i need info about my pictus cat

[Harley123]

i had 2 in a 29G tank with a bristle nose pleco, 3 pearl gouramis, 3 electic yellow C.and 3 other cichlids and 2 blu acaras. the whiskers on the pictus jus start to dissolve and they stayed more around the top of the tank one of the P. cat died already is it fin rot, plez help me with this

[Birger]

You have quite the mix of fish for a 29 gal. tank...I would think some of the cichlids probably enjoyed chasing the barbels of the pictus and competed for space in the same level of the tank,even if not, I would think there is quite a high bio load which could lead to the demise of the pictus as well.
These are a social fish and do much better when kept in a small group of their own kind as opposed to singles or pairs...a small group being 5 or 6 in my opinion.

Birger

[Yann]

Hi!!

Your problem has to do with tank size and its population...I think you should go back to the basis and basically restart all over again.
Get rid of the cichlids...they have nothing to do in such a small tank.
The pictus would sure do much better without them and if housed in a bigger tank as well
Cheers
Yann

[Bas Pels]

I once read pictus loose their barbels in bad water - just as you wrote, they seem to dissolve

With the amount of fish you have I would consider a three or four times largertank 'nicely filled' and some people consider my ideas of appropriate fishkeeping wrong - too much fish

However, getting rid of the cichlids, (not only the electric blues, but also blue acara are cichlids) would be a good idea. However, waterchanges - 2 thirds a day, until the whiskers start growing, than you may relax it to 1 third a day will also be requiet

The dead pictus will - without any doubt - not have died from finrot, but from bad water