I just put a Pictus Catfish in my tank and my bichir ate it !! i read that the catfish has barbs can it kill?

Question

i just put a Pictus Catfish in my tank and my bichir ate it !! i read that the catfish has barbs can it kill my Ornate polypterus bichir ? can i let him eat it what should i do

Additional Details

8 minutes ago
the bichir was a little LITTLE bigger

Answer 1

Pictus cats do have barbs or spines in their dorsal and pectoral fins. These spines may cause some problems for the bichir, but since he managed to get the pictus down, probably not. Bichir are natural fish eaters to some extent and he should be able to digest it without too much problem.

MM

Answer 2

I hate to say it but that was not a very good mix; both dwell mostly at the bottom of the tank and pictus cats are gentle natured and reach a max size of 4" and bichars are more predatory and are known to eat smaller fish. Your ornate bichar may also reach a length of 15" so I hope that your tank is sizeable enough for it (at least 50 gal). What is done is done but I would be more careful about selecting tankmates in the future.