Would a RTC be able to live in a 13’x7’x30” indoor pond?. The footprint is good for a RTC but I’ve seen things saying 3’ is the minimum height. Is this accurate?
Is Height Important for RTCs?
- Thread starter Pile_O_Rocks
- Start date
Also, would it be possible to keep any other fish (Giant Gourami, Pacu, Arowana and other Large Cats) with the RTC in this pond space-wise?
That is a good size pond and no doubt opinions will vary widely over what and how many fish or inches you can keep in there. IMO yes, you can keep others that you mentioned there in there too, but I am not going to say how many as it will depend on types of fish, age and hence size, water quality, filtration type and efficiency, etc, etc.
Red tails are human friendly and feed from hand at the side. Hence the rough guidance on depth for a fish that in that size of pond should reach 3ft or more itself.
one thing to remember about pacu however is their bony teeth, which are very good at biting through liner style ponds or any wires from heaters or pumps (experience unfortunately - electricity in water smarts a little).
Red tails are human friendly and feed from hand at the side. Hence the rough guidance on depth for a fish that in that size of pond should reach 3ft or more itself.
one thing to remember about pacu however is their bony teeth, which are very good at biting through liner style ponds or any wires from heaters or pumps (experience unfortunately - electricity in water smarts a little).
Also an adult pacu will be close to 2’ tall and this won’t give them much room to move up and down once they are big.
The 3' feet is fine. My current pond is 5'....but 3 is fine for the RTC....however, that put him kind of close to the Arowona and my RTC has swallowed a number of them.... I agree with the earlier post about the Pacu..... It could use some more height. That size pond is good for Ali. Gar, TSN, Arapima, turtles. Good Luck and enjoy!
Agree with the guys above. Good for fish that almost always stay horizontal. RTC often prefers to go vertical when begging for hand feeding. But I don't 2.5' height (which means only about 2' water depth) as a showstopper necessarily.
Still, your plan would be a good experience builder for yah, IMHO. You gotta start somewhere. Just don't be deluded that this will work out long term. Spiny and toothy fish like the catfish and pacu and giant gouramy will ruin your soft wall pond. Adult female RTC (the bigger RTCs) will prey on arowana and giant gouramy.
Long term you will need a hard-wall enclosure and rehoming / reshuffling as the fish grow at different paces to different sizes.
Still, your plan would be a good experience builder for yah, IMHO. You gotta start somewhere. Just don't be deluded that this will work out long term. Spiny and toothy fish like the catfish and pacu and giant gouramy will ruin your soft wall pond. Adult female RTC (the bigger RTCs) will prey on arowana and giant gouramy.
Long term you will need a hard-wall enclosure and rehoming / reshuffling as the fish grow at different paces to different sizes.
Just wondering. This intex pond is taller. Is it 1. Still safe for fish and 2. Sturdier than the ones most people usually use? https://www.splashandrelax.co.uk/pr...ol+Set+-+13ft+6in+x+6ft+7in+x+48in/4155266750
AFAIK, they are all safe for fish as only the liner is in contact with water. They come with cheap and thin vinyl liners. I'd test the pond with feeder fish or some cheap fish before populating with the target fish anyway.
Most people use the cheapest above ground pools. This one looks like one of those. It just has a more elaborate metal carcass because it is not round and probably because it is taller than most for this small pond size.
I'd recommend lining the pond with a rubber liner, like EPDM rubber, because catfish would have a far harder time puncturing it but it has pros and cons, unless you can afford a box-welded liner. Otherwise, the folds will be bitten by pacu and gouramy.
Most people use the cheapest above ground pools. This one looks like one of those. It just has a more elaborate metal carcass because it is not round and probably because it is taller than most for this small pond size.
I'd recommend lining the pond with a rubber liner, like EPDM rubber, because catfish would have a far harder time puncturing it but it has pros and cons, unless you can afford a box-welded liner. Otherwise, the folds will be bitten by pacu and gouramy.
