Pictus Cats

[michelle7]

Just wondering, but do pictus cats have to be kept in groups of 2+ individuals?? I have 2 catfish that were moved from one tank to another of their own and the move was very stressful for them, even though I tried to lessen the stress as much as humanly possible. Since the move, they both became very much emaciated, although now one is beginning to eat more like his old self again and is slowly putting the weight back on. The second pictus still won't eat more than a few pieces of bloodworms/brine shrimp at meal time .

Ph: 7.4 Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite: 0 The tank is a 30 long with lots of hiding places for them. The tank is brightly lit, but I'm having trouble finding a dimmer flourscent at the moment - still looking though!

The fish are fed frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp, and shrimp pellets/flakes. Water changes occur weekly with 20% of the water being changed.

We have tried melafix to lessen stress, but it hasn't worked on this little guy (we call him "slim"). After a month of waiting for him to come around, I'm ready to QT him and try some actual medications . Do you have any suggestions? Also, in regards to the above question, he gets pretty picked on by the first pictus and I would like to separate the two only if there are not going to be "lonliness issues" stemming from the separation. Any thoughts will be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[corybreed]

I think you may have answered your own question regarding the one pictus not eating very much. If it is being picked on by the other pictus it is probably stressed out, thats why it is not doing well. I would definitely separate the two and wouldn't worry about them being lonely.
Mark

[Silurus]

Schooling fish like pictus need to be kept in groups of more than two. If you have only two fish, what frequently happens is that the larger one will pick on the smaller (as in your case). You need more than two to spread any potential aggression around.