A couple of questions, pimelodid... sys.,  comp.   7/13/07
Hello!
<<Good morning, Meghan. Tom here.>>
First I'd like to say that I love your site. I find it extremely useful and most of my questions have been answered.
<<Very happy to hear this, Meghan, and thank you.>>
That aside, I can't seem to find much on pictus catfish. I got him about 2 months ago from a pet store that assured me he would be fine in a 7 gallon tank.
<<Not hardly! These guys need lots of swimming room. Far, far more than a 7-gallon tank could possibly afford.>>
He was about an inch or two long, and I had no idea just how big these guys can get. He's now maybe 3 or 4 inches, and I noticed about 2 weeks ago that he's started swimming in circles following his reflection.
<<Going stir-crazy, no doubt.>>
I went to the store (a different one from the one I got him in) to ask why he might be doing this and the fish person was horrified that he was in the small tank he was in. She said he needed to be in at least a 30 gallon or it could kill him.
<<I’d go even higher than this but the lady was absolutely correct.>>
I don't want to kill him so I talked to my fiancé and we decided to get a bigger tank, which we set up yesterday and are in the process of cycling. It is a 75 gallon with live plants and we were advised to use stress zyme so that it will cycle faster.
<<Wonderful decision on the tank, Meghan! (Your fiancé gets credit, too!) As for the Stress Zyme, there are a number of factors that determine how quickly a tank will cycle. Depending on how heavily planted the tank is, this alone may be just as effective at speeding things up as adding the Stress Zyme. No harm either way, however.>>
I plan on transferring my pictus along with my Chinese algae eater in about a week to this new tank.
<<I’ll reserve my comments on the CAE but I’ll confess that I’m not a fan of these fish.>>
I have been researching tankmates since I finished setting up my system and I can't find anything anywhere that answers what will safely live with these two.
<<Maybe I won’t reserve my comments after all. Your Pictus is a “natural” predator, insects primarily but not entirely. Larger South American Cichlids do quite well with these fish as they’ll grow too large for the Pictus to bother with. Smaller fish like Neons would be on the menu, however. (Just about anything that will fit in its mouth should be avoided.) Your CAE is another story. Angelfish, for example, would get along well with your catfish but would likely become a target for the CAE, which is well-known to attach itself to the bodies of slower moving fish and feed on the slime coating/flesh of its “victims”. Not a pleasant creature and one I heartily recommend against keeping, by and large. This isn’t to say that some folks don’t keep these fish without a problem but I don’t consider it a worthwhile risk, personally.>>
I currently have them with some danios and mollies, which will be moved to a 30 gallon as soon as my fiancé's parents bring it over.
<<Good. The Mollies aren’t compatible with the Pictus where water conditions are concerned preferring alkaline water over the softer, more acidic water that the Pictus enjoys. The Danios, of course, are less picky about their conditions but, depending on their sizes, might be viewed as a challenging "treat" down the line.>>
I really like cichlids and I was wondering how well that combination will work out.
<<As I mentioned, Meghan, Cichlids would do well with your Pictus but choose appropriately. Not all Cichlids are “created equal” and the African varieties need far different water (hard, alkaline) parameters than do their South American cousins.>>
I also have wanted to get an Oscar for awhile but I don't know how well these will work with my pictus since they tend to be aggressive fish.
<<The huge benefit you have working for you here is the size of your tank. Oscars can, indeed, be aggressive animals but I don’t think they would find your Pictus to be an inviting target. In fact, a group of Pictus would do very nicely with an Oscar since Pictus prefer to shoal.>>
I was wondering if you could give me some suggestions as to what would work best with these two. I was also wondering if I should consider getting a second pictus once my tank is up and running or if he will be better as the only one there.
<<Rather than getting too specific, Meghan, I’ve given you a broader grouping of fish, i.e. the South American Cichlids, to look at. (Everyone has his/her own tastes, after all.) My only admonition here would be to select fish that grow suitably large. As for a second, third or fourth Pictus, be my guest. As stated, these are shoaling fish and do fine in groups. Better than alone, frankly.>>
Thanks a bunch for your time!
Meghan
<<Hope this helps a bit, Meghan. Congrats on the new tank and best of luck in the future to you and your fiancé. Tom>>

Re: A couple of questions, pimelodid... sys.,  comp.   7/13/07
<<Hello again, Meghan.>>
After thinking and talking it over, we have decided to get 2 more pictus and an Oscar.
<<Sounds good, Meghan.>><RMF would NOT do this... too likely the Pictus will be damaged, end up stuck in the Oscars mouth.>
I was wondering if you had any recommendations as far as what type of Oscar and where to get them.
<<Oscars (Astronotus ocellatus) come in a variety of coloration schemes due to selective breeding, Meghan. Once again, this is really a subjective choice on the parts of you and your fiancé. The so-called Pink (Albino?) Oscar is rumored to be about the least aggressive of them but I’m afraid I have no first-hand knowledge of this. I'm a little biased toward Red Oscars just for their coloration but that's me.>>
Should we go through the local PetSmart or order them online?
<<Skip PetSmart, Meghan. If you don’t have a local LFS that you trust, a reputable e-tailer is the much better choice. I have a local LFS that I do business with exclusively so I’m not the best one to ask regarding online ordering but a little research should put you on the right track. I know from other WWM members that there are a good number of very reputable e-tailers available but I’ve not, personally, done business with any of these.>>
I doubt it, but I was curious also if I could fit a few other cichlids in the tank or just leave it at these fish.
<<I would resist the temptation, Meghan. A full-size Oscar is going to command even your 75-gallon tank, the Pictus notwithstanding. Better to leave your stocking levels as you see them now.>>
And finally, should I add the 2 pictus and Oscar at the same time, or stagger it?
<<The rule-of-thumb here is to add the more aggressive fish later. What you want to avoid, of course, is allowing your Oscar to “claim” the tank and, then, add new fish afterward. That said, I would be terribly remiss if I didn't highly recommend quarantining your fish before adding them to your display tank. We, too frequently, kind of gloss over this procedure but it's absolutely the best way to ensure that the main tank is getting "healthy" additions. I would go with the Pictus first, in this case, and then the Oscar. If quarantining isn't feasible, you shouldn't have a problem adding the three together.>>
Thank you again,
Meghan
<<You’re very welcome. Good luck! Tom>>