Pictus Catfish

About

The pictus catfish (Pimelodus pictus) is one of the more recognizable members of the family Pimelodidae, a large and diverse group of South American catfish that still has taxonomists scratching their heads over its full classification. In the wild, pictus cats are found throughout the Amazon and Orinoco River basins, and in the aquarium they bring a lot of that river energy with them. These are fast, active fish that rarely sit still for long. The body is silvery white with a scattering of black spots and dramatically long barbels that extend well past the tail, and there are actually two geographical forms: Colombian fish tend to have smaller, more densely packed spots, while Peruvian fish show larger spots on the body with finer spotting on the head. Despite being sold as a peaceful community fish, this is genuinely a predatory species, and anything small enough to fit in its mouth, neon tetras, small livebearers, that sort of thing, will eventually disappear. It's best housed with robust, medium to large tankmates. Pictus cats are natural shoalers, and a group of six or more will be dramatically more active and visible than a lone specimen. One important handling note: their pectoral and dorsal spines are sharp, venomous, and tangle easily in nets, so use a container instead when you need to move them.