HELP --- RTC getting on my last nerve

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I've been keeping fish more or less the same size (or as I see it, bigger than his mouth), as somebody
said, basic MFK knowledge. I also know that you can usually get away with smaller fish, if they are more
agile and not keen bottom-dwellers like the RTC. My problem seems to be THIS SPECIFIC RTC. As I typed
me previous message, my wife came to inform me he ate another one of the Koi. That's 2x Koi just today
and I only bought them earlier today. The RTC is just over 60cm as I already stated, both those Koi were
40cm+ ... When I say "ate" I mean he had them in his mouth, the managed to SOMEHOW swallow the
one, but the other one was still sticking out his mouth and he eventually spat it out ... dead.

Same with the Aro's, Cigar Shark and some of the other cats he has killed.
He couldn't even really eat them, he just tried to and ended up killing them.

Waiting on a new tank to arrive this week, discussed it with my LFS this morning, then I will be moving
the RTC in there alone, until I can decide what to do. As I said in my other thread, I am busy with a
pond-build ... but weather, council-issues and other things are holding it up :(

According to this site: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/converter/volume-calculator.php/

My current tank is: 372 US GAL
 
Before I hear shouts of an under-sized tank lol ... I NEVER kept more than 6 fish in there @ a time.
That I will say in all honesty. Right now, there are 4 in there.
The RTC, another Cigar Shark, 2x Large Cichlids

EDIT >>>

The new tank will be 528 US GAL
 
I need to stop reading threads like these because they make me want a RTC even more. I have a huge pond but since it is out side, one wouldn't survive. Looks like the RTC needs a new home.

Would minnows survive with a RTC if you gave them dense cover? I know the population would get devoured eventually but if you can protect them, you may be able to keep other fish.
 
Sorry about your troubles, mate. I totally sympathize with you as I have had quite similar problems with my 2.5' TSN that had eaten/killed trying to eat over $1000 worth of other valuable fish... but it all was happening in a 4000 gal pond 40'x6'x3', not in a small tank.

Sounds like your RTC is indeed exceptionally predatory. It can happen, I imagine. I've never experienced anything like that though with my many RTCs. As stated above, in such a small tank (your tank is relatively big for an average fish-keeper but an average fish-keeper keeps 2"-6" fish, not 2') he needs to be combined with the same size (length AND girth) fish and such fish that can hold their own, like other catfish. Bottom dweller or not - don't matter anymore in such a small tank. Koi is strong but defenseless and have no room to run away from him. Same for Aros, whose shape also is bad for this situation - they may have the same length but be perfectly swallowable.

- 8x AAA Grade Koi ---------mentioned above
- 2x Silver Arowana ----------mentioned above
- 4x Oscars + 1 that got saved and moved ---- not too surprising, especially if the oscars were way smaller than him. The order of introduction to the tank matters too. I saw RTCs introduced into a tank and get tormented mercilessly by much smaller oscars who defended their territory.
- 1x Cigar Shark -------------------perfect to be swallowed
- 5x Pangasius Sharks ------------must have been much smaller than the RTC. They are timid, nervous fish.
- 2x Hi-Fin Pangasius --------------- same as IDS.
- 8x Clown Loaches (Yeah, VERY bad move on my part) ----------- ............
- 1x Sun Catfish --------------- again, it is too small (even an adult of ~1') to be combined with a 2' RTC in a small tank, even your projected 530 gal - it is a minor upgrade IMO. In a large pond like mine was, I had such combos with no problem - sun cats have the sharp spines and know how to use them. I even had 10" blochii in my pond, 3 of them, and they were ok. The largest fish in that pond was a 3' RTCxTSN.
- 2x Green Deacons ------------ no comment
- Countless large TinFoil Barbs------------- great swimmers just like IDS and the paroon but could not escape in such a small tank
- Countless large Cichlids ---------------- likely not nearly large enough and again the order of introduction matters.
- 1x Asian RTC -------- I assume there too was a big size disparity and the order of introduction was not in the ARTC's favor. At the same size and comfort level, ARTC would kill an RTC in such a small tank in one overnight.

Keep us abreast, mate. Good luck!
 
Yeah, I forgot to mention. Please, don't blame the fish. He is merely being who he is, an animal driven by instincts. Fish cannot be vile or vicious or what not. To be vile requires knowing right from wrong and choosing to do wrong. Fish do not operate like that at all :) They don't reason :) If you have had your fill with him, try to find him a nice, much bigger new home.
 
LostAcc said:
Lemme first subtract the "one's that are no longer with us"

- 8x AAA Grade Koi
- 2x Silver Arowana
- 4x Oscars + 1 that got saved and moved
- 1x Cigar Shark
- 5x Pangasius Sharks
- 2x Hi-Fin Pangasius
- 8x Clown Loaches (Yeah, VERY bad move on my part)
- 1x Sun Catfish
- 2x Green Deacons
- Countless large TinFoil Barbs
- Countless large Cichlids
- 1x Asian RTC

------- NOW TO THE CURRENT ISSUE -------

- Do I bother keeping such an aggressive RTC?
- Is there anything I can do to calm it dowm (tried Power-Feeding already)
- Is there ANYTHING I can put in there that WILL NOT get eaten

RTC is about 24 inches now
Click to expand...

Do you seriously even need to ask those questions,, after the death list?
Your RTC killed 34 fish, plus "countless" lg tinfoil barbs AND large cichlids. You can count to 8 for koi and CLs, so each "countless" group must be at least 10.
34+20 = 54 dead fish. minimum.

You are either dumber than a catfish, insane- or both.
Just keep repeating this behavior until you run out of money for AAA Grade koi.
 
thebiggerthebetter said:
- 8x AAA Grade Koi ---------mentioned above
- 2x Silver Arowana ----------mentioned above
- 4x Oscars + 1 that got saved and moved ---- not too surprising, especially if the oscars were way smaller than him. The order of introduction to the tank matters too. I saw RTCs introduced into a tank and get tormented mercilessly by much smaller oscars who defended their territory.
- 1x Cigar Shark -------------------perfect to be swallowed
- 5x Pangasius Sharks ------------must have been much smaller than the RTC. They are timid, nervous fish.
- 2x Hi-Fin Pangasius --------------- same as IDS.
- 8x Clown Loaches (Yeah, VERY bad move on my part) ----------- ............
- 1x Sun Catfish --------------- again, it is too small (even an adult of ~1') to be combined with a 2' RTC in a small tank, even your projected 530 gal - it is a minor upgrade IMO. In a large pond like mine was, I had such combos with no problem - sun cats have the sharp spines and know how to use them. I even had 10" blochii in my pond, 3 of them, and they were ok. The largest fish in that pond was a 3' RTCxTSN.
- 2x Green Deacons ------------ no comment
- Countless large TinFoil Barbs------------- great swimmers just like IDS and the paroon but could not escape in such a small tank
- Countless large Cichlids ---------------- likely not nearly large enough and again the order of introduction matters.
- 1x Asian RTC -------- I assume there too was a big size disparity and the order of introduction was not in the ARTC's favor. At the same size and comfort level, ARTC would kill an RTC in such a small tank in one overnight.

Keep us abreast, mate. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Firstly, thanks for all the feedback and for going into such detail with it.
It leaves me in the position of having to shed more light on the deceased stock list now lol

Reason I went with Aro's is because I have seen plenty of tanks, right here on MFK, with Aro's and RTC's in the same tank. I was hoping I could pull off the same setup, but the one Aro got swallowed and 1/2 eaten ... the 2nd one just basically got mauled and injured to the point where it could not be saved anymore. All my IDS's and Hi-Fins were more or less the same size as the RTC, 2 of them were even definitely bigger. He did what RTC's do to most of them, but the 2x bigger one's he made the one jump out of the tank and the other was again a case of constant attacks until it gave up the fight. The Oscars were actually my 1st tankmates, but I guess that time was not on their side. I got them when they were about double the size of the RTC and they would actually bully the RTC at those times. Then growth took over and the Oscars became the bullied/eaten ones. The Asian RTC was slightly smaller (longer, but not wider) than my current RTC ... came home to find the ARTC dead with a hole in it's side. I just figured it was the RTC, unless the Cichlids I had at the time could have managed to pull that off.

All my other choices, I cannot justify or explain, I was jusy HOPING they would work.
I'm going to keep the RTC alone soon, in the slightly bigger tank.
Like I said, the longer-term plan (come Summer here) is actually a large pond :)
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...339-Planning-Outdoor-Pond-(Semi-Above-Ground)

I feel what you're saying about not holding it against the fish itself, but dammit this thing
is like a problematic teen right now lol.
 
I think if you are thinking about keeping this monster for life you will need a 3000 gal pond. Like most hobbiest who want to keep this cat they will never have a big enough tank for this fish. Why aren't you pro fish keepers talking about tank size like you do with the aros.
 
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