# Pictus Catfish Good or bad for planted tank with peaceful community fish? aggressive?



## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

How is the Pictus Catfish in a peaceful community planted tank? 

What is your experience with them? 

I have purchased a lot of fish including a Pictus Catfish in the last 3 days and I found some dead fish that were like half eaten. I do not if they died from stress of introducing them to a new tank or if they were killed by the Pictus Catfish. 

I think I had a few neon tetras, black neon tetras and a few zebra fish. 

What do you guys think? 


Thanks.


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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

Not a good idea. They need large tanks and tankmates that are too big to be prey. Neons and zebra danios are too small to be kept with a pictus. 

I don't know if your pictus killed the fish you are finding, but if it didn't, it will.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

randym said:


> Not a good idea. They need large tanks and tankmates that are too big to be prey. Neons and zebra danios are too small to be kept with a pictus.
> 
> I don't know if your pictus killed the fish you are finding, but if it didn't, it will.


I do have a relatively big tank 75 gallons however I don't have big fish. I am tying to create a larger tank feel with lots of little fish mixed rock caves, plant forest,etc.. The Pictus was kind of an a mistake. 

Do you know if they can be housed with beta fish or if they will eat the betta ? 

Thanks.


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

Generally,a pictus will eat any fish that will fit in it's cavernous mouth.I believe they'll sneak up and eat them at night when they're less active.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

MtAnimals said:


> Generally,a pictus will eat any fish that will fit in it's cavernous mouth.I believe they'll sneak up and eat them at night when they're less active.


So I release the pictus into a local lake? I have no more room for anymore aquariums except maybe a 10 gallon the garage which is too small for it. 

Maybe sell or donate him to a LFS? 

Any ideas? I am leaving the lights on hoping he will keep hiding until I can figure out what to do. He is hiding in a cave right now and I am dropping shrimp pellets into it for him so he won't murder anymore of the smaller fish. 

Thanks.


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## zerodameaon (Dec 2, 2014)

redranger said:


> So I release the pictus into a local lake?


Do NOT do that. Donate it, sell it, kill it but do not release it into a non native habitat. Honestly do not even release captive fish into their native habitat.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

zerodameaon said:


> Do NOT do that. Donate it, sell it, kill it but do not release it into a non native habitat. Honestly do not even release captive fish into their native habitat.


I have seen enough dead fish while trying to keep my fish alive. I am not going to kill any fish on purpose especially one that cost like $10. That is murder in my opinion. 

Relax, I look up the fish and its from South America. 

I live in the south Florida, it does not get anymore southern then this except maybe Key west. :smile2:

My father told me that I should release it in a lake however my only concern is that it will be eaten by a bigger fish, the lake might be brackish due to the near by ocean and the fact that you can't dig a hole in the ground or have a basement here without getting ocean water creeping in( like when you dig a hole at the beach) or the general water conditions, food supply won't be able to give him a fighting chance. 


I don't suppose adding tons of plants, rocks, etc to the tank will keep the Pictus catfish from eating the others? 

Thanks.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

So, you never eat fish? Can't you just return it to where you got it, maybe swap for a few more of the fish you lost?

I sometimes suspect the only reason for the space program is an effort to screw up other planets too.


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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

Yikes. Do NOT release a pet fish into the wild. It's probably illegal, if nothing else. It's not good for the fish and not good for the environment.

You can probably trade it in at the pet store for another kind of fish or store credit. Or trade it or donate it to another hobbyist who is able to care for it.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Definitely trade it in at a ma and pa shop. They need huge tanks. 75g is the bare minimum according to Petco/Petsmart, and I bet they would want a bigger tank. They surf the bottom of the tanks, kind of like stingrays or corys. They are big and will uproot plants to their liking. They are definitely an aggressive species and deserve a semi-aggressive tank. 

Releasing store bought fish is illegal in Florida. It is also awful for the species that live in the environment. There are a ton of problem species here locally already and many of them are a problem because of negligence of the owners. Please, give it to another hobbyist or trade it in at a local fish store. I'm sure you can tell the owner of a LFS that you bought a 'bad fish' and don't want to harm it and they will give you some credit.

If you cannot give it away, kill it and I'll send you $10 via Paypal. Seriously, I would hate to see a fish like this start breeding in an environment it should not and be an issue.


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## juvinious (Jul 8, 2015)

Do not release the fish into the local waters. Non-native species are a big problem down here in South Florida because of the same lack of understanding about the ecosystem and habitat.
If you were able to lookup the species you can easily look up the information on FWC's site and find that it is illegal.
As suggested, either kill it, find it a home in somebody else's tank or return it to the store you bought it at.


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## zerodameaon (Dec 2, 2014)

redranger said:


> Relax, I look up the fish and its from South America.
> 
> I live in the south Florida, it does not get anymore southern then this except maybe Key west. :smile2:


Yes it does get further south, go further south and it gets more south then where you are... Anyways South Florida is not south america so your research clearly was in vain. DO NOT release that fish, suck it up and kill it or better yet find a way to rehome it that does not involve highly illegal and destructive activity. 

If this is not what you want to hear maybe it is time to find another hobby. As fish keepers we have a responsibility to not do stuff like releasing non native species into the wild.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

Nordic said:


> So, you never eat fish? Can't you just return it to where you got it, maybe swap for a few more of the fish you lost?
> 
> I sometimes suspect the only reason for the space program is an effort to screw up other planets too.


NO, no no, you got it all wrong man, the purpose of the space program is to make Muslims feel good about themselves. 

"Obama to NASA Chief: Make Muslims 'Feel Good'" 
https://pjmedia.com/blog/obama-to-nasa-chief-make-muslims-feel-good/ :grin2:

I normally would return it where I got it from but I made a special trip to a place really far away to get some of the more exotic plants which Petco and petsmart don't carry as well as livestock. 

The catfish was kind of an impulse buy because I thought it look cool and that it was like the other catfish I had( Cory). It was kind of closing time and I felt kind of rushed like they really wanted to go. 

I have eaten catfish but I have no intention of murdering a pet on purpose. I doubt it was a Pictus catfish either. That would be irresponsible. I would rather give him a fighting chance at a petstore or a lake in which he could habitat. Something with fish life there already and a food supply. 

I am trying to do the right thing here.

Bump:


randym said:


> Yikes. Do NOT release a pet fish into the wild. It's probably illegal, if nothing else. It's not good for the fish and not good for the environment.
> 
> You can probably trade it in at the pet store for another kind of fish or store credit. Or trade it or donate it to another hobbyist who is able to care for it.


There are a lot of illegals things going on where I live and no one seems to care. I got my credit card stolen and I told the police and they said they have better things to do. I even tracked down the house where they had the items shipped to and the police there still did not care. 
When I was in Colorado, people were smoking the marijuana and I told the cops and I called the DEA and they were like " we don't care about that anymore" and that is against all sorts of federal laws as a schedule 1 control substance. :nerd:

Anyway I am not sure they would care about a small catfish being released into a lake since that even real crimes are too trivial for them to care about. 

However if you are saying that the catfish would not do well in a lake might be a better reason to trade him to donate him. I wish I could take him back to the place I got him but it was a very far out of the way place that look up half my day. It was kind of a special trip that you only go like once or twice a year. They did not even give me a receipt! I guess I was there towards closing and they wanted to get home. 

If you know anyone in the South Florida area that wants to trade a fish, place let me know. I might want to call some local mom and pop stores and see if they would like to trade as well. 

I would rather not release him in a lake either but my father told me that I should do it. I am trying to find some alternatives. 

Thanks.


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## koiboi (Sep 4, 2011)

zerodameaon said:


> Yes it does get further south, go further south and it gets more south then where you are... Anyways South Florida is not south america so your research clearly was in vain. DO NOT release that fish, suck it up and kill it or better yet find a way to rehome it that does not involve highly illegal and destructive activity.
> 
> If this is not what you want to hear maybe it is time to find another hobby. As fish keepers we have a responsibility to not do stuff like releasing non native species into the wild.


Zerodameaon is correct.

Not to be preachy, but you are definitely in the wrong hobby. A fish like that would grow big enough to suck up enough smaller fish to do a bit of damage to any area it was released to. Look at your Florida waters to see what damage lionfish, no doubt released by well meaning salt water aquarists, have done on the reefs. We have a responsibility to be good stewards to the environment when we take living things out of nature for our own enjoyment. We go through so much work and expense to replicate nature in our homes, let's make sure the hobby adds to nature instead of damages it out of selfishness. You say you want to do the right thing, well, we are giving you an answer.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

There are many fish keepers in Florida. Give the fish away to someone with the right set up. 

Parents are not always right. 
It is wrong to dump fish in lakes, ponds or rivers. 
a) The fish that has been in captivity may have been exposed to some disease or parasite that could get into the local fish population. 
b) Diseases or parasites native to that location may kill the fish. 
c) The fish might not survive: wrong temperature or water parameters, predators or other problems. 
d) The fish might survive, and cause problems among the local, native fish. 

Don't release that fish!, the ethics of releasing fish into the wild

Just because other people do unethical or wrong things does not mean it is right to do these things. 
If a lot of people were jumping off a cliff, would you jump off the cliff?


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## ngrubich (Nov 29, 2011)

redranger said:


> I am trying to do the right thing here.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> ...


.......................... trying to do the right thing you say? DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT dump the fish into any body of water!!!!!!!
Since you are from Florida, I'm sure you are no stranger to the issue everyone is having with trying to keep lionfish populations under control. It's been speculated (with a good degree of certainty) that someone that didn't want the fish anymore decided it was going to be a good idea to dump the thing back into the ocean, unaware that it was not native from that area. Or how about those Asian carp you see jumping into people's boats going down river, or while driving around a LAKE.
Just because you made the mistake of getting a fish you ultimately were unsatisfied with does not make it okay for you to say "screw it" to your local ecosystem.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

Lol! South Florida is the same thing as South America!!! I don't know if that was a joke, but if it was it was pretty funny... I hope it was a joke. 
I had a similar mindset about releasing fish when I was younger. Once you visit a lake or other body of water and see it teaming with Oscars and 2 foot long Plecos you will realize what these guys are saying. It is sad and it leads to the ruination of our precious natural habitats. I'm sure Petsmart would take it. I'm having to do the same thing for 7 large Congo tetras and some other fish now that I am moving. Do what's right and protect our local waterways. To put it in perspective I have always dreamed of going to Africa and checking out Lake Malawi or Lake Tanganyika. Could you imagine finally being able to go and there is nothing but sunfish? It doesn't take much to ruin an ecosystem


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

ngrubich said:


> .......................... trying to do the right thing you say? DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT dump the fish into any body of water!!!!!!!
> Since you are from Florida, I'm sure you are no stranger to the issue everyone is having with trying to keep lionfish populations under control. It's been speculated (with a good degree of certainty) that someone that didn't want the fish anymore decided it was going to be a good idea to dump the thing back into the ocean, unaware that it was not native from that area. Or how about those Asian carp you see jumping into people's boats going down river, or while driving around a LAKE.
> Just because you made the mistake of getting a fish you ultimately were unsatisfied with does not make it okay for you to say "screw it" to your local ecosystem.


I think the fish is awesome which is why I got him however the fish would were 50% eaten and dead in my tank would disagree( Zebrafish, fancy tail guppies,etc...) Unfortunately I can't keep the fish without killing everything in my tank. 

However many factors would have to come together to create a problem. 
1. You would have to have at least 2 in the same area and the 2 would have to be a breeding pair(male and female) 
2. The fish would have no predators( Lion fish is top of the food chain and the carp is probably too big for any predator fish to eat), this is a catfish only a few inches long and probably a lake big mouth bass could easily eat him. 
3. The lake would have to have enough of a food supply and be the right water conditions to support him as well as be free of chemicals that might kill him. 

My understanding is that these things are really hard to breed and the conditions have to be like perfect and I don't think they would be in a Florida lake so the chances of this causing a problem are probably about a million to one.

Also, the lakes in Florida around where I am are relatively small. They are probably more of what you might consider a pond vs a lake. I know in some area of the country, the lake took like an ocean. In my area, they are small bodies of water that you can walk around easy. For example, in Miami lakes, all the lakes are man made and just have guppies, tadpoles and ducks with some larger fish out deep but everything there was placed there by people not nature. 

We are not talking about lake Michigan. 

I really don't think you have anything to worry about however that is only my last option if all else fails. The problem is that I'm traveling soon and I don't want to come back to a tank full of dead(eaten) fish and I don't want to murder an innocent beautiful catfish which cost around $10 which is a lot for an aquarium fish. 

Anyway, I will leave that as my last resort option if all else fails not my first. 

Thank you for your concern.


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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

If you won't do the right thing for the sake of the environment, do it for the sake of the hobby. Every few years someone tries to pass a law banning the import of exotic fish, shrimp, etc., precisely because of irresponsible hobbyists who release them into the wild when they are tired of them, or because they bought them without understanding their needs. 

If that happens one day, we have only ourselves to blame.


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## bluesand (Nov 3, 2014)

You cant predict nature, theres so many variables to count. Just give it to someone who wants it. 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## zerodameaon (Dec 2, 2014)

I am sorry if you feel like we are attacking you but just note it is not a first resort or even a last resort to release this fish into the wild. If you want to feed it to another fish find someone willing to toss it into their tank for food but do not release it for a wild fish to eat. Also do you know that there is not another pictus in that water? I am sure the person that released the second lion fish thought the same thing and look at where we are now.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

zerodameaon said:


> Yes it does get further south, go further south and it gets more south then where you are... Anyways South Florida is not south america so your research clearly was in vain. DO NOT release that fish, suck it up and kill it or better yet find a way to rehome it that does not involve highly illegal and destructive activity.
> 
> If this is not what you want to hear maybe it is time to find another hobby. As fish keepers we have a responsibility to not do stuff like releasing non native species into the wild.


The fish did not do anything wrong, its just his nature. As far as south America, I have heard it both ways however I think the confusion is that I'm talking about America as a country and that I live in the south in America whereas you are referring to America as a continent.

Anyway, bottom line is your saying the pictus catfish is not native to Florida. Understood. 

Once someone backed into my car and I told a cop about it and he said that " we don't get involved unless its over $500 worth of damage or else we would be called every time a grocery cart dings a car,etc.. " I am not sure if the cops here really care about a fish or not. I know in other states, people are getting arrested and throw in jail for jaywalking but in South Florida is kind of like the wildwest. 

When my credit card number has been stolen like 3 times in the last 2 years and I even found out the address there the stolen items were being sent and the cops did not care. 

So I am not sure a pet fish being released into a lake is a high priority when probably a lot of cops here are corrupt or on the take anyway. ( You ever see Miami vice, burn notice,etc..). 

I have too much money, time,effort, space invested in this aquarium hobby. I probably have over $1,000 worth in Aquariums, equipment, livestock, etc... Those small purchases really add up. I spend like almost $100 in a 5 gallon drum of activated carbon alone) then I find out that purigin is better. Ugh!!! 

The fish need 2 to breed(male/female), these lakes are basically ponds and non-connecting, and conditions have to be perfect for this fish to breed, its small and other fish could eat them. Its a nonthreat however having said that, the lake option is just a LAST RESORT. 

I need to find out if Petsmart or Petco have any program to buy unwanted fish. 

Thanks.


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## insane (Oct 11, 2015)

redranger said:


> My father told me that I should release it in a lake


Tell your father that doing that is not only illegal it is also unethical.


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## koiboi (Sep 4, 2011)

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

My guess is this pictus cat is the least of your aquarium worries, and you'll most likely be out of the hobby before long. You want to do the right thing, but only if it gets your ten dollars back. I don't think we can help you or the fish at any rate.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

randym said:


> If you won't do the right thing for the sake of the environment, do it for the sake of the hobby. Every few years someone tries to pass a law banning the import of exotic fish, shrimp, etc., precisely because of irresponsible hobbyists who release them into the wild when they are tired of them, or because they bought them without understanding their needs.
> 
> If that happens one day, we have only ourselves to blame.


First of all,I think maybe you are referring to like a piranha or something like that right? I think I checked a number of years ago and it was like 50/50 on if a state would allowed it. 

I used to have a Ferret and I read that it was outlawed in California. I don't know why because it was kind of like a cat/hamster hybrid. 


This is Big government overreaching. My grandmother had the government threaten to put a lien on her house because she did not get her dog(which died a while back) vaccinated because the government is making the vets snitch on pet owners into almost a NSA style database. I don't know if this is a Florida thing or everywhere but if you don't want to have the government threaten to take away your house, then you have to lie to your vet when you take your dog in for anything. That is a real shame but the vets hands are tied. I guess the government cares more about people owning the wrong pet then they do about terrorist entering the country.

The government is trying to take away my guns, take away my drones, outlaw my sports car( due to MPG mandates) and now even take away my pet fish! Where does this stop?

Its time we make America great again and stop this tyranny.


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## Yukiharu (May 3, 2014)

I seriously hope you're just messing with us. First of all, life is hard. Bad things happen. We all get it. Some of us have had to leave this hobby because we lost our homes.
Second, just because the cops don't care and you invested a lot of money into this tank doesn't have ANY bearing on what you do with that fish. If you want to, go ahead and just post it onto the sale forum; I am sure someone will buy it off you at this rate. Whatever you do, don't release it into the wild.
Third, this isn't about whatever things you believe in or whatever politics you espouse. We're not on 4chan, we are not on reddit, we are not on tumblr, we are not a political forum, and we are most definitely not here to talk about these things on a website devoted to the keeping and proper care of fish. This is about the aquarium-keeping hobby, and you can talk all you want about your other beliefs SOMEWHERE ELSE. Right now we are telling you exactly what you should be doing with that fish and why it is important. There are many good people here urging you to do the right thing because we know what it means not to do so and how it will affect not just that lake, but the environment and the rest of us who enjoy this hobby. For instance, in my state so many people toss non-native crayfish into the river that the commission has now made it flat-out illegal to own ANY crayfish, even native ones. Please do not screw so many people over.


If you bought that fish from Petco/Petsmart, just take it back with a receipt and they will take it off your hands. If you did not and bought it somewhere else, then take it back there and explain your situation. They will be more than happy to not only take it back, but care for it properly until another person can provide it with a proper home. You might even be able to sell it to a local pet store for store credit; it happens all the time. Explain the situation and they'll probably take it.

I seriously hope that you mature in this hobby and understand why we are telling you what we do. I truly want you to enjoy this hobby with us and to appreciate what we are doing and why we are doing it. If you cannot do this, then I'm sorry that is your loss.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

koiboi said:


> You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
> 
> My guess is this pictus cat is the least of your aquarium worries, and you'll most likely be out of the hobby before long. You want to do the right thing, but only if it gets your ten dollars back. I don't think we can help you or the fish at any rate.


WRONG! 

I have been keeping fish for a long time. The goldfish I have in my tank now I have had for probably over 15 years. I used to have Oscars before that, tropical before that,etc.. 

The right thing would be to choose life over death. What type of sick individual would kill an innocent creature for no reason? We are better then that. 

Perhaps its my mistake for describing it as a " lake" when in actually more of a man made pond with several thousands of gallons. Usually made for a small park or something. 

Fish are isolated can't escape or spread there. 

I have several large tank and have spend probably spend well over $1,000 on this hobby. Including many automatic fish feeders. I would not do that if I was just going to try it for a few weeks.


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## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

redranger said:


> WRONG!
> 
> I have been keeping fish for a long time. The goldfish I have in my tank now I have had for probably over 15 years. I used to have Oscars before that, tropical before that,etc..
> 
> ...


Fish can spread, what if the lake floods and it overflows to another lake, what if someone put another catfish in there and they breed? What if a bird eats the eggs and craps out a couple that survived in a river? Suck it up and kill it, I don't enjoy it but it must be done, or just give it away, 10 dollars is cheap, motoro stingrays are 500, the arowana at my lfs is worth between 5000 to 10000 dollars, they have a pleco worth 3500. Your 10 bucks is not a lot compared to what other people spend


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

zerodameaon said:


> I am sorry if you feel like we are attacking you but just note it is not a first resort or even a last resort to release this fish into the wild. If you want to feed it to another fish find someone willing to toss it into their tank for food but do not release it for a wild fish to eat. Also do you know that there is not another pictus in that water? I am sure the person that released the second lion fish thought the same thing and look at where we are now.


In regards to lion fish. 

1. They are heavily armed with venomous spikes and basically nothing eats them. They are like a porcupine. 
2. The Ocean and all the water inlets in Florida are basically all connected. The various fish can reach each other. 
3. They are able to breed quickly, have a perfect condition without any predators. 

In regards to my situation. What I call a lake are actually a small pond which is completely isolated from any other water supply. 

Most likely they dug a large hole in the ground to get building material which turned into this lake/pond and put a small park around it. 

Go to Google Maps and type in " Miami Lakes" and see what I mean.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x88d9bb7d393f0d6f:0x3bc0024cd472e7e3

These pond/lakes don't connect to anything so there is no way the fish can ever do anything put probably eat Mosquito larva and help stop the spread of malaria. 

Other fish which have caused problems are large monster fish which have grown too large for someone and are released into a lake as a monster fish( top of the food chain) with no predators and able to eat everything. 

I don't believe a Pictus Catfish has ever caused any problems in an environment. They are not a salt water lion fish(which I remember costing a small fortune) when I use to visit the saltwater aquarium shops as a center piece fish. 
It was even featured on the naked gun movie as the ultimate luxury fish for a millionaire. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbcqg_70i-w

Anyway, thank you for your concern. I am not really going to do this unless I run out of all options. It was mainly suggested by my father since its would be so difficult to return this fish so such a remote location. 

Thanks.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

sohankpatel said:


> Fish can spread, what if the lake floods and it overflows to another lake, what if someone put another catfish in there and they breed? What if a bird eats the eggs and craps out a couple that survived in a river? Suck it up and kill it, I don't enjoy it but it must be done, or just give it away, 10 dollars is cheap, motoro stingrays are 500, the arowana at my lfs is worth between 5000 to 10000 dollars, they have a pleco worth 3500. Your 10 bucks is not a lot compared to what other people spend


I buy all my fish on sale, stalking coupons, promotions,etc.. $10 is the most I have spent on any single fish for a freshwater aquarium however regardless of money, its ethically and morally wrong to kill a intelligent fish such as this for no reason. 

I have never heard of a report of a picus catfish being an bad specials or causing a problem. 

This is not duck weed, they are not top of the foodchain, they don't even breed unless you have perfect water conditions, I doubt it would even survive that long if at all in a local lake. 
They are mostly bottom feeders meaning they eat little bits of junk of the bottom and maybe some mosquito larva which th
ere is tons of in Florida. 

Why are these fish you describe so expensive? How can a pleco worth be worth $3,500? I see those for sale all the time at my LFS for less then $3,500. I don't remember an exact price. The other 2 I have never seen so I don't know. 

You know how they store fireworks in lot and lots of separate small buildings so in case one catches fire and blows up, the problem is isolated? 

The lakes where I live are all like those firework storage buildings, tons and tons of isolated little lakes without any large big lake around. Most of the lakes here are man made so the lake existing in the first place is not natural. 

Most areas have large lakes with complex ecosystems, this is a more like man made ponds which don't connect and even if something did overflow, the other lakes don't connect to anything. There is no large lake anywhere near here. 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x88d9bb7d393f0d6f:0x3bc0024cd472e7e3

Thanks.


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## mootay (Feb 16, 2015)

Pictus are beautiful catfish but also very aggressive and prone to uprooting plants. They're commonly found in generic pet shops but belong on the short list of fish that probably shouldn't be sold for home aquaria but are anyway and in the most dismal places (walmart) where knowledge of keeping such a fish is suspect at best.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

Yukiharu said:


> I seriously hope you're just messing with us. First of all, life is hard. Bad things happen. We all get it. Some of us have had to leave this hobby because we lost our homes.
> Second, just because the cops don't care and you invested a lot of money into this tank doesn't have ANY bearing on what you do with that fish. If you want to, go ahead and just post it onto the sale forum; I am sure someone will buy it off you at this rate. Whatever you do, don't release it into the wild.
> Third, this isn't about whatever things you believe in or whatever politics you espouse. We're not on 4chan, we are not on reddit, we are not on tumblr, we are not a political forum, and we are most definitely not here to talk about these things on a website devoted to the keeping and proper care of fish. This is about the aquarium-keeping hobby, and you can talk all you want about your other beliefs SOMEWHERE ELSE. Right now we are telling you exactly what you should be doing with that fish and why it is important. There are many good people here urging you to do the right thing because we know what it means not to do so and how it will affect not just that lake, but the environment and the rest of us who enjoy this hobby. For instance, in my state so many people toss non-native crayfish into the river that the commission has now made it flat-out illegal to own ANY crayfish, even native ones. Please do not screw so many people over.
> 
> ...



That is the plan, to try to return the fish. 

Unfortunately, the place I got it from was not a chain store like petsmart or Petco but rather a mom&pop type store in the middle of nowhere with a 1 week return policy and did not even give me a receipt( I guess they were rushing to close and I was there after hours). If they could put a notation that they are allowing me to return the fish next time I'm around the area, then it would be no problem returning it however this place gives me problem even when trying to use their own coupons so I don't know if they will be friendly as the people in PA. 

I will call them and ask if they will take it back eventually next time I'm out there but it would pass their 1 week return policy. I could ask Petco, petsmart if they would buy unwanted fish however I have been told that they only take back fish with a receipt and they don't buy unwanted fish and must only deal with an approved fishfarm. 

Even if your fish had tons of babies which were more healthy than the fish farms, they won't take them is my understanding. 

Rest assure that my intention is to give or sell the fish to a place which it can be cared for and not killed. 

The lake suggestion was not even something I was considering until my father suggested it to me. I'm not sure if it makes a difference but these lakes are actually more like large ponds. They are very small and isolated from other lakes and there are all man made. 

Anyway, I will try to get these sold to a petstore if they would allow it. I don't have high hopes considering the guy at petsmart actually hung up on me because I ask if they had a particular fish in stock. 

There was no argument or anything, he just did not to be bothered with the question. Most of the petstore employees here are like park time high school not really people who like pets I think. 

Anyway, I am sorry that your state banned the crayfish. That is wrong in my opinion and hopefully someone in the future can fix that. They have them for sale in my state. Perhaps a member on this forum could purchase one and overnight it to you? 

Thank you for the positive message about me enjoying the hobby, I appreciate that.


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## mootay (Feb 16, 2015)

redranger said:


> I buy all my fish on sale, stalking coupons, promotions,etc.. $10 is the most I have spent on any single fish for a freshwater aquarium however regardless of money, its ethically and morally wrong to kill a intelligent fish such as this for no reason.
> 
> I have never heard of a report of a picus catfish being an bad specials or causing a problem.


Very subtle factors control ecosystems, read about snakeheads, an asian fish that found it's way to local waterways via the aquarium trade. It's already established in south florida. You don't want to potentially contribute to the next ecosystem disaster by releasing a pictus catfish into the wild. Give it away to prospective fish keepers if you must.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

mootay said:


> Pictus are beautiful catfish but also very aggressive and prone to uprooting plants. They're commonly found in generic pet shops but belong on the short list of fish that probably shouldn't be sold for home aquaria but are anyway and in the most dismal places (walmart) where knowledge of keeping such a fish is suspect at best.


Walmart from what I have seen should not be in the fish business. The people who work there( at least in my area) are horrible horrible worst people you have ever meet. 

They don't care at all about the fish and keep them in horrid conditions. There are video on youtube showing how many of these have diseases and no one there does anything and how the betta don't even have enough water in the cup or anything. 

Wallmart should really not go after that business especially when they can't get employees who know anything about fish. 

One of these animal rights ground should really go after Walmart for their fish conditions instead of going after video games like call of duty for being able to kill a rat in the game. 

Video game animals are not real. 

I agree with you 100%, I love the look of this catfish but feel that it was the wrong fish to get after I saw the carnage. I assumed that snails or other fish picked at a fish that already died for others reasons but now that I read up on the catfish and the timing of the attacks, I am now more sure its was the catfish. 

The only thing is that Zebra danios are fast so I don't know how this catfish was able to catch him. 

One thing is that perhaps the catfish was starving from not being feed enough at the petstore and if I keep him feed with pellets, maybe he won't kill the fish anymore? 

Any chance that might happen or will it attack because of its nature? 


Please let me know what you think. 

Thanks.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

mootay said:


> Very subtle factors control ecosystems, read about snakeheads, an asian fish that found it's way to local waterways via the aquarium trade. It's already established in south florida. You don't want to potentially contribute to the next ecosystem disaster by releasing a pictus catfish into the wild. Give it away to prospective fish keepers if you must.


You are comparison a monster fish to a small little catfish that only get a few inches. 










The catfish does not even eat another fish unless its very small. Unfortunately, those small fish like guppies is mostly what I have in my tank since I was going to go for a aquascaping zen garden effect. 

I will make every attempt to find it a home if I possible can. 

Thanks.


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## mootay (Feb 16, 2015)

redranger said:


> The only thing is that Zebra danios are fast so I don't know how this catfish was able to catch him.


Larger catfish, in general, tend to be ambush predators. They might sit on the bottom, motionless, until a danio gets too close. I don't know for certain if pictus behave this way, though.



> One thing is that perhaps the catfish was starving from not being feed enough at the petstore and if I keep him feed with pellets, maybe he won't kill the fish anymore?
> 
> Any chance that might happen or will it attack because of its nature?
> 
> ...


I've read that pictus are not territorial so it's possible with enough food they might be satiated but I don't think you should chance that.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

bluesand said:


> You cant predict nature, theres so many variables to count. Just give it to someone who wants it.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


Sure, tell me someone who wants it and is not planning on killing it or feeding it or another fish.


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## redranger (Dec 13, 2015)

Freemananana said:


> Definitely trade it in at a ma and pa shop. They need huge tanks. 75g is the bare minimum according to Petco/Petsmart, and I bet they would want a bigger tank. They surf the bottom of the tanks, kind of like stingrays or corys. They are big and will uproot plants to their liking. They are definitely an aggressive species and deserve a semi-aggressive tank.
> 
> Releasing store bought fish is illegal in Florida. It is also awful for the species that live in the environment. There are a ton of problem species here locally already and many of them are a problem because of negligence of the owners. Please, give it to another hobbyist or trade it in at a local fish store. I'm sure you can tell the owner of a LFS that you bought a 'bad fish' and don't want to harm it and they will give you some credit.
> 
> If you cannot give it away, kill it and I'll send you $10 via Paypal. Seriously, I would hate to see a fish like this start breeding in an environment it should not and be an issue.


I am not a hitman or assassin( although my snail is an assassin) :surprise:

I can't believe you would pay me $10 via paypal for killing a fish. 
I have been told by others in this forum that Petco and Petsmart have like corporate policy of not buying unwanted fish. I knew a guy who used to sell fish he caught to fish stores but he never was able to sell to Petsmart because he was told that they only have an approved fishfarm they deal with. I not sure if you know but in my area of Florida, the lakes are more like man made ponds which are small and isolated from other lakes/ponds and quite small. 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x88d9bb7d393f0d6f:0x3bc0024cd472e7e3

In any event, I might be limited to local shops since it seem that chains petstores don't do this. 

Thank you for the $10 offer, I must say that caught me by surprise.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

I'm more than willing to donate $10 to keep our rivers, man made lakes, retention ponds, etc free of a potentially evasive, unnatural, species. You did make the $10 cost seem like a reason you didn't want to get rid of the fish.

To be honest, I saw the pictus catfish at Petsmart when I was picking up a few small things. I definitely wanted the two they had. I pulled out my phone, sat on the stocking ladder, and research them for about 5 minutes. It was painfully obvious they didn't belong in my tank or with my plant plans. I left them at the store. 

Find someone who wants the fish and I'll still give you the $10 for it if they won't.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Folks, don't feed the trolls. 

Closing this thread but leaving it intact so other members can see that it's never good to interact with someone whose sole purpose is to cause drama. Especially when they're discussing something that's potentially illegal.


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