Diet: Flake, Frozen, Freeze-dried Maximum size: 10" Water temperature: 72-82 degree F Swimming level: Bottom Experience level: Intermediate Tank Setup: 29+ gallons Note: Pet availability is seasonal. State and local regulations may vary. Pricing may vary by store location. PetSmart stores cannot match the price above for this pet. Ask a store associate for details.

Overall rating:

4.8

(39 reviews) 39

39 of 39(100%)customers recommend this product.

Reviews for Pictus Catfish

Review 1 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

February 2, 2013

by dravensgl

fromohio

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

i purchased 2 of these fish and put them in my 100 gallon tank. they are very active fish, peaceful with my other fish.

they get along with fresh water sharks, botia's bottom feedeers, and a feather fin catfish. i even have a channel cat in my tank and they get along fine with him as well.

the pictus cat will eat smaller fish, and they require a 55 gallon tank or larger. these fish will grow huge over time. they are so pretty and fun to watch.

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 2 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

pictus are awesome!

January 6, 2013

by FishExpert2

fromPrince George, VA

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

I just bought home my new buddy today and put him in the tank. He is doing great. He was the last one in the tank but i am going to go back and get him a friend in a couple days when they get more in. But so far all he had been doing is swimming. He seems very happy even though he is the only pictus in the tank. But i guess he is used to it since he was by himself in the store. He is really awesome and active. I love him already!

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 3 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

Love!

January 2, 2013

by CherBear3

fromIllinois

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Love my pictus! We had 3, but we had an awful wave of ick that took over our tank, killing 2 of them. We only have a 25 gallon. I've been with 1 now for a few weeks. I'm ready to add more fish. Tonight I will be getting 1 more of these guys. If ick does take over with this fish, do not use ick drops. They will do more harm then good, they do not have normal scales. Up the temp, add a tablesoon of Aquaruim salt, and do daily water changes.

+1point

1of 1voted this as helpful.

Review 4 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

cool fish

December 28, 2012

by GC2000

fromUSA

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

they are cool fish, very active... I just got one and put it in my 120 gallon(48x24x24).... It is with lots of other fish that are mostly cichlids, very active fish... on the Internet I read that they get 4-7 inches so if that it's true they only need a small 20 gallon aquarium for proper housing... It cost about 12 dollars witch was a fair price in my option...

-1point

0of 1voted this as helpful.

Review 5 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

4 / 5 39 reviews

Cool Catfish

December 21, 2012

by Stratocasters67

fromEl Paso, TX

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

This is a very attractive fish. I put this in my 37 gallon aquarium with an angel fish, an opaline gourami, four cherry barbs, a kissing gourami, and a plecostomus. The only con to this fish is that its nocturnal for the most part, and will need a cave of some sort to avoid stress, but you will still see plenty of it. Mine grew to about 6.5 inches and has stayed this size for a while.

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 6 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

December 18, 2012

by steveg442

fromMissouri

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

I have 2 and plan on getting 2 more. I started with them in a 20 gallon tank. They quickly out grew that. I had concerns about catching them in my net. I found a tip online to make a net from a coat hanger and a plastic mesh onion bag. I was able to catch them without harming them. These guys need lots of room to swim. I don't recommend 10 or 20 gallon tanks.

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 7 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

4 / 5 39 reviews

December 17, 2012

by hotmuscle65

fromNew Jersey

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?1

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

I like the pictus catfish. I got one and it's great for those who don't want a catfish to grow enormous in your tank. The pictus cat will grow 6-10 inches maximum. Do keep it away from dwarf frogs,neon tetras and any other small fish that can fit in it's mouth. The pictus catfish should be in a 40 gallon plus tank with large silver dollars,chicilids,etc. I like my pictus cat but it can be territorial. I have two catfish logs in my tank that the catfish can swim and the pictus cat sometimes chases them out but doesn't bite. The pictus cat is a nice fish to have. recommended.

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 8 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

cool fish

November 24, 2012

by fishgodfather

fromconcord nc

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

these guys are nocturnal.... that's one thing that the stores don't tell you. but these are amazing fish that have mind of their own!

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 9 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

4 / 5 39 reviews

August 13, 2012

by t319

fromva

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?1

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

pictus cats only really get get 5 in. in a fish tank 8 in. in the wild

-2points

0of 2voted this as helpful.

Review 10 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

fun but does not play well with others

July 26, 2012

by Fishy99

fromNew York, NY

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?1

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

hey so I have two of these i my chiclid tank to clean the gravel and what not they're really entertaining to watch but pick on any fish in it's way beware

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 11 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

Pictus Cat

July 21, 2012

by lesleyeve

fromSylacauga, AL

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Just wanted to note that you should never use a net to catch these fish. As listed in the discription the fins can hurt you but the fins can also become tangled in the net causing harm to the fish! Always use a smooth container to catch this fish. I learned this from a PetSmart associate :)

+2points

3of 4voted this as helpful.

Review 12 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

Playful, Energetic, and Active!

June 25, 2012

by camrynn99

fromClinton, NC

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

I absolutely love my Pictus Catfish! He's so playful, energetic, and active! It's super funny to watch him play with the bubbles, swim around in circles, and poke stuff with his whiskers. :)

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 13 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

4 / 5 39 reviews

ok so i would and would not recommend this guy

June 6, 2012

by newfishtank

fromFresno, CA

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?2

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

today i bough my fish for the first time this was one of them because i absolutely love the way they look. i got the smallest one in the tank maybe 1" long at the most and i got 3 guppies...yeah within 8 hours it ate one of them! now the associates did warn me about this but i took the risk anyways. i have a 10 gallon tank so if you have a bigger one it would probably make it a whole lot better. i still like it tho but unfortunatelly i wont be keeping it beacause i dont want my other fish to die.

-1point

0of 1voted this as helpful.

Review 14 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

Great Fish but expensive

February 20, 2012

by FishCollector1

fromFlorida

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

I got these fish when they were about 2 inches long 3 weeks ago. They are in brackish water (Highly Reccomended) and they have grown about an inch in that short time. I keep them with 2 Silver Tipped catfish about the same size. They are very energetic and active fish. For now they are in a 20 gallon tank doing very well. I am not an experienced fish keeper but they have been doing quite well.

One thing I can say is these are some hardy fish. A little while ago my previous tank cracked and broke from stress on a non visible crack under the tank and I had to move them to my cousins empty tank as a holding area. Overall great fish in my opinion. P.S. I do intend on moving them to a larger tank once they get to large.

+5points

6of 7voted this as helpful.

Review 15 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

3 / 5 39 reviews

3 stars

January 26, 2012

by petable

fromtx

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

squirrely and hides all the time

-6points

1of 8voted this as helpful.

Review 16 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

4 / 5 39 reviews

Lively

September 22, 2011

by Lively

fromSan Marcos, TX

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?1

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

Very lively and nice to watch likes to swim around a alot.

-2points

1of 4voted this as helpful.

Review 17 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

Pictus Catfish

August 13, 2011

by Anonymous

fromGreensburg

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

i bought 2 of these guys today along with 2 red tail sharks and they get along very well! they rarely bother one another. but these catfish are very energetic fish and are fun to watch. as soon as i put them in my tank they went up and down the corner. i dont think they understand the concept of being in a tank lol. their very fast swimmers and a very interesting fish!

+10points

11of 12voted this as helpful.

Review 18 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

4 / 5 39 reviews

Interesting Fish

August 4, 2011

by RStevens

fromWashington

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?2

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

First off, you have to love how unique this fish is. I bought one a month back, and I don't have the greatest water quality right now but he's the one fish that hasn't gotten ill yet, so I think they are fairly healthy fish too. My problem with this fish is it says in the store they need a 10 gallon tank..which is what I have. But then you get online and it says 20+ gallon tank... what! I sure hope it doesn't get that big. Doing a bit more research, I've heard it growing every sort of size from 4 3/4 inches to 10 inches. Yikes! At least he isn't eating my other adult fish (he will eat babies easily, however). It does appear to claim "territories", the two back corners in my aquarium, and will occasionally nip at other fish swimming there. I think this fish would be happier if he had more room to swim on the bottom of an aquarium, since that is where it tends to stay.

+1point

2of 3voted this as helpful.

Review 19 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

energetic catfish!

July 12, 2011

by LALALA10

fromst. paul, MN

The day i got my pictus catfish, he went nuts exploring the tank! He leaves the other fish alone and always swims around the tank looking for food. He adds alot of energy to the tank next to my laid back bala sharks. He doesnt hide and isnt scared of me.

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Review 20 for Pictus Catfish

Overall rating

5 / 5 39 reviews

Pretty Pictus

June 26, 2011

by AquaMama

fromWV

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

I have 3 Pictus Cats, which I've found to be very active, entertaining fish. They are not aggressive, but they WILL EAT smaller fish such as danios, glowfish, guppies, along with ghost shrimp and dwarf frogs. They will, however, live quite happily with medium to large sized tank mates like sharks, giant danios, angle fish, swordtails, etc. In spite of the fact that they are bottom feeders and will help keep your tank clean, they do produce a lot of their own waste and require good filtration. They are also VERY sensitive to ammonia levels and MUST be kept in a well cycled tank w/ a 0ppm ammonia reading. If you notice your cats swimming in tight circles, on their side, upside down, etc.....chances are they're suffering from ammonia poisoning. My advice....do not even attempt to add pictus cats to an uncycled (new = sterile) aquarium. They are NOT starter fish.

+13points

14of 15voted this as helpful.

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