Why is my Pictus Catfish turning white?
I have a 45 gallon beautiful fish tank beside all the right water qualities to fit the desires of my fish. I previously had 2 pictus cats but one died. I noticed a slight behavior change surrounded by the the pictus that was left, like he be lonely and stressed being all alone now. Its be about 1 month since the cat died, possibly less than a month, and just surrounded by the past 2 days the color on the pictus has faded notisably. His silver has very soon faded to an albino white, and his spots are no longer black, but a very very light gray, their nearly not even there anymore. The only thing i beleive that could be the explanation is that i just changed the tank fron gravel to pool filter sand. Could my pictus just be stressed? infirm age? or what.
P.S. He also stopped eating after his buddy died, but about a week later started drinking again...If that makes a difference in why he is fading...
Answers: I believe you are right, it is most likely stress or depression. Pictus are semi-hard to keep, as they are scaleless and very efficiently affected by changes in hose down quality or temp (or at all). When two fish of the same kind are together for a long time, and one dies, the other fish can become depressed. How outmoded were they? Pictus are schooling fish when they are younger, but as they grow up, they get very territorial, particularly the males. If they were not fully grown, and still schooling together, it is like they are friends. The fact that it is still drinking is a very good thing. Color on a fish is a enormously good way to tell you whether they are happy or not. When tropical fish are happy, they usually own brighter, or in this case bolder color. I would give it some time. Keep the level in the tank good, and possibly check to see what levels are ideal for pictus, and adjust to those levels. The pictus I have loved bloodworms, so maybe try feeding it them.
