PlanetCatfish.com

Hi!

Well, I'm new to any catfish outside of the cory cats I had in my small tanks (10 gal and less) and I recently got a rainbow shark (also known as red finned shark) to put in my 15 gallon dorm tank. It's almost done cycling as I used all my old aquaria supplies (rocks, filters, plants, etc.) and added some good bacteria from a well cycled tank. My shark is doing quite well and has gained 1/2 inch in the two weeks I've had him.

Well, I was wondering if Pictus Catfish would be okay to put in with him. I understand that this is a semi-aggressive fish, which is why I am uncertain of how he would react to the cats. I plan to get a 55 gallon tank in the spring after I move out of the dorm (will have space then), so there will be plenty of room in May once I get the tank and get it cycled. My next question would then be, is it okay to put the cats on my crushed coral/aquarium gravel mix. I never had an issue with it for the corys I had in the past, but I've heard that cats like the pictus are a bit more sensitive to such things.

I have no fish resources here, I'm even scared to get fish from Walmart...the only place in town...so if you have a any suggestions on how to pick out a healthy catfish, that would be nice too.

Thanks!
Sasdrum

Tank Temp: Averages at 74 degrees F.
P.H.: Stays within a few 1/10th of 7.5
G.H.: 6-9 on average.
K.H.: between 4 and 6.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: Almost at 0 (waiting on cycling)
Nitrate: I have one fish and do weekly water changes, there's not much

P.S.
I've got some time, so if there is anything I need to do before getting them, I'm not rushing by any means.

Hi.

The 15 gallon tank is roughly 20"x10"x18", right?

I'd say this was too small for a group of pictus catfish, even in the very short-term.

I would wait until you get the 55 gallon, then buy the pictus. They need to be kept in shoals, so seven is about the minimum.

Hope this helps.

It's about 20 X 14 X 13. give or take.

If I wait, my shark will be it's full grown 6 inches by the time I get them, at which point I'm told they become rather territorial. So I'm wondering if the cats would even be safe with the shark. I don't mind waiting, but if I do, I don't want to stick them in with him just for them to be chased around and beat up.

Thanks!

I wouldn't have thought that there would be much difference in behaviour if the sharks grow up with the pictus cat or not - it's highly likely a lot more aggressive than the pictus anyways.

--
Mats

When you get the 55 you could have a group of three sharks - two is just one chasing the other but three can develop a pecking order and will be kept busy interacting with one another. Obviously the more cover you provide the better and breaking the sightlines is a key aspect.

All of these sharks tend to be more peaceful with smaller fishes that they see as less of a threat but at least as a group they're less inclined to go looking for a fight..

As indicated previously.....a lone rainbow shark will not be interested in small tetras etc, but they can become interested and therefore inquistive/harassing to a number of bottom dwellers like pictus.

Adding more rainbows keeps their attention within the group but to avoid too much concentration on one individual the best plan would be to have a few - probably more than 3.

Pictus IMHO need larger tanks than people think & certainly the best way is to have them in a group of 6+.

Personally i think the substrate is not ideal - crushed coral as part of the substrate is perhaps only required for rift lake fish and i'm very surprised you have had no issues with Corys with the substrate you have. Smooth grain fine sand really is a must for Corys. It is one of the two main things i'd ever try to get across to fishkeepers (the other being research a fishes requirements before purchase).

imho Pictus cats (assuming pimelodis pictus is what's being discussed here) while nice need a large tank, they are a very busy catfish and race around tanks at a fast speed. I have kept them before and subsequently moved them on as I find just their general speed and movement harass lots of other fish.

Hope it works out.

First and foremost, thank you all for your help!

Mats: According to everything I've read on Rainbow Sharks, when they are small they generally only show aggression towards each other, but as they get larger they begin to stake territories and as such any fish entering it's territory tend to become a threat. They are known to do best with fish of equal or larger size as anything smaller will simply be chased. I was also told that keeping more than 1 pet 55 gallons will result in constant fighting between them and they will eventually cause injury to themselves. The two websites listed below are just a few of my reference sites.
http://e0.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=rainbowshark
http://www.fishlore.com/profiles_rainbow_shark.htm

Tappers: I have found multiple sources stating that the sharks will eventually cause injury to each other if kept in groups; however, I haven't found much indicated that the sharks are less aggressive to smaller fish. Granted some sources claim they are shy fish. Mine most certainly is not a shy fish, constantly making it clear he is in the tank whenever I am around. And as this is first one of these I've had, you more than likely know more than me.

Richard B: Last time I had Corys I was 14 and was slowly learning as I went. I had a small 5 gallon tank at the time and was having issues with my water quality. My Local Fish Store suggested that I put the crushed coral to help buffer the system. It worked quite well and I was able to keep a variety of fish an average of a 6 months past the life expectancy, the Corys included. And as for research, that's half the reason I'm here, I can't seem to find a lot of consistent research on the cats in relation to other fish and instead of just blindly getting them and hoping everything works out, I would rather already know I'm not going to mindlessly kill a fish. I went ahead and got the shark, because I knew with 100% certainly that he would be perfectly fine in my tank alone if that's what it came down to.

redfan: That would be a correct assumption. The generally consensus of the internet seems to be that 3 can be kept in a 55 gallon tank without many issues, but there seems to be a different view here. I figure ya'll are probably going to be more in tune with the actually needs of the fish as it's more likely that you know more about catfish than the generally population of the internet. I do like active tanks, but learned the hard way that some fish just do not get along. Had a Cherry Barb chasing my Corys at one point, that fish went away quickly.

The general consensus seems to be that the Pictus would not do well with my Rainbow Shark or in the 55 gallon tank I plan to get and if that's the case, are there any suggestions on a type of catfish that I could put in the tank? I would prefer to keep things in groups of 3. The only requirements I currently have are a variety of caves, live plants and tank temp of 74-76 degrees for my shark. I can use any type of substrate, etc. and since it will be a few months til I get this tank and then a bit longer til I get it cycled properly, I have plenty of time to prepare, just have to keep in mind that I will have a 6 inch Rainbow Shark at that point.

sasdrum wrote:...Tappers: I have found multiple sources stating that the sharks will eventually cause injury to each other if kept in groups; however, I haven't found much indicated that the sharks are less aggressive to smaller fish. Granted some sources claim they are shy fish. Mine most certainly is not a shy fish, constantly making it clear he is in the tank whenever I am around. And as this is first one of these I've had, you more than likely know more than me.

It's the internet, any 14 year old with a laptop is an expert. Here you'll find people telling you not to keep more than one Centropyge angel to a tank whilst more enlightened hobbyists regularly spawn their flame angels. Respecting the social structure of the species you're keeping is key here, whatever they may be. After 24 years as a professional aquarist I'd like to think I'd learnt a few things but it's undeniably hard to have sharks damage each other if you stick to one - they're just harder company for tankmates in the absence of normal social interaction with other sharks. A mirror might be a safer alternative that gives other fish a bit of respite..

Hi Sasdrum and welcome! I have had around 5-7 (3"-5") sharks and as many, same size range P. pictus in a 55 gal at some point. There was a bunch (~30) of other small cats and odds in there too. They had been together for ~1/2 year with no issues, except that 2-3 of the sharks were usually hiding in the heavy plastic vegetation while the rest were more active. I'd like to commend you for doing such an excellent job at researching compatibilities first and caring so genuinely for your pets. Just a suggestion: it is the hardest task to sift out the unreliable info on the net from reliable. Every fish-keeper's circumstances differ. There are only some general trends to be aware of, I believe that the experts (not me) will tell you but no one knows everything. It is impossible. And, while I am not encouraging it, I also wanted to mention that some people, as well as all people sometimes, learn the best from experience. If it's controversial - try it and keep a blog of your experience to help the peer next in line. In this case, it helps to have a plan B and C. Good luck!