Can bettas live with pictus catfish?

Verdict

No. Bettas and pictus catfish should not share a tank. An adult pictus catfish is twice the size of a betta and will hunt or batter a slow, long-finned fish like this.

Betta76–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5

Pictus catfish72–79°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult pictus catfish is twice the size of a betta and will hunt or batter a slow, long-finned fish like this.
Watch outPictus catfish are much bigger and pushier than bettas, which are slow and easy to bully at feeding time.

What works

Both are fine at 76–79°F.
pH 6.5–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: bettas the top, pictus catfish the bottom.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Betta	Pictus catfish
Temperature	76–82 °F	72–79 °F
pH	6.5–7.5	6–7.5
Adult size	2.5 in	5.0 in
Minimum tank	5 gal	55 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Semi-aggressive
Swims at	Top	Bottom
Group	One per tank	Groups of 3+
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for bettas

All betta tank mates

Better tank mates for pictus catfish

All pictus catfish tank mates

Questions

Can bettas live with pictus catfish?

No. Bettas and pictus catfish should not share a tank. An adult pictus catfish is twice the size of a betta and will hunt or batter a slow, long-finned fish like this.

What temperature suits both bettas and pictus catfish?

76–79 °F. Bettas need 76–82 °F, pictus catfish need 72–79 °F.

What size tank do bettas and pictus catfish need together?

At least 55 gal, set by the pictus catfish. Add space for each extra fish.