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can pictus catfish live with female bettas safely?

15K views 28 replies 5 participants last post by  Lupin 
#1 ·
i have a 55 gallon tank with 10 female bettas and am curious if it would be ok to get a pictus or two, or maybe some of the redtailed sharks...instead of typical corys

anyone have any opinions?
 
#2 ·
Yes you can i would do 3 they like shool.
 
#3 ·
What are the updates, Christina? I disagree with Mollies. I would advise against combining the likes of pictus catfish espcially with their gaping mouths with bettas. Cories or bristlenose plecos are a much better choice than pictus catfish.
 
#4 ·
well ioroginally had black mollies in with my sorority. they all got along well.but, ive since taken them out, they are in what will be my community tank, my 65 gallon.

ive decided to add a few pictus with my bettas, i believe they will do fine. if they arent then i will put them in another tank i have.

i havent added them yet, when i do, ill post how their all getting along.
 
#5 · (Edited)
It doesn't sound like a good combination to me. I've got a pictus and they are nocturnal feeders. Once the lights are out he comes out of his cave and begins voraciously cruising the tank. Anything smaller than his mouth is down the hatch. While you may be okay keeping juveniles with your female bettas it'll never last long term.
Where do female bettas rest during the night? I know my male betta perches himself on the substrate for the evening. If I had a pictus in the tank with him he'd never get a restful night's sleep.
How many pictus were you planning on keeping??
 
#6 ·
yes, i was thinking about the sleep patters after i posted before. sounds like i need to stick with corys. what about the bristlenose as suggested erlier? how big do they get? their not like the everyday plecos in the stores are they? they get huge and frankly, they give me the willies. just the thought of sticking my hand into a tank with one of those freaks me out to no end
 
#7 ·
I've got an albino bristle and she has topped out at 3 1/2", not scary at all :-D
I *believe* the largest size a "regular" bristle achieves is somewhere between 4 to 6 inches, depending on male or female.
My bristle is very mellow and doesn't bother anyone in the tank. She's pretty shy and nocturnal so I really only see her once the regular lighting kicks off and the moonlights come on.
I love the idea of cories. They are such cute, comical little fish. :)
 
#8 ·
i love the cories too, im going to get those for my community tank. i was just trying to think of something interesting and different for the sorority tank :)
 
#9 ·
I agree with aunt kymmie. Bristlenose Plecos are very peaceful. In fact, they can be quite shy. Even if my bristlenoses (I have a breeding pair! Yay!) are already used to me and come out when I'm looking, when I make a sudden movement they go scampering to their hiding places. My male is at around 4 1/2 inches while the female is now close to hitting 4".

They are only similar in shape to the common pleco. Size and temperament are opposites! hehe.

Urrrgh common pleco. They're a pest introduced species in our rivers here. I'm disgusted by them already.
 
#10 ·
the reg. plecos freak me out. im serious, i go into the stores and wherever their tank is, you can seem me slither backwards away from them. the hairs on my arms stand up, ive almost gone into panic attacks when ive been "surprised" by them in a tank. i have no idea why, lol
i know i must be quite comical to watch when i see them ugh
 
#11 ·
oh no, ive just seen what the bristlenose looks like, im afraid thats not for me.....no offense to those that have them, but they would give me nightmares
 
#13 ·
Haha. Bristlenose, especially fullgrown males can look intimidating. So I guess cories are your next best bet. For bottomfeeders, I'm a fan of plecos and cories, so my choices are limited to those two.

I'm not familiar with raphael catfish so let's wait for others to answer. Good luck!
 
#17 ·
Haha. Bristlenose, especially fullgrown males can look intimidating. So I guess cories are your next best bet. For bottomfeeders, I'm a fan of plecos and cories, so my choices are limited to those two.

I'm not familiar with raphael catfish so let's wait for others to answer. Good luck!
Which is exactly why I have a female BN. Those bristleys look kinda freaky to me too. My female is not showing any yet, and I hear that in all likelihood she will never grow any. (hope so!)
I've got loaches for bottom feeders which is why I can't keep cories. Loaches are too rambunctious for the peaceful cories. I forgot what size of tank we talking about here? You may be able to keep a group of the smaller species of loach.

Raphael's are nearly the same as far as pictus in regards to nocturnal feeding habits. What I've researched is that they're fairly shy and anything that can fit into the mouth usually ends up there. An adult raphael can reach 5 to 7 inches which gives it a pretty large mouth, enough to swallow a small female betta :shock:.
 
#14 ·
their said to be quite peaceful, and love sandy bottoms, which is what i have. half sand, half river rock. but they say they get to be 9 inches, yikes. ok i guess im stuck with corys LOL

i do not want a fish bigger than my hand in my tanks HAHAHAHAHA
 
#15 ·
I see. Goodluck with the cories! They are quite sensitive but will be very very fun if taken care of properly.

Interesting to hear about your rule about fish. I know someone who's into monster fish and he says that fish with adult size less than 18 inches is not worth keeping! LOL!

Actually, that's the nice thing about the aquatics hobby. Lots of species and characteristics of fish to choose from!
 
#16 ·
i enjoy my fish individually.....i like different types, but know each and everyone of them, their personalities and traits LOL i must have tooo much time on my hands.

nah, i just love fish ;)
 
#18 ·
ya thats what i read and posted earlier. i just want something a little different than corys if i can help it. my sorority is a 55 gallon. and im ONLY going to have the female bettas in it. so it has to go with them. what kinda loaches are you talking about that do clean up?

i like the khuli's but can never find them here :(
i dont really like the dodo's
maybe clownloaches? i think their aggressive?
what do you have?
 
#19 ·
55gl gives you lots of option as far as loaches go. Clowns are get much too large for a 55gl. Dojos are a temperate species and prefer much cooler temps than bettas. Kuhlis are very shy and you might not see much of them. I'd look into the Botia striata (zebra loach), Botia kubotai (polka dot loach), Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki (dwarf chain loach). These are all loaches I'd have if I had the room for them! These species are all relatively peaceful and wouldn't bother your bettas. Maybe google them and tell me what you think??
 
#20 ·
oh now, this is what im talking about ;)

i really like these. i dont think anyone local sells these, ill haave to look into that. they typically only have the clown and dojos

this look really interesting and the dwarf chain is one u can train to eat from your hand! lol, not that im into doing that

thanks for sharing these w me
 
#21 ·
hmmmm, it appears that the dwarf variety like to eat snails. i have just ordered some Malaysian trumpets. not so sure i like the possibility of them becoming a snack
 
#23 ·
Contrary to popular belief MTS aren't readly eaten by loaches ass are the other species of snails. The MTS possess an operculum that they can effectively shut tight (much more so than other snails) rendering them immune to a loach's inquisitive snout. I have MTS and my clowns and yoyos are unable to "get" to the snails. They toss the shells around and after awhile they give up after they realize that no easy meal is coming out anytime soon. I've had no problem keeping MTS and loaches together.

I'd love to have Lupin weigh in on this topic. He's the pro and I'm only going by my actual experience. Maybe I have extra tough snails and not so bright loaches?
 
#22 ·
darn it, it appears all 3 of the loaches will eat snails..........grrrrr

cant i find a bottom feeder that doesnt get too big, doesnt think my fish or snails are snacks, and isnt a cory?!?

sheesh
 
#24 ·
lol, ok thats a possibility then

ive got the mts coming in tomorow 1 because i like them and 2 because they help turn the substrate

but i also have mystery snails. sounds like a no go for loaches :(
 
#25 ·
Yep, loaches are out. Loaches would have a field day with mystery snails. I'm trying to think of something (other than cories) who are bottom feeders and wouldn't give your bettas a second look. Humm...thinking...
 
#26 ·
dont get me wrong, i LOVE cories

im just going to have them in my 2 other tanks, maybe i should just get 3 different species, one for each tank? hmmm, id still like somehting else with my girls
 
#28 ·
i thought about that, but, i love my snails as well. im really trying very hard to get this tank as natural as possible. and once my plants take off and i add some more, i will be removing my fake ones too. i have driftwood in this one too, sandy bottom, and river rock. its almost where i want it. i feel that having snails make it more natural in appearance, to me anyway.

maybe one of these days ill add pics here :)
 
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