Redtail Cat.. What did my wife get me into?

[brandon0350]

Last night my wife went to get a new cell phone and she came home with the phone and a 4" Redtail Catfish. I didnt know anything about the fish other than it was a mistake for our 29g tank. I told her i have to take it back and she started to get really sad so its staying with us. Lucky for me this means a tank upgrade!!

I have a 240 lined up. How long will the RTC live happily in here?

I want to build a 500g plywood tank. Obviously it would be a huge undertaking but provide a better life for the fish. Is 500g suitable?

How fast is this thing going to grow?

I read once it gets bigger you can feed it full fruits and such but what else would be good for it? I would love to feed it minnows but i know thats a no go. How about Tank bred Mollies? maybe i can set up a breeder tank underneath the RTCs tank?

Thanks

 

[TakeNotes]

RTC are a pond status fish long term. They grow very fast as first. Literallly overnight you can see a significant size difference if being we'll fed. The 240 will do it some justice for now but 500gal is def not big enough for the life of it.

I've had two and its crazy how much they grow and the size of the fish they can inhale with their huge mouths. If I could id have one again but at about 12" I sold mine as I saw it was getting out of hand.

Maybe others can tell u what the minimum long term size must be but that I don't remember.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Dude, best advice is to just take it back while you still can. Let her pick out a new fish. Best way to explain to her how big it can get is to say it can get as big as you are (assuming you're about 6 foot 200 pounds).


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[thebiggerthebetter]

Welcome to the forum, mate!

Crudely speaking, in adequate keeping ~2' in year one, 3' in year two, 4' in 4-5 years. YMMV.

The rule I follow is 4xL by 2xL physical footprint as a minimum, where L is the length of your pet fish (this is for not too active of a swimmer), which means for a 2' RTC, one would need an 8'x4' tank = 500 US gal at 2' depth. Again, this is minimum. Bigger is better.

Your advice was very sensible, IMO. Have your wife read say this sticky thread so that she knows what she is getting into - I think she will change her mind about that cute little face when she will realize it will live for 30 years and cost around $100,000 to house for life:

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...o-you-want-to-keep-a-RTC-(Red-Tailed-Catfish)

also read these and check out the photos and the links inside too:

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?512338-ID-PLEASE!&highlight=record

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...9843-Red-Tail-Catfish-Tank-Size&highlight=RTC

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=35350&hilit=+commitment

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36395&hilit=+deflective

 

[clarius catfish]

Haha do you live in the UK I would buy it from you if you do

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[DIDYSIS]

Ya, tell her we can keep it as long as she will eat it in a few months time

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[jordanhunt]

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[clarius catfish]

No if you ever want to rehome for life then I will take it
Of not you going to need a bigger tAnk

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[petspoiler]

wife has handed you a perfect strategy for all the upgrades you ever want. get them all, THEN rehome the rtc. you'll already have massive tanks to stock however you want. make sure to get a way more personable fish (manageable sized) that she gets more attached to than the rtc, before the inevitable...
spouses can deal with a switcharoo when a more interactive fish steals their focus. Act fast. Lol.
just my view, take it or leave it.

 

[MonsterMinis]

Your wife brought home a dog.. an expensive one. while I agree that these are def not fish to buy lightly ( as your wife did) as a woman and in the hobby i can see why she would. I love my big cats. I have given up alot of other fish and pets to house our hybrid and TSN, and continue to do so.. My advise raising catfish... start your plans/blueprints/ect for a pond now. a 240 should last some time... but remeber also moving a big fish isn't easy so its better to have the "final" tank ready long before the fish needs it and can still be handled and moved easily. Buy fish in bulk and freeze weekly portions.. this will save you alot of money in the long-run and suppliment with pellets ect... my cats have done best on a variety of quality foods. I feed mine like I would a reptile/snake. one large feeding every few days depending on age ect...

And you can never overfilter! I lost my RTC to plants clogging up my filter intake, which was very upsetting. yes I cried... But these guys are on par with stingrays imo for filtration needs. Build/buy a tank bigger then you think you'll need and filteration better then you thing you'll need and they are easy to care for and hearty.

There are some great build threads in the DIY subforum, if your handy or she is if you decide to keep it.