Any Info Appreciated On My First ARTC

[nettynboone]

Ok first off Hello everyone from WV I'm a newbie to this site. I just recently purchased my first ARTC and would like as much info on it as possible =) My cat is about 12" currently & so far it's temperament is pretty laid back hasn't ate any feeder fish yet & doesn't seem to mind my huge pleco. I've had it 48 hrs. was wondering if the coloring in it's tail & body will change as it grows older to look like the pics of the ARTC's I keep seeing on google images? The fella at the fish store told me that this fish was not as aggressive as I of the other catfish I was looking at first but from what I've been researching so far keeps saying as it grows it becomes more aggressive & doesn't do well with any tank mates so I was just wondering what some other ARTC owners could tell me or anyone really that knows fish! I'm totally in love with it already it's the coolest fish by far that I've ever owned so all is good no matter the outcome of the temperament for me =) It's a keeper I hope it does well and I'm able to watch it grow! Can anyone recommend a really good pellet food or other foods for that matter that I could feed it? Also I was told it was a female how do I know for sure ? THANKS EVERYONE

Jeannette
WV

Here's a few pics some the color is a little weird & fuzzy over look it =) Better pics to come & maybe some video too.

 

[fwprawn]

Welcome!

Couple of things - your water quality looks very poor. Tell us about your maintenance, please.

No way to tell if it's a female.

How big is your tank? It will need a 150 gallon or better, soon.

 

[nettynboone]

It's currently in a 75 gallon tank until my 125 gallon tank arrives which I'm expecting in the next few weeks. I'm currently using the Marineland Magnum 350 Dual Purpose Canister Filter. The slight yellow tinge to the water that you can see in the pics was due to the LFS driftwood I placed in the tank It isn't like this now as I did a partial water change and it seems to be fine now. They told me not to boil it before I stuck it in there & that it would cause the yellow. Thanks for welcoming me =)

 

[Divinehammer]

from what I know of those particular fish is they kill every thing in the tank compared to the RTC which will eventually eat anything that fits in it's mouth, not to sure it the tail will color up more or not, you could try feeding it shrimp or foods with athaxine in it to see if it will go a brighter red. I feed my RTC deli shrimp and Bassa fish. heres a picture of my 19" river monster.

 

[nettynboone]

Wow its beautiful! Your other fish are cool looking in the pic too! Well thanks for sharing a peek at your guy & the info on the fish appreciate it =)

 

[Monstrous]

Asian RTC scientific name is Hemibagrus wyckioides. Prefers dim lighting especially when young. Aggressive fish that will attack its tankmates unless the tank is of extreme size. Never feed it beef heart,chicken meat and other meat from mammals as its bad for their metabolism.

 

[mattison187]

Gorgeous artc man! And welcome to mfk! Let your forum addiction begin! Lmao

Sent from my LGL55C using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[festaedan]

He looks great!
What I've noticed with allot of my cats is that they dont like feeders. Maybe just too hard to catch
Currently all of my catfish happily accept live black worms and NLS (new life spectrum) pellets. Blackworms sink so the cats can access them really easily and to a catfish a live food that sinks and doesnt swim fast is like a pile of bananas to an orangutan.
Good luck with 'im

 

[Monstrous]

He looks great!
What I've noticed with allot of my cats is that they dont like feeders. Maybe just too hard to catch
Currently all of my catfish happily accept live black worms and NLS (new life spectrum) pellets. Blackworms sink so the cats can access them really easily and to a catfish a live food that sinks and doesnt swim fast is like a pile of bananas to an orangutan.
Good luck with 'im

I don't know about that one. My TSN love feeders, the larger the better. He would go on a rampage to catch the tilapias, more often than not targeting the larger pieces. But when I feed him dried food and pellets, he just doesn't seem too interested in it, the most having 1 or 2 mouthful.
Then there is my hybrid that will gorge itself with feeder mollies until it is all round. And yeah, both fishes I am referring to are close to 20inches

 

[nettynboone]

Thanks everyone for all the info so far =) I'm enjoying all the stories & advice really appreciate it all