Hello i got a redtail about a month ago he is about 18 inchs long and very healthy. the problem is his gills are curled up towards his head what causes this and is it a health problem. if it is can i fix it. he was in a 55 gallon tank when i bought him and now he is in my 150 gallon tank with my 18 inch oscar and breeding pair of chocolate cichlids. Please help
redtail cat
- Thread starter guedo1997
- Start date
guedo1997;1454954; said:
Ok well ...
to MFKYour into the hobby in a BIG way now, Are you really familar with what your getting yourself into with that RTC? You know that the 150 isn't going to last much longer for that fish.
Your talking about what is commonly called Gill Curl, which is not fixable for the most part but can be stopped and prevented with quality water, if this is a recent issue that has happened while in your care then I suggest doing regular water changes which should help it and it's possible with continued attention to the water quality that it may actually start to improve.. but most likly never be gone. There are some people whom beleive that this can also be caused by having a PH issue in the water as well, however it is still as of yet unconfirmed.
Post up some pix and you'll get alot more help as people can see exactly what your talking about and they don't have to guess so much
Unless you are changing 75% of your water a week you probably have some water quality issues with those big boys in that tank. Have you tried testing your water? Oh yes and lets see a pic of this 18 inch oscar 
guedo1997;1454954; said:
...18 inches---15 max...It is known as gill curl, it is because of bad water quality. Bottom line is you need to give the rtc away or buy a 400+ gallon tank-which would only be temporary. Even then, the rtc needs a BARE minimum 4 foot wide x 10 foot long tank. At this size, he will be relatively easy to give away, but if he gets any bigger it will be very hard to get someone to take him. Not doing research sucks...
Kobeclone;1455997; said:
I love this kind of advice
Forget the 4x10' tank and just go right to the 30x40'. I hear RTC's get huge
Adding an 18" fish to any aquarium cycled or not will start a mini cycle unless you have seeded your filter with more bacteria upon introduction of the fish. What are the dimensions of your 150? 10'x4' is ideal, but an 8'x3' would be better than what 99% of rtc owners provide. Personally I am building a 16'x8'x3' tank for my cats, but I have more than 10 species that can grow over 4'.
Bgonz with that mentality you'd be right at home on another catfish forum I know of. lol, I know you're kidding. A 30'x40' would be a legendary tank! Bigger than my house as a matter of fact lol. Time to flood the basement! then I will have a 30x30x5 woot!
Seriously though check all your params. Adding a 18" rtc will increase the bioload of your current setup more than 2x. Your tank is probably cycling. Go get some cultured bacteria from your lfs, and add it to the filter. It will help the mini cycle go faster.
Bgonz with that mentality you'd be right at home on another catfish forum I know of. lol, I know you're kidding. A 30'x40' would be a legendary tank! Bigger than my house as a matter of fact lol. Time to flood the basement! then I will have a 30x30x5 woot!
Seriously though check all your params. Adding a 18" rtc will increase the bioload of your current setup more than 2x. Your tank is probably cycling. Go get some cultured bacteria from your lfs, and add it to the filter. It will help the mini cycle go faster.
Bgonz;1456017; said:I love this kind of advice
Forget the 4x10' tank and just go right to the 30x40'. I hear RTC's get huge
Are you telling me a fish that can get to 4 foot can live in any less than a 4 foot wide tank at adulthood in around 4-7 years?
And no I am NOT a member of Planet Catfish.