I'm a newbie!!!! Questions about my RTC

[Bottomfeeder]

Tank of at least 700 gallons is what you should be putting your money towards right now, not a 150

 

[Fish_Admirer17]

wow thanks guys!!i will be getting a larger tank soon!!will follow all your advice!!thanks!!

 

[justinp21085]

rtc usually takes about a week to a week and a half to really get udjusted to their new home, and don't worry about him not eating he will be fine because catfish also do eat of the algae in the tank. also like everyone else said he is going to need a bigger tank very soon. tip try looking on craigslist in your area to see if someone might want to get rid a old tank no smaller than a 125!!!!!!!!!! and enjoy the fish

 

[TwistedPenguin]

I suspect the 15 g tank the Red Tailed Catfish is in isn't cycled yet. It doesn't sound like it. If it's a newly set up tank-don't feed! get an ammonia, nitrite & nitrate test kit and read up on cycling a tank. A RTC is going to grow faster than an Oscar. He's 3" now, he'll be bigger than 8" in a month. You really shouldn't worry about pH and water temp-you should be out digging a pond for him right now.

 

[Chaz88]

I lived in the Philippines for a few years a long time ago. If labor and material are still as affordable as then I would look into a monster concrete or plywood build. There is a lot of information on this site about both.

 

[Fish_Admirer17]

i read about the cycling stuff and it said my ammonia,nitrite and nitrate should all be zero...how do i do that man?and also is it safe to use some kind of pebble gravel as a substrate cause thats what we have in our house..it was previously used in our old filter for the arrowana.. we've already rinsed it and now were soaking it in water with salt to sterilize it..and btw what is a craigslist in my area??thanks for being so helpful everyone!!!!

 

[gacericardo]

Not to be rude but a little research should be done before buying one of the largest freshwater species on the planet

 

[tyndall72]

Ya they grow fairly fast so you will need an upgrade. in which case you can get more!

 

[algren]

I have raised my RTC on raw chicken since day 1. I'm no expert but no problems yet. I think he went a few days without eating when i brought him home so so worries.

 

[bubbles21476]

I use small pebbles as my substrate, but it is not deep and only on the bottom of 1/2 of the tank. The other half is bare, just a thin layer so I'm not looking straight through the bottom of the tank. IMO sand is harder to clean and when vacuuming gets sucked up. Going with no substrate at all is the easiest to keep clean, Especially when the tank is 10' by 4'