Red tail catfish not eating

big cat

Exodon
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Feb 12, 2012
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RTC is one of the last fish to be needing live feeders. Not only it is a risk of transference of parasites, bacteria, and viruses, the too-fatty goldfish is a known, poor diet for any tropical catfish. This sticky thread by Oddball can clarify things further: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...e-Fish-As-Food-Nutritional-Value-amp-Concerns
Good point but I disagree in some condition . Wild caught catfish is really hard eating pellet at the first time , feeder is a great way to started . And all the virous disease thing can be prevent if you rise your own feeders . Live feeders is always good for predator fish . And the article above is talking we use lived fresh water feeders feed lion fish. That's total different from the fresh water catfish . And in real amazon river catfish eat rotting died fish or hunt for small fish . I think there is plenty germs and diseases in rotting died fish but the catfish still live heathy.


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big cat

Exodon
MFK Member
Feb 12, 2012
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China
RTC is one of the last fish to be needing live feeders. Not only it is a risk of transference of parasites, bacteria, and viruses, the too-fatty goldfish is a known, poor diet for any tropical catfish. This sticky thread by Oddball can clarify things further: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...e-Fish-As-Food-Nutritional-Value-amp-Concerns
And about the too fat and poor diet . I don't think anyone accuatlly analysis how many heat per goldfish . I really don't know where all the people saying " goldfish is fat and lack of vitamin or whatever , it is total lack of proof . If people say fish getting fatter and fatter in our aquarium is not because we feed them feeders , it's because they are trapped in a small tank they never move . If a people trapped in a small room never move he will end up have all sort of illness and fat . In real life those fish can not eat everyday ! They hunt maybe they will eat one or two times per 3 days ! In our aquarium we feed them everyday and not let them move . I will be shocked of they are not getting fatter and fatter .


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thebiggerthebetter

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Good point but I disagree in some condition . Wild caught catfish is really hard eating pellet at the first time , feeder is a great way to started . And all the virous disease thing can be prevent if you rise your own feeders . Live feeders is always good for predator fish ...
We can agree to disagree :)

Pellets vary too. In fact, I am not pro-pellets. Natural, safe frozen-thawed foods are good. There are some great pellets out there or one can make their own. Moreover, RTC is not a predator. It is slow and has a stealth of a hippo versus say TSN - that's a true predator. RTC is an opportunistic scavenger in the wild and is "designed" to be such.

And the article above is talking we use lived fresh water feeders feed lion fish. That's total different from the fresh water catfish.
IIRC, I've read accounts of Public Aquaria workers making broad statements about various kinds of s/w and f/w tropical fish and their demise from the "fatty liver disease". Necrocanis dissected plenty of dead catfish and arrived to a similar conclusion.

And in real amazon river catfish eat rotting died fish or hunt for small fish . I think there is plenty germs and diseases in rotting died fish but the catfish still live heathy.
In real Amazon, the RTCs have no problem with immune system. They are perfectly suited for that environment. Those that do have problems, are weeded out immediately by the survival of the fittest. The immune system of RTCs and Co kept in an artificial conditions of captivity is constantly suffering from weakness - their livelihood in compromised from every angle, they are never completely stress-free. Just one thing: NO3 in Amazon reads zero ppm. There are a myriad of these "things", small, medium, and big.
 

thebiggerthebetter

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And about the too fat and poor diet . I don't think anyone accuatlly analysis how many heat per goldfish . I really don't know where all the people saying " goldfish is fat and lack of vitamin or whatever , it is total lack of proof.
This's been addressed above. IMHO, there is plenty of proof.


... If people say fish getting fatter and fatter in our aquarium is not because we feed them feeders , it's because they are trapped in a small tank they never move . If a people trapped in a small room never move he will end up have all sort of illness and fat . In real life those fish can not eat everyday ! They hunt maybe they will eat one or two times per 3 days ! In our aquarium we feed them everyday and not let them move . I will be shocked of they are not getting fatter and fatter .
That may be... albeit the man-fish analogy can be grossly misleading because their metabolism, digestion, etc. are vastly different. My poor understanding is that, unlike warm-blooded humans, tropical fish normally do not store excess energy in fat deposits (though, say, pacu do but then again pacu feed on very fatty nuts).

(Anyone, please, correct me or elaborate?)

The fat deposits occur as a result of too much fat in their diet which they cannot process correctly and timely and this fat gets absorbed and deposited around internal organs, damaging them.

IDK if the fish are capable of utilizing these deposits when they are subjected to a long fast. Does anyone know?

I'd agree with you too that this is a topic of proper husbandry and care and knowledge. Fish should be provided adequate room and diet, both quality, quantity, and frequency for the latter.
 

big cat

Exodon
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Feb 12, 2012
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This's been addressed above. IMHO, there is plenty of proof.




That may be... albeit the man-fish analogy can be grossly misleading because their metabolism, digestion, etc. are vastly different. My poor understanding is that, unlike warm-blooded humans, tropical fish normally do not store excess energy in fat deposits (though, say, pacu do but then again pacu feed on very fatty nuts).

(Anyone, please, correct me or elaborate?)

The fat deposits occur as a result of too much fat in their diet which they cannot process correctly and timely and this fat gets absorbed and deposited around internal organs, damaging them.

IDK if the fish are capable of utilizing these deposits when they are subjected to a long fast. Does anyone know?

I'd agree with you too that this is a topic of proper husbandry and care and knowledge. Fish should be provided adequate room and diet, both quality, quantity, and frequency for the latter.
Really good point . Because I know my friend wants his fish to grow faster , while , everyone wants that too , so they feed the fish a lot . So cause the fish become really really fat . I think even he feed the fish with pellet the fish might still grow really fat . It's just like if we all eat five meal per day we are all gonna get bigger and bigger , even we feed them the healthier food . Even we all know feeding too much is bad we don't we all want our fish grow faster and bigger :)


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thebiggerthebetter

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Right. That's why this is a game of balance. Not only proper knowledge is needed but also conscience is needed: one wants to have a big fish fast - that's their desire and it is understandable - but the keeper also has a more noble, less selfish option of thinking about and researching their pet needs and graciously and lovingly putting them ahead of their needs and wants. Some profess this is even an obligation. Something I'd agree with, not losing out of sight that we make mistakes left and right and learn with each of them. I've killed more fish that I can remember :(

That and trying one's best not to bite more than they can chew.
 
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Hello first time here , have recently brought a red tail catfish that is curently around 8 inches long and 4 months old I have had him 4 days and in that time I cannot get him to eat , I currently have him in a 200 litre tank but have plans to get a larger tank when required my water tests have shown nitrate to be 90ppm nitrite is at zero ph 7.2 and ammonia 0.25 , is this normal for them not to eat ? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
thanks in advance
I had the name problem.. redtail can me shy when young. Put the good at night close to him and by morning he will eat it
 

Deadliestviper7

The Necromancer
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No worries , you can rise you tank temperature to 85f and have some feeder gold fish in the tank , he will hunt by him self . The best option for those catfish is bring feeder and let them hunt by them self


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Don't feed goldfish,I've seen loads of fish deaths due to this.
 
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