Education is the key, cats (RTC now in the case) can't do good turns, PVC can provide as good temporary hiding spot(s), learning from mistakes or from forums, we should help and not just flame people who needs help and info... (well I could crisply burn those irresponsible trolls who really are messing things up intentionally), poor fish keeping should be inclined, pond vs aquarium.
I just listed all the things I've read so far, highlighted and if there will be additional to be taken notice of, you (reader) should do your readings seriously. I would like to propose a thought, serious hobbyist ofcourse would think what is best for their fish (in general), cat keepers should be aware that most of the cats would grow big and would outgrow a tank, which I suppose the favorite pick of those people who would like to have a cat will be a 75g. That's where we will go deeper and the have the fundamentals of fishkeeping, the LFS.
LFS, on the other hand would be a place where most of our fish came from, may it be rare or not, though some of us may buy from other sources such as internet vendors, WC/CB makes no difference when they're marketed to people who doesn't know how to keep that fish, which in case now for the topic RTC. Would it be nice first before someone setup a LFS, that set of people should have a mandatory basic knowledge of fishkeeping, husbandry and the needs of the fish they're selling? In that wonderful idealistic view, I would say incident such as RTC are not likely to be found in our local creek, river, or lake, or even people would be surprised on what kind of trouble they're into without being prepared... one of the things I observed, most of the first fish we do had and wanted as a pet was the dither fish for cycling the tank.
I know from my POV what I'm saying is another different topic which can be started as a thread. But it all comes down to this, we cannot avoid the fact that there are people who will just get themselves a catfish that would be bigger than a regular house cat. A major change can be seen if only LFS would have some extra brains and not just another business to get $$$$ and put false or insufficient info for the poor clueless people about the hobby.
I just listed all the things I've read so far, highlighted and if there will be additional to be taken notice of, you (reader) should do your readings seriously. I would like to propose a thought, serious hobbyist ofcourse would think what is best for their fish (in general), cat keepers should be aware that most of the cats would grow big and would outgrow a tank, which I suppose the favorite pick of those people who would like to have a cat will be a 75g. That's where we will go deeper and the have the fundamentals of fishkeeping, the LFS.
LFS, on the other hand would be a place where most of our fish came from, may it be rare or not, though some of us may buy from other sources such as internet vendors, WC/CB makes no difference when they're marketed to people who doesn't know how to keep that fish, which in case now for the topic RTC. Would it be nice first before someone setup a LFS, that set of people should have a mandatory basic knowledge of fishkeeping, husbandry and the needs of the fish they're selling? In that wonderful idealistic view, I would say incident such as RTC are not likely to be found in our local creek, river, or lake, or even people would be surprised on what kind of trouble they're into without being prepared... one of the things I observed, most of the first fish we do had and wanted as a pet was the dither fish for cycling the tank.
I know from my POV what I'm saying is another different topic which can be started as a thread. But it all comes down to this, we cannot avoid the fact that there are people who will just get themselves a catfish that would be bigger than a regular house cat. A major change can be seen if only LFS would have some extra brains and not just another business to get $$$$ and put false or insufficient info for the poor clueless people about the hobby.
) . I won't debate regarding this further more cause it's about RTC and I would like to have this thread smooth as possible, but I just did point out the thing with aggression. All of those territory claiming fish is surely aggressive, and "some" of the guys in the hobby do want as possible to keep a community of predator.
This thread is for sharing and learning. If there is anything we can share to learn more about how to successfully house a rtc for 30+ years then I am all for it even if it seems off topic you never know what kind of ideas or new thoughts you may inspire. This hobby for me at least is about enjoying very large fish as pets, as well as learning everything I possibly can about the group of fish I love the most. Catfish if you hadn't guessed lol. I agree that limited or even eliminated decore is best for large fish in general when kept in aquariums. Less for large catfish to eat, get impaled on, cut one, ect. This goes double for RTC. HOwever I do think that if you are that .01% that is able to set up a 10k tank you should try to make the environment as natural as possible. I mean why build a 10k tank if you weren't trying to house the fish as best as you possibly could. This size tank would allow for enough room for fish to escape each other and have independent territories so long as you don't over stock. For me over stocking is not just about a 1" rule or stuffing in as many fish as your filtration can handle. It also means making sure the fish have their own space as well. I may be removing the driftwood from my tanks very soon as I can tell that it is causing some issues between my sperata and suncats right now. Shouldn't be an issue once the sperata is in the 400 gal pond, but for right now it might be best. 