hi

i wanted to know what a good bottom feeder is that will stay small. i was thinking a pictus catfish.

I love the pictus cat and I have 4 but I have to say that two of mine have missed staying small. LOL They are about 13 inches long each.

I have a 55 for baby Malawis and in that tank I have 5 killi loaches and they do a great job, I also know that clown loaches are very slow growers. I hope this helps

Corydoras catfish stay pretty small. I think about 2 or 3 inches long or so.

bowhunter wrote:


not for an O tank i hope... i had few of these when i first got my O's.... they where one of the first to go.

clown loaches would be a better idea, they love a good hiding spot and like nicki said they are slow growing... if its for an O tank i wouldnt recommend a Kuhli loach as they look alot like worms

biancawinter wrote:



LOL great point Bianca, I wasn't sure if they were going in an Oscar tank. LOL

No def not suggesting for an O tank. If the O tried to eat it, the cat would probably kill it with its sharp spines.

if your talking about the Pimelodus pictus or pictus catfish they grow to anywhere from 5-7 inches in lenght and make fabulous tankmates for an oscar tank. i have 3 of them in my 220 with my 2 oscars and they clean the leftover food from the oscars very well.

as for the Corydoras catfish or corys i also have 2 albino ones in the same tank with the pictus and oscars. they do stay small mine are only about 2 inches in lenght but they do have defenses that keep the larger predators away. when i fisrt intoduced them to the tank both my oscars tried to eat them but spit them out just as fast. i guess they didnt like being poked in the mouth.

two years ago, i got two ID sharks intended to clean up
left over foods. today, they are not just cleaning the
bottom, they almost consume everything to the point that
slow fish wont have foods at all..... at 21 inches, they
can consume 200 grams of fresh beef heart in one setting