Housing a Redtail cat?

[Blackwater]

I have searched all over the net about Redtail cats. Everything I read pretty much says that no standard aquarium is big enough when fully grown, which leaves indoor ponds I guess as the only suitable housing. What are people keeping the cats in? Pics would be great! I have a 12 x 20 room that I could put an indoor pond in, just not sure what that would entail. I would also like to know if I did build a large indoor pond, could I keep rays and aros in it as well?

[bluedempsey]

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3032&page=1

hope this helps

[Miles]

Make the pond 20x10 and put a nice big glass floor over it? :cheers:

[evilfish]

to be honest, you can keep a rtc in a tank, but it might be cheaper(and so much cooler) to have an indoor pond. you should keep it on its own ideally.

[rayman45]

please stop!!

you can house them with big rays, large aros

just make sure the rtc cant eat them.

also pbass,oscars,dats,big enuf turtles(frt)

[Oddball]

Please stop yourself. My little 16" RTC ate 4 1 1/2 pound channel cats in a week. My 28incher ate a foot long cooter (carapace measurement) and a foot long RES. You won't know what's not big enough til it's too late. The only fish I've been able to keep, that keeps pace, with the RTCs are fish like Pseudodoras niger, and already grown silver aros. If you thought you needed a huge tank just for an RTC, look what you're dealing with now with the other monsters added to the mix. Plus, when my RTC takes offense to my P. niger and rushes him, His wake forces a few gallons of water over the lip of the 30" deep 650gal tank. Don't get me wrong. RTCs are one of my favorite fish and I have 2 of them. Just don't blow smoke up someones a@@ by letting them think that an RTC can be kept for life in any kind of "standard" aquarium. I moved my big one to a poly bin because everytime he hit the side glass on the 360, I could swear he was about to come through. And, he's not even half grown.

[unknownuza13]

Ya I don't know about keeping them with those fish you named especially Dats.. unless you bought some already 12-15" plus and even then I wouldn't feel save. I have a 13-14 inch RTC eat two bala sharks over night both were 10" plus.. well i guess he didnt eat both the second one was pulled from his mouth dead. I thought I could house one as well and after it hit 15 inches and I knew it wasnt even 1/4th done growing I came to terms with myself and gave it to a LFS that has a cement pond type set up running around the perimeter of the store. They through him in with there Koi though not sure how good an idea that was. The Koi were very large but in due time he will be larger....

[rayman45]

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/DSC04208.jpg (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/DSC04208.jpg)
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=542/medium/DSC03007.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=542/medium/DSC03007.JPG)
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=542/medium/DSC03007.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=542/medium/DSC03007.JPG)
i have rase alot alot of rtc to 25"+
you cant put a 16 inch rtc with 10" cats.
fish have to be bigger
i have had a rtc go from 4"-10:
and has been in a tank with 4 2-3" dats. 4-6inch aros
and now he is with a 4" marbled pim.

i mean you gotta expect losses.
but they can be housed with other fish

[unknownuza13]

well yea if your gonna keep it in a 240 gallon tank and stunt his growth to 24-26 inches then yea i guess he can be kept with tankmates. obviously if you have a 6" rtc and a 6 inch dat it will work.. but what about in 6 months when you have an 8 inch dat and a 16-18 inch rtc.. or a year from then when you have a 12 inch dat and a 2-3 foot cat..

[Oddball]

You can NOT stunt an RTC by keeping it in a smaller tank. Malnutrition is the only way to stunt them and if you intend on that kind of strategy, then DON'T get an RTC.

[rayman45]

i dont stunt my fish

and rtc wont ever stund as oddball said

[DeLgAdO]

i want an rtc in my future, gunna try to get a 20'L x 8' x 4' acrylic tank all to themselves. I hope to keep one or 2 for life.

i thought about using one of these for filteration


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5328&N=62728+113344

[piranha45]

i thought the statement "fish don't grow to the size of their tank" was known on these forums

[bluedempsey]

my rtc this weekend ate a 8 inch disk motoro stingray :swear: :swear:
all i saw was a stinger on the sand :cry:
i can't get rid of him now, i have to must invested in him, literally.

[unknownuza13]

obviously i know that fish dont grow to the size of their tank.. if i kept a rtc i know it wouldnt stay 4 inches if i kept it in a 20 gallon tank... Im just sayin if he was thrown into a 1000 gallon something.. around ten inches as opposed to being in a 120.. dont you think the one in the 1000 would grow faster.. even if its on swimming space alone.. able to burn more calories and in turn eat more and grow faster... im not stupid i could be in MENSA if i wanted.. but thanks for being a dick as usual ***got...

[rayman45]

ooo

name calling

p45 know more then you, wouldent go agenst him.

[Oddball]

I don't know who you're directing that foul statement at but, congrats on debasing yourself to their level.
Now as far as a RTC growing faster in a 1000gal as compared to a 120gal. That would only be true due to water parameters. One or two RTCs in a 1000gal tank would require less water changes than in a 120gal. If water changes were accomplished on a daily basis in a 120gal, then the growth rates would be identical. This is not a cruising species. RTCs are fairly sedentary so there wouldn't be much more activity in a larger tank. I can only base this observation on several RTCs I've owned over the years. I've grown them out in small (240gal) tanks and in indoor ponds (2500gal) and experienced the same growth rates in each individual.

[Oddball]

Everyone: Don't get suckered into a pissing contest. These worthless arguments prove nothing other than you can be influenced to join in on juvenile behavior. None of this proves anything. Everyone is a he-man over the safety of the internet. Keep this a forum on Monster Fish Keeping and take your insecurities elsewhere.

[rayman45]

yes
me and my dad bought 2 from the same tanks

one went in his 150 with 3-5 inch oscars

other went in my 30(to grow out) then in my 120.

both grew with in the same time,to 9 inches
then i went away and my dad skipped 2 weeks water changes and killed mine.

mine dident go in the 120 till he was 5-6 inches

we bought them a 1-2 inches at sharkaquarium.

[rayman45]

Everyone: Don't get suckered into a pissing contest. These worthless arguments prove nothing other than you can be influenced to join in on juvenile behavior. None of this proves anything. Everyone is a he-man over the safety of the internet. Keep this a forum on Monster Fish Keeping and take your insecurities elsewhere.

:iagree:

[unknownuza13]

alright well odd i respect anything you say becuase it is clear you know your stuff very well.. I do not claim to know a lot.. but what i base my knowledge off is actual ownership of the fish.. and I have had a lot... ive never seen you make one insightful comment ever rayman and p45 it seems like you just type in every single new post into a fish data base and regurgitate whatever it tells you to say.....and your right about them not being a cruising speices odd i was just reaching for anything.. but the point was i do not think that a dat and a red tail cat can be kept together if you plan on keeping the red tail till even 3/4 of its potential size thats all i was trying to say.. and i have kept both and have seen the obvious difference in growth rates.. so no matter what size you start each fishm at some point the cat is going to be looking at the dat as dinner

[DeLgAdO]

why cant i talk like you guys can?