Hi, Im a rookie to fish keeping but seem to be doing pretty well. I have a couple of tanks but my largest is a 55 gallon tank with a 14' spotted gar and an 8' redtail catfish. The 2 fish seem to get along great and seem to be comfortable, however I want to add maybe 2 more fish. I need suggestions on what kind of fish I can add, and what size they need to be. I dont want to over crowd my tank already knowing the 2 fish i have are kind of large for a 55 gallon tank.
Redtail catfish and Gar, What can I add with them?
- Thread starter Ballinbarry
- Start date
Kind of is a will, the rtc will get atleast 2' with proper care, i would be focusing on upgrading, not adding
I'm assuming you mean " (inches) rather the ' (which is feet) 
Tankmates really depend on what sized tank you're moving your fish into...With the speed an RTC grows, it's rapidly going to use up all the potential room in the tank by itself.
Tankmates really depend on what sized tank you're moving your fish into...With the speed an RTC grows, it's rapidly going to use up all the potential room in the tank by itself.
before you worry about more fish, you need to worry about a larger tank. that RTC will be too big for that tank in a matter of a very few months.. like 2 or 3. and that 14" Gar is already too big for that tank.
and if you wait any longer than that you will have more RTC than tank.. RTC commonly get to 30" or longer in captivity.. and in the wild they get over 4 ft long.
keeping an RTC in a tank that is any less than 4' wide and 8' or MORE long is a huge mistake.
believe me, i thought they were bashing me when i got my RTC.. they were right. i had no clue what i was getting into and it cost my RTC her life. although, in my case, i was mislead by my former hubby, and getting the RTC was never my decision. But when he left i got stuck with a HUGE fish in a tank she couldn't live in.
and if you wait any longer than that you will have more RTC than tank.. RTC commonly get to 30" or longer in captivity.. and in the wild they get over 4 ft long.
keeping an RTC in a tank that is any less than 4' wide and 8' or MORE long is a huge mistake.
believe me, i thought they were bashing me when i got my RTC.. they were right. i had no clue what i was getting into and it cost my RTC her life. although, in my case, i was mislead by my former hubby, and getting the RTC was never my decision. But when he left i got stuck with a HUGE fish in a tank she couldn't live in.
Focus on either getting a much larger tank or losing your current fish. A 55 will not work for them at all. RTC, as mentioned get really big really fast. If you don't plan on getting a much larger tank or big pond, I would sell or trade your fish to get fish more suitable for a 55 gallon. There are quite a few fish that can live quite comfortably for life in a 55.
My bad, I definetly meant inches. the rtc is 8 inches and the gar is 16 inches. I just got the tank, and I will upgrade 6 months to a year from now to about a 150 gallon, but I just got tired of looking at just 2 fish, thought 1 or 2 more would have not hurted. Thanks for the advice.
Ballinbarry;5005722;5005722 said:
That's too long to wait. You don't understand how fast RTC grow. You will have a mess on your hands in 6 more months of this. Just trade them for smaller fish. That way you can have several fish instead of two that are truly too big for the tank.
Don't add any more fish because your aquarium is way overstocked as it is.
I know for a fact that the spotted gar will need at least a 180 gallon when it is fully grown; it should max out around 18" to 22" long. As far as the RTC goes, check with someone in the "Catfish" sub-forum on the minimum aquarium size.
The gar will tolerate, but not enjoy, being in the 55 gallon for a little longer, but the RTC is going to grow tremendously fast, so I recommend getting rid of it ASAP.
I know for a fact that the spotted gar will need at least a 180 gallon when it is fully grown; it should max out around 18" to 22" long. As far as the RTC goes, check with someone in the "Catfish" sub-forum on the minimum aquarium size.
The gar will tolerate, but not enjoy, being in the 55 gallon for a little longer, but the RTC is going to grow tremendously fast, so I recommend getting rid of it ASAP.