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  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
polish;2007762; said:
Another thing (Which you'd never know when buying one small) is that not all animals are going to reach the "Max" size that that specific species can grow to. Are all Humans 5'10" tall? No, not even close but we are all the same species. Are all Chocolate Labs 75lbs? No but it's a rough average. Just like with fish, sometimes you get a freak that is huge and other times it's a runt. Just because someones fish does not grow 2" a month and end up 36" long doesn't neccessarily mean they are doing something wrong.

I mean go flip on the TV, I see people who are full grown adults who are <5ft tall as well as others playing in the NBA who are over 7ft tall.

Same concept if you ask me.

If all fish grew to maximum size everyone would be catching 20lb Bass and 40lb Northern Pikes, but they don't. In fact in Florida the average Large mouth Bass I would catch is much larger than here in Northern Indiana, but alas they are the exact same fish. Different conditions, temperatures, available food, and so on play a huge role and people forget that. A fish can be perfectly healthy and not be huge.

As to the original poster, you could surely get a small RTC or TSN for your 75g but odds are it would outgrow it pretty quickly. If it does and you can't get a bigger tank at the time sell it on here, larger ones pull a premium and they are a gorgeous fish so at least you'd be able to enjoy it for a year or so if you got a tiny one to start with.

The LFS by me had an adult RTC in a small pond in the store for a long time, not sure if it died or they sold it but it had plenty of grow space and wasn't anywhere near 5ft and I know it was there for many years. The pond from memory was around 6x4x2 or so give or take a little bit it's been a while, not a massive pond by any means but it had room to swim and grow with ease. If I had to guess it was 2.5ft at the most and likely weighed at least 10lbs, it was fat.
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I agree with your logic except for the part about large specimens bringing a premium pricetag. Most large catfish (save for tigs, and bolts) you'd be lucky to give away on here. Most people offer them up for $100 and end up just giving them away to who ever is willing to come and get them. Never buy a fish thinking that you can resale it, especially a large catfish. Buy it knowing that you have it's life in your hands, and have to plan accordingly incase you can't get rid of it. The logic is right on for there being a variation though. There will also be dwarfs and giants in every species. Unless you get a giant you'd be hardpressed to get a fish to grow 5' in your tank. It's possible, but not likely. On the other hand they can and more than likely will grow to 30"-40", and possibly more. I always tell everyone to plan for at least a 40" fish and hope that you don't need to upgrade further in the future. That's why I am building a 18' x 9' x 3.5' tank right now. I don't want to worry about upgrading in the future(even though I'm already planning a bigger tank as I am building this one.) One step at a time.
 
necrocanis;2009273; said:
I agree with your logic except for the part about large specimens bringing a premium pricetag. Most large catfish (save for tigs, and bolts) you'd be lucky to give away on here. Most people offer them up for $100 and end up just giving them away to who ever is willing to come and get them. Never buy a fish thinking that you can resale it, especially a large catfish. Buy it knowing that you have it's life in your hands, and have to plan accordingly incase you can't get rid of it. The logic is right on for there being a variation though. There will also be dwarfs and giants in every species. Unless you get a giant you'd be hardpressed to get a fish to grow 5' in your tank. It's possible, but not likely. On the other hand they can and more than likely will grow to 30"-40", and possibly more. I always tell everyone to plan for at least a 40" fish and hope that you don't need to upgrade further in the future. That's why I am building a 18' x 9' x 3.5' tank right now. I don't want to worry about upgrading in the future(even though I'm already planning a bigger tank as I am building this one.) One step at a time.
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Fair enough, I'm just going by what I've seen at LFSs and listed on various sites for sale. Now that you mention I have seen a fair amount of free ones as well though so I guess it just depends. Hopefully when I get my bigger tank in the future I can find some free ones instead of spending $30+ for a tiny one at the LFS. :)

Btw, very impressive stock list. You must have a boat load of massive tanks, that new one sounds amazing as well.
 
polish;2009455; said:
Hopefully when I get my bigger tank in the future I can find some free ones instead of spending $30+ for a tiny one at the LFS. :)
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Honestly it's the best part of owning a RTC, seeing it go from the little 2-3" minicat to this Huge Powerhouse of a beast...

Thus far no one has been able to show a 5' + in their private home aquarium... but give me 20 years or so ... :D I'll show ya one.
 
No offense but you will need to up grade you tank shortly after getting it even if you cut the Avg growth in half (2") an inch a month in a year it'll at lest be 14-16"(if you get a baby at 1-2".) can't blame you for wanting them. another good alternative is make a Syno tank most get to an avg of 6-8" and are very nice looking. this worked for me until i can start my pond.
 
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