER RIGID PLASTIC CONTAINERS.

Narrow Space Hysteria:

Do not buy it if the aquarium is shorter than 120 cm (4 feet). They are lightning-fast pelagic fish (they swim without stopping). In narrow tanks they will develop obsessive nervous tics or blindly smash against the glass, shattering their mouths.

Fish profile

Temperament: Estremamente pacifico e gregario verso i conspecifici e i pesci grandi. Non è affatto aggressivo, ma è un predatore vorace: ingoierà sistematicamente qualsiasi pesce che passi inavvertitamente sotto il suo raggio d'azione notturno e che sia lungo meno di 5 centimetri.
Diet: Carnivoro Predatore Voracissimo. Sono veri spazzini ad alta velocità. Divorano qualsiasi cosa cada sul fondo: grossi pellet carnivori affondanti, compresse da fondo, pesce bianco, lombrichi enormi, gamberetti sgusciati e insetti caduti in vasca. Evitare cibi vegetali secchi.
Tank level: Zona inferiore. Nuoto rapidissimo rasente al fondale.
Minimum group: 4
Adult size: 15 cm
Minimum tank: 200 L
GH: 2 dGH - 15 dGH
KH: n/a
TDS: n/a
Conductivity: n/a
Sex ratio: Branco Obbligatorio (4-6 esemplari minimo). Le femmine sono identiche ai maschi, solo un po' più robuste da adulte. Se tenuto da solo diventa apatico, sbiadisce per lo stress e smette di nuotare in cerca di sicurezza che non arriverà mai.
Feeding frequency: 1 volta al giorno (preferibilmente allo spegnimento delle luci). Ingozzati troppo diventano immensamente obesi.
Bioload: Alto (metabolismo veloce, ingeriscono grosse prede intere)
Flow: Corrente da Moderata a Forte. Vivono in torrenti e fiumi a scorrimento rapido in natura.
Reproduction: Impossibile in acquario. A oggi, non si registra alcun caso documentato di riproduzione in cattività commerciale o amatoriale. Tutti gli esemplari in circolazione sono inesorabilmente Wild Caught (pescati nei fiumi sudamericani), fattore che li espone a parassitosi intestinali all'acquisto.
Compatibility: NON compatibile con Neon, Guppy, Danio o qualsiasi caracide/ciprinide piccolo: di notte diventeranno la sua cena. Mantenimento perfetto solo con pesci di taglia robusta ma tranquilli: Geophagus, Severum, grandi Gourami o grossi Caracidi (Dollari d'argento).

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.