Controversial solution to keeping large cat fish

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DigDug626

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 14, 2005
5
0
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47
Boulder, CO
Like many cat fish lovers I have dreamed about keeping a Red Tail Cat and a Tiger Shovelnose. The problem has always been that my largest aquarium is only 125gal. An aquarium that is large enough that most people think I’m crazy when I call it to small.

I watched a special on the Discovery channel in which the natives where catching and eating Red Tales and Tiger. Apparently they are a common food in Brazil. So it hit me, why not buy the cats small and eat them when they get to 18”. I figure I would be able to keep the cats for about 2yrs and since I can buy them at 4” for about $50. Not to bad.

The shop I normally go to thought it was better than what most people so, but some of the members of my fish club though it was screwed up.

Please weigh in and give me your opinion.

Has anyone every done this? From what I have read Tiger Shovelnose are tasty.
 
that would be like eating you dog . you take the time to bring them up in the world feeding doing water changes taking care of them training them so they eat only from you ect ect ect . then you are going to knife the thing and eat it . do what you what but i could not eat my freind the fish . if you caught him he has no attachment to you you could eat him and skin him no problem so could i but not a tank mate i raised .. sorry just my 2 cents ,
 
donthitmyhead;543322; said:
I'd never do that. You spend a few years taking care of them and when they grow up you kill them. I find it more like eating your babies..
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what difference does it make?

its the emotion one has toward the fish, not how long he has it or how well he took care of it.

if you want to eat it then eat it.
 
there are several memebers on here that do exactly what you suggest. I would have to say though that you will have to remember that catfish store toxins easily and with saying that you will need to keep the water ultra clean throughout it's life till you wish to eat it. i had a neighbor once that ate his red tail cat and he said it tasted like pork. So who knows. That's better idea than trying to free it and it dying during the first winter or wrecking havok on the environment. Or keeping in small aquarium where it will get stunted and sick and eventually die anyway. IMO catfish tastes better when they are small than when they are bigger so eat them before they get above 10 lbs. Not sure about the south american pims though lol. I just keep mine forever.
 
That might be a better solution then releasing to a local water body, however you will be paying the $50 for the RTC initially but to get it to 18" will be a few months of growth and thats alot of money wasted feeding it to make 1 meal out of it, personally, I'd save your money and not invest in one, save the fish's life, and yourself a uber expensive meal. If you do decide to get one, don't eat your pet man theres just something disturbing about that, get a indoor or outdoor pond and grow out a beast! ~Trent
 
Go for it man , i see no difference in this or people raising cattle for food . its the same thing.
 
if it wouldnt make you feel bad feel free... i wouldn't hate you, but I hear that what you feed them isnt necessarily safe to "recycle" into yourself? and what the other guy said about the toxins... means no fish chemicals such as medications can be used..
 
I would only eat it as a last resort. Try finding it another home, try giving it to a public aquarium...if all else fails than eat it. It's more humain to eat the fish than to allow it to suffer in a tiny tank, something you know would happen if it were left in the LFS to be sold to some ignorant fool.
 
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