Red Tail Catfish (RTC) Fish keeping

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
H

Hasitha

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 16, 2013
17
0
0
Sri Lanka
Hello All,
I am new to the forum and this is my first post. So "Hello"!! I am having a RTC of 6" long and I am building a large pond to keep him when he gets bigger. Currently he is in a 4ft long tank alone. I got a few questions to ask from you experts.
1. He doesn't eat pellets. I tried starving him for 2 days but it doesn't work. He only eats pieces of fish and dried shrimp. I am worried that he will not get nutrients he need at small age as he do not eat pellets. How can get him to eat pellets atleast till he gets a little bigger?
2. He is alone as I was not able to find a pair. I didn't wanted to have them fighting as I saw them chasing each other at the shop. Is there any other breeds that can be kept with a single RTC?
3. I saw the feeding regime for a grown RTC is once a week. Is this true? What would be the recommended meal weight (kgs) for a week for this fish? ( I know they are greedy and can be overfed easily).
4. Are there any special sicknesses that RTCs are prone to catch?

I read many quotes on the internet but I am posting here to get advise from real RTC keepers or the ones who have real experience. I really appreciate your help in this.

Thanks....
 
Welcome to the forum!

1. He doesn't eat pellets. I tried starving him for 2 days but it doesn't work. He only eats pieces of fish and dried shrimp. I am worried that he will not get nutrients he need at small age as he do not eat pellets. How can get him to eat pellets atleast till he gets a little bigger?
***If you starve him for a week or even two if need be, he will happily take the pellets. Otherwise, one may stuff the pellets or pellet pieces in whatever he takes or soak his food in something like Vita-Chem or other vitamin supplements.

2. He is alone as I was not able to find a pair. I didn't wanted to have them fighting as I saw them chasing each other at the shop. Is there any other breeds that can be kept with a single RTC?
***RTCs are territorial only up to 3"-4" size. After that, they co-habit without big problems. In a small tank, RTCs are known to sometimes eat all their tankmates. In a large tank/pond, they usually do not prey on tankmates. They are much more inclined to scavenging, unlike say tiger shovelnose catfishes.

3. I saw the feeding regime for a grown RTC is once a week. Is this true? What would be the recommended meal weight (kgs) for a week for this fish? ( I know they are greedy and can be overfed easily).
***Yes. Bigger RTCs cn be killed if overfed. I'd feed as much as to make its tummy bulge and not feed again until it goes back flat.

4. Are there any special sicknesses that RTCs are prone to catch?
***Not that I know of. I do guesstimate that 99% of RTCs die in keeper's care as a result of "bad" water - ammonia and nitrite. RTCs grow quickly, eat a lot, and produce a lot of waste.
 
First what works for me might not be for you or work for you. But this is IME only.

Welcome to MFK. The infamous RTC. I'd like to say you're doing a great job.
Feeding wise there is nothing wrong with giving him pieces of fish and shrimp ...etc. Infact I think predfish and cat keepers should if posssible provide them with pieces of fish 99% of the time. After all in the wild they don't eat pellets and they eat fish in general are scavengers. They should get most of their nutrients from fish, shrimp, and pellets ...etc. But having said that it doesn't hurt and it would only benefit to provide your wet pets with more vitamins supplements. I personally have never fed pellets to my rtc's and they do just fine. I feed every day, cut fish and market shrimp. I prefer to defrost market shrimp as dried shrimp well I just don't like the head of the dried shrimp a bit sharp imo. Never over feed as they can be easily over fed. Though some may think feeding everyday is overfeeding, first don't get the wrong idea as I do small portions but daily. Which brings me back to the first sentence of my post. Remember as juvies they feed quite often in the wild so keep that in mind.

As for tankmates well they are usually ok with other fishes. As for other cats as tankmates well they are ok too but under one condition no decor or shelter. All big cats are territorial and that is the main reason cats will kill one another. So if you provide decor and shelter they will fight each other for territory. I've learned over the years of keeping big cats that if you don't provide shelter/decor they do quite well together infact huddle together. But keep in mind some cats no matter what can't be kept together. For example ZZ and RTC never together. Only had one pair work for a while and even that was short lived. But the RTC is great with most fishes. Here is the #1 rule of thumb for big cat tankmates in general. Make sure their tankmates don't fit in the cats mouth. And a rule of thumb for big fishes in general Tank setup should be big enough to give all fishes lots of space. Hence the bigger the better.


As for growth well mine grew from 2 inches to about 6 or more inches in about 2 months.

The only thing that I've ever seen my cats get is ick and it's easy to cure. No chemical treatment. Just up the temp and a lil salt. Longer process but works everytime of course only if you catch it early. And I agree with thebiggerthebetter most cats die in cap due to water quality.
 
Agreed, the bigger they are, the rarer and bigger meals are usually recommended. While small, they should not be fed once a week but once in 1-2 days going by their tummy.

Many RTCs passed through my hands, from 2" to 2.5', with greatly variable success. At present I am, sadly, RTC-less but I hope not for long.
 
Keep us abreast and post pics :)
 
Thanks guys. Currently my tank setup is like this.
One large plant pot.
bog wood
half of a 2" pvc pipe
2 powerheads (1500ltrs/hr & 2000ltrs/hr) One is having it's own filter and the other has a DIY filter which is fixed above the tank which lets the water run back to tank through filter wool.
subtrate is sand. I am thinking of removing sand all together and to keep the bottom glass exposed (good idea?).

He is fasting for 2 days now and sleeps inside the pipe at mornings till evening. Doesn't mess with anything in the tank just wriggles at the glass and swim across the air bubles. I thought he will tear up the plants move the bog wood... but no he is well behaved. Not like the marble catfish i used to have earlier who were tearing everything apart. I will post some pics. It is difficult to get a clear snap of him as he won't stay still. If he is at calm, then he is inside the pipe sleeping. I think he has a small defect in his right fin near the gill flap as it is a little different from the other. Also I think he might have a bit of a curl on the left side gill too. Not sure.
 
i have 3 at about 20" each thay eat like pigs lol bicker a little but nothing realy to bad a towrn fin everyso often but not that bad i feed frozen talapia about 2 pound every few weeks. the bigist thing to watch out for is the water bad water = gill curl and if you see the slightest sign of it do big water changes once a day till it goes away and you will be good your bio filter will have to be vary strong when thay get bigger but thay are alot of fun mine are all hand fed and trained it is funny i can get them to dance for food :) best of luck and post some pics
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom