# pictus catfish?



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

would a pictus cat be alright in a 150-270 gallon pond with goldfish or koi? (im not sure what size pond im going to get yet) the temps here rarely drop below freezing and i could get a heater for the pond....or would a pictus not be happy in the temperature and conditions that goldfish and koi like?


----------



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

oops wrong section


----------



## BigAction (May 21, 2005)

Goldfish are a coldwater fish and the pictus is a tropical fish so they require different temps. I wouldn't recommend adding it, if it drops below the temps they are used to the become vunerable to disease and most likley won't live too long.


----------



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

ok thanks and another question....i read somewhere that a pleco would do fine in a pond....is that true or is it about the same way with it as with a pictus?


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You're on Amelia Island in Florida?

Plecos will be fine in the summer, as will pictus. The Pictus won't survive the winter, but the plecos just might if the winter is mild. Plecos have already heavily invaded florida from about Gainesville on down, and we're seeing them in the lowermost areas of St. Johns on occasion, so they might survive in the Jacksonville area.


----------



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

yes i am in amelia island

ok so i could keep a pictus in there over the summer and the pleco maybe all year round (i could get a heater if it starts getting too cold, right? or is there even such thing for ponds?

wow i didnt know they had invaded fla.! how did they get into the waterways? did people let them go or were they native or something like that?

thank you by the way!! :smile: :-D


----------



## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

i think pond heaters can be bought. And just a guess if there are plecos in florda maybe someone let a few go in the waterways and they reproduced hence theoldsalt's use of "invaded" but it just a guess


----------



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

fishboy said:


> i think pond heaters can be bought. And just a guess if there are plecos in florda maybe someone let a few go in the waterways and they reproduced hence theoldsalt's use of "invaded" but it just a guess


oh that would make sense :-D


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Pond heaters are pretty hard to find. About all you might find are livestock trough heaters which keep the animal's water troughs from freezing, but they sure don't keep the water WARM. A greenhouse built over the pond would do a better job.

Florida is home to some 100 exotic fish species which got loose and survived. Hobbyists are a big cause, but hurricanes and fishfarms are the really bad combination.
Plecos are everywhere, and of course Oscars are now a popular sport & food fish in the southern parts of the state. 
Like Clown Knifefish? Two lakes in Ft. Lauderdale have established breeding populations now. The Everglades are overrun with exotics ranging from cichlids to catfish to cyprinids, and Croaking Gouramis are even common now near the Miami area. The western side is very badly infested with things like Jewelfish and Jack Dempseys.
Getting rid of all these is probably impossible now.


----------



## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

there's one benifit to that. Get The right fishing gear and you can get some free fish, I myself would like some free cichlids, they can be expensive


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yeah, that's true.

There is this one spot on hwy 41 in the Everglades where you can pull off to the side, and there's a bridge there, under which a canal and a creek join.
At this spot the water is crystal clear, and you can see the fish easily. 
HUNDREDS of big Oscars are lazily lounging about, accompanied by Festae & false festae cichlids, spotted gars, Midas cichlids, some barbs, plecos and hoplos, and a few alligators.
There are oodles of spectacularly large and colorful insects handy, and tossing a handful into the canal will result in a big congregation of fish easily caught in a cast net. If you could prearrange to sell them all, you could catch enough in just a few minutes to pay for the gas.


----------



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

wow cool!! i guess so at least....it would be nice to get free fish but its not that cool that there are so many fish that arent native that would be crowding out the natives....i guess it doesnt matter a whole lot though


----------



## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

well actually...it could mean a whole lot. lots of invasive species are driving out the native ones in fla. its really a big drag.


----------



## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Pac-Man said:


> well actually...it could mean a whole lot. lots of invasive species are driving out the native ones in fla. its really a big drag.



yah guess that is not good


----------

