Pictus Catfish with otos?

Cats have rather large mouths... I wouldn't risk it with the otos, and I'd be cautious with the neons. Red eyes might be okay as long as you fed your fish well... It could probably still get smaller ones.
This is just going by what I've seen of mouth size on catfish, combined with the knowledge that catfish will eat anything that fits in their mouth. I've seen this.

I don't think I'd risk it either... I had a pictus rip the tail off from one of my larger guppies, and that pictus was still a baby! I don't doubt that a pictus, full grown or not, would take a bite at an oto if it got the chance.

On a side note, the true pictus is apparently a shoaling fish that needs groups of 6+ to truly do well, so I hope you have a 4 foot tank on you if you are going to try this species.

Grah the great said:

On a side note, the true pictus is apparently a shoaling fish that needs groups of 6+ to truly do well, so I hope you have a 4 foot tank on you if you are going to try this species.

Click to expand...

I second this.

I had a pictus tear threw a tank a long time ago. After the baby guppies were gone it started downing large 2" guppies. In two weeks 18ish guppies, a few neons, and even a few small mollies. The largest guppies suffered a terrible death. Since it could not swallow the whole guppy it swallowed it slowly like a snake. They stand no chance if it decides to eat a guppy. It just sneaks up behind them and sucks them in.

I did not know that would happen when I bought it.

The general rule with catfish is if it fits in their mouth, its food.

Yes, I know they generally will eat whatever fits in thier mouth, Im just trying to figue out how big thier mouths are! Nothing is set in stone for this tank, and yes it is 4ft, I kniw they need to be in groups. All I know for sure is that my large group of corys (~30 peppered and bronze) will be in the tank. All the other fish are negotiable if they dont work with the pictus. So otos, are out I guess, what about largertetras, red eye tetras?

TurtleShark said:

I don't think I'd risk it either... I had a pictus rip the tail off from one of my larger guppies, and that pictus was still a baby! I don't doubt that a pictus, full grown or not, would take a bite at an oto if it got the chance.

Click to expand...

Was the pictus in your 10g like lsited in the sig? Because my understanding is that because of thier active nature they should be in 4ft min tank, and get stir crazy and unnaturally aggressive in smaller tanks.

I almost forgot, but cories have venemous spines on their faces. If a pictus even tried to swallow one, it would be fatal for both fish.

I used to ave a pictus cat who got to about 6 inches, he ate all my neons within a week of being added to the tank. A few months down the road I added some otos and he enjoyed them immensely. I naively thought they could hide in the plants... not the case. It didn't bother me though as the pictus was my favorite fish. He left my cories alone. On a side note be sure to have a cover on your tank, mine jumped after a year and a half, it was a bummer.

rhody9 said:

I used to ave a pictus cat who got to about 6 inches, he ate all my neons within a week of being added to the tank. A few months down the road I added some otos and he enjoyed them immensely. I naively thought they could hide in the plants... not the case. It didn't bother me though as the pictus was my favorite fish. He left my cories alone. On a side note be sure to have a cover on your tank, mine jumped after a year and a half, it was a bummer.

Click to expand...

How big of fish did you find him to be ok with? What seemed to be the right size and shape to avoid ending up as dinner?