# Pictus cats with mbuna?



## savannahem (Sep 25, 2015)

Has anyone ever tried this combination? Has it worked? And also, I hear giant danios work well as a dither fish, is this true? Thank you!!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

IDK about pictus but mbuna don't need dithers.


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## busterny (Feb 12, 2014)

I tried once, it didn't work. My son has had one with his Mbunafor years now


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Planetcatfish says they like a pH < 7 while ideal pH for mbuna is around 8.


> It is considered good to keep these fish in a group of at least five fish...Most singly kept specimens will pine away eventually


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

I wouldn't worry about the ph too much, the cats are pretty adaptable... but if the mbuna go after them, they will get damaged pretty bad. Synodontis are the most recommended choice for a reason, they work much better than most other catfish.

Agreed, mbuna shouldn't need dithers... just more mbuna.


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## klimarov (May 12, 2015)

i have mbunas and pectus in the same tank over half a year already. PH of the tank is 8.0 even. no issues, just make sure pectus has hideout, not like mbuna one but separate where they can get in and become completely unseen. eventually their shyness will go away.

Mbunas usually don't touch pectuses. I should also add that pectus cats need to be in a group, if you get only 1-2, they will be shy for the most part, go for like 4-5. and they need their own corner/hideout i mentioned. They are also defensive of it.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

klimarov said:


> i have mbunas and pectus in the same tank over half a year already. PH of the tank is 8.0 even. no issues, just make sure pectus has hideout, not like mbuna one but separate where they can get in and become completely unseen. eventually their shyness will go away.
> 
> Mbunas usually don't touch pectuses. I should also add that pectus cats need to be in a group, if you get only 1-2, they will be shy for the most part, go for like 4-5. and they need their own corner/hideout i mentioned. They are also defensive of it.


Is this your personal experience with Pictus cats, or from others as well? It has been reported here, probably close to a hundred times, that mbuna have damaged pictus cats... it's kind of one of those hit and miss things, often like many of the plecos... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't... but I certainly wouldn't call it usually don't.. it's pretty common.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd think the barbels would be irresistible to mbuna, but I have never kept them.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

DJRansome said:


> I'd think the barbels would be irresistible to mbuna, but I have never kept them.


I've seen that a couple of times, but typically it seems that the mbuna just take chunks out of them... typically in the back as they bite them to get them out of their caves. They have a very soft skin, unlike the tougher Synos.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Ouch!


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## klimarov (May 12, 2015)

personal hands on experience with pectuses. they are not as passive as they look too. my pectuses nip cichlids that enter their hideout. I also have pleco, does well with cichlids with 8.0 ph. They are easily adaptable to 8.0 ph at least. Same goes for a red tail shark in case you ever thought, i have it with cichlids and adapted easily to ph.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

klimarov said:


> personal hands on experience with pectuses. they are not as passive as they look too. my pectuses nip cichlids that enter their hideout. I also have pleco, does well with cichlids with 8.0 ph. They are easily adaptable to 8.0 ph at least. Same goes for a red tail shark in case you ever thought, i have it with cichlids and adapted easily to ph.


What is a pectuses? Are you sure you are talking about Pictus cats, or something else?


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## klimarov (May 12, 2015)

yep, pictus catfish. for some reason in store i bought them half a year ago, they were called pectus and not pictus.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

IME, pictus cats don't last long or do well with aggressive cichlids. Tried them a number of times in the past, with a variety of cichlids, with similar results.
IMO, high risk compared to many other bottom feeders. Of course occasionally it works out, at least for a while. I think if the tank is not too heavily stocked, they are less likely to get in the way. Also if they are larger then the mbuna and with mostly small undeveloped cichlids they would have a better chance, at least in the short term. What I see in Klimarov`s tank are all small, undeveloped cichlids:http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=366553 Maybe the pictus cat is established and continues to be left alone ? Only time will tell. 


savannahem said:


> And also, I hear giant danios work well as a dither fish, is this true?


As mentioned before, no need for 'dithers' with mbuna. But I've kept giant danios with various mbuna (bumble bee, auratus, demasoni) over the last 3-4 years, and they did just fine, IME. Other then one incident with a newly introduced male auratus in a lightly stocked 180 gal. (only 6 cichlids altogether at the time), where I had to remove the auratus or risk the death of the giant danios. But otherwise, IME, they can do fine with mbuna. Don't really work as 'target' fish as not much attention is usually paid to them.....though I do believe they help somewhat with the demasoni simply as bodies in the way. They could replace a species choice in a mbuna tank and give more territorial space to the remaining mbuna.....but there aren't any real specific reason to stock them with mbuna other then liking these fish in the tank.
IMO, and IME, they have a better chance of surviving and thriving in an mbuna tank then a pictus cat.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

BC in SK said:


> IME, pictus cats don't last long or do well with aggressive cichlids. Tried them a number of times in the past, with a variety of cichlids, with similar results.
> IMO, high risk compared to many other bottom feeders. Of course occasionally it works out, at least for a while. I think if the tank is not too heavily stocked, they are less likely to get in the way. Also if they are larger then the mbuna and with mostly small undeveloped cichlids they would have a better chance, at least in the short term. What I see in Klimarov`s tank are all small, undeveloped cichlids:http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=366553 Maybe the pictus cat is established and continues to be left alone ? Only time will tell.
> 
> 
> ...


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