Got a baby RTC.....dont worry i know how big they get and am growing him out for a pond. My question what size can u start hand feeding them and how do u do it? he is 3-4" now prob too small but just wondering.
THANKS!
THANKS!
How do u start handfeeding ur Catfish?
- Thread starter Gobrian44
- Start date
Start leaving your hand in the tank when he eats. Once he gets used to that, move it closer. And then closer once he's used to that. Eventually you'll reach in to drop the food and he'll just take it out of your fingers.
When i first started hand feeding my rtc i just put the food in his face where he liked to hide and wave it then dropped it. After awhile he started to get used to my hand and started to come out to get the food out of my hand. It was pretty cool. GL with ur rtc!
Gobrian44:
I don't know much about RTC's but I think you might look at it like I did, when I had my Oscars.
When my Oscar's were the size of which your RTC is now, they were a curious lot when they had foreign objects put into their tank (e.g. hands and fingers). You might try as I did, when they are young, to put your hand in half the depth of your tank, holding a large piece of food say maybe 1 to 1-1/2 inches square. I had to do this twice as they are voracious eaters. Get your RTC use to the presence of your hand being in the tank. Eventually it will become accustomed to associating food with the presence of your hand. As they became larger I was able to have them still eating food held just under the surface. Once in a while, They would eat out of open palm. I know that RTC's have barbels (whiskers if you will) and do not know the sole purpose of them are for, other than to be a type of sensory device for them. If they used them as a weapon of sorts, I have no idea. But they can appear to be intimidating as they become larger. Of photgraphs that I have seen, they are intimidating to me. But that is about as far as I am able to help you with, if at all. If you know of any member who may own or has owned one, send them a PM and see what they say.
Later on when my 2 Oscars got to be about 7-8 inches in size, I also trained them to play volley ball between two tanks sitting side by side. I did this under supervision, so they would not jump from one tank to the other unsupervised. But that's another chapter to be read.
I hope I have been helpful. I wish you much success with your RTC.
Until next time . . .
I don't know much about RTC's but I think you might look at it like I did, when I had my Oscars.
When my Oscar's were the size of which your RTC is now, they were a curious lot when they had foreign objects put into their tank (e.g. hands and fingers). You might try as I did, when they are young, to put your hand in half the depth of your tank, holding a large piece of food say maybe 1 to 1-1/2 inches square. I had to do this twice as they are voracious eaters. Get your RTC use to the presence of your hand being in the tank. Eventually it will become accustomed to associating food with the presence of your hand. As they became larger I was able to have them still eating food held just under the surface. Once in a while, They would eat out of open palm. I know that RTC's have barbels (whiskers if you will) and do not know the sole purpose of them are for, other than to be a type of sensory device for them. If they used them as a weapon of sorts, I have no idea. But they can appear to be intimidating as they become larger. Of photgraphs that I have seen, they are intimidating to me. But that is about as far as I am able to help you with, if at all. If you know of any member who may own or has owned one, send them a PM and see what they say.
Later on when my 2 Oscars got to be about 7-8 inches in size, I also trained them to play volley ball between two tanks sitting side by side. I did this under supervision, so they would not jump from one tank to the other unsupervised. But that's another chapter to be read.
I hope I have been helpful. I wish you much success with your RTC.
Until next time . . .
i always just hold it in front of their face nugging their noses till they eat it...i always move stuff around so they get used to my hands and aren't afraid of me...i do this with all my fish...the easiest fish i have trained to eat processed food from my hand was my lungfish...i got it home, it was in the tank for less then an hour...i wqs making shrimp for the others...i took a chunk stuck to my finger, put it to its nose and it ate it...it has eatten every meal from my finger tips...it was 3" and now 6"
thats how i have gotten my rtc, tsns and hybrid to hand feed...
thats how i have gotten my rtc, tsns and hybrid to hand feed...
I don't know. I think it would honestly depend upon the fish. I have 4 fish out of hundreds that "allow" to be handfed...which are my achara, achara x tsn, oscar, arowana. My other cats...forget it. that's incl my tsn x rtc, pictus, hoplos, rtc, etc etc.
there's only been a few fish in the last 15 yrs that love taking food from me, or to allow me to handle them. My favorite is my achara cat...and my current biggest cat
there's only been a few fish in the last 15 yrs that love taking food from me, or to allow me to handle them. My favorite is my achara cat...and my current biggest cat
i hand fed my rtc last night..... ive been puttin his food near his cave since i got him... but last night he got it from my hand... its been abt 3 weeks since i got him...