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pictus catfish obsessed with left wall of tank
07 January 2007 - 08:41 PM
Total newbie, so forgive my ignorance and impatience: Got my first 10-gallon fish tank for Christmas, went through all the prep, testing, etc., waited until end of 3rd day before adding fish. I fell in love with the Pictus Catfish at the petstore because they were so active, I planned my habitat around them. Pet store and other websites said they'd be okay in 10-gallon tank, but since then I saw Pictus forum posting that says 30 gallons isn't enough -- sheesh, what's a newbie to do?
So I got 2 pictus catfish 5 days ago. They're on the left wall in the photograph. They are very active, zipping up and down the lefthand wall; but they just won't stray from the lefthand wall by more than 1" or so, they very rarely swim around the bottom, never swim across the center of the tank. The ones at the store and everything I've read says they should be all over the tank!
The plants are fake; I tried moving the large plant to the center to see if they'd follow the plant, but it made no difference. The heater and filter are on the left hand side; I also installed a bubble bar along the back (thinking perhaps the water circulating around the filter was the attractant), but it made no difference. I tried shining a flashlight in the left side of the tank, which they clearing didn't like, but they have apparently decided to live with the light on the left wall of the aquarium rather than move to another part of the aquarium. The sides of the aquarium are very reflective; are they interested in their reflections?
Additional info: 10-gallon aquarium, which I let cycle for 3 days before adding fish. Temp is 75F, pH 6.8 (down from 7.6 before I added fish), chlorine 0, nitrite 0, hardness 120 (I think that's 6.7 dGH).
I was going to add barbs or medium-size tetras, but I can go with 4(?) pictus cats if they'd be happier. They really were my favorite fish at the petstore. Suggestions?
So I got 2 pictus catfish 5 days ago. They're on the left wall in the photograph. They are very active, zipping up and down the lefthand wall; but they just won't stray from the lefthand wall by more than 1" or so, they very rarely swim around the bottom, never swim across the center of the tank. The ones at the store and everything I've read says they should be all over the tank!
The plants are fake; I tried moving the large plant to the center to see if they'd follow the plant, but it made no difference. The heater and filter are on the left hand side; I also installed a bubble bar along the back (thinking perhaps the water circulating around the filter was the attractant), but it made no difference. I tried shining a flashlight in the left side of the tank, which they clearing didn't like, but they have apparently decided to live with the light on the left wall of the aquarium rather than move to another part of the aquarium. The sides of the aquarium are very reflective; are they interested in their reflections?
Additional info: 10-gallon aquarium, which I let cycle for 3 days before adding fish. Temp is 75F, pH 6.8 (down from 7.6 before I added fish), chlorine 0, nitrite 0, hardness 120 (I think that's 6.7 dGH).
I was going to add barbs or medium-size tetras, but I can go with 4(?) pictus cats if they'd be happier. They really were my favorite fish at the petstore. Suggestions?
