Freshwater Fish
Pictus Catfish.
The pictus catfish is a silvery, spotted catfish from South America with very long barbels, or whiskers, that it uses to find food.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Temperament
- Semi aggressive
- Adult size
- 5"
- Min tank size
- 55 gallons
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Scientific name
- Pimelodus pictus
Good tank mates
The pictus catfish is an active, mostly peaceful schooling catfish that does best in a group of three or more. It will eat small fish it can swallow, like neon tetras, so pair it with medium-sized, sturdy community fish rather than tiny tankmates, and keep it away from aggressive cichlids that would harass it.
Good to know
The pictus catfish is a silvery, spotted catfish from South America with very long barbels, or whiskers, that it uses to find food.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Red Glo Gourami
A semi-aggressive (not fully peaceful — the 'peaceful' label in many listings overstates it) mid-to-upper column fish growing to 4–5 inches. Aggression is directed primarily at other gouramis rather than catfish, and the strict zone separation from the bottom-roaming Pictus makes coexistence workable in a 55+ gallon, well-decorated tank. Multiple sources, including AquariumSource and forum consensus, confirm the pairing holds when space and hides are adequate.
Bristlenose Pleco
Armored bottom-dweller whose bony scutes make it effectively immune to Pictus predation attempts. Dedicated keeper threads on MonsterFishKeepers and FishLore confirm the two can share substrate space in a well-decorated tank with multiple caves. Feeding competition (Pictus will steal sinking wafers) requires targeted feeding but does not constitute a compatibility failure.
Red Spot Silver Dollar
Large, fast-moving schooling characin reaching 6+ inches — genuinely beyond anything a Pictus could swallow. It occupies the middle column and is strictly herbivorous, so there is zero dietary competition with the carnivorous Pictus. BuildYourAquarium and MonsterFishKeepers community threads confirm this as a well-established community-tank pairing.
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Giant Danio
Fast, active shoaling fish reaching 4–5 inches — large enough to escape the Pictus's prey threshold — that occupies the upper-to-middle water column and matches the catfish in energy and preferred soft, warm-water parameters. Multiple dedicated Pictus tankmate guides (FishLab, BuildYourAquarium, AquariumSource) specifically recommend this pairing.
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Rainbowfish
Active, robust mid-water swimmers of comparable size with matching soft-water and temperature requirements. Seriously Fish explicitly recommends medium-to-large active fish as ideal Pictus companions, and AquariumStoreDepot names rainbowfish as 'arguably the best tank mates' for this species, citing matching energy levels and non-overlapping zone use.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.