RTC HELP

[Cestra04]

They have been super active which is not the issue, they don't eat as much as they do anymore and (dahulk) usually pops himself up against the glass. Normal? In a 500 gallon water parameters are all safe level. I'm a fish breeder I know what I'm doing for the most part.

 

[Fishman Dave]

Yeah, fairly normal/ common and nothing I would see as a concern. My concern would be if you were using feeder fish. That’s a bad practice both morally and health wise as can introduce risk/ disease/ further health issues which are unnecessary, and may set you up for issues in the future either getting them off this food source or the fact you are training them to eat tank mates. Something some red tails need no training on , but some can live well with other fish.

 

[Cestra04]

Yeah, fairly normal/ common and nothing I would see as a concern. My concern would be if you were using feeder fish. That’s a bad practice both morally and health wise as can introduce risk/ disease/ further health issues which are unnecessary, and may set you up for issues in the future either getting them off this food source or the fact you are training them to eat tank mates. Something some red tails need no training on , but some can live well with other fish.

Thanks and yea I do feed them feeders as I breed them myself for that purpose.

 

[Caveden]

You breed red tails? I don’t know of anyone who does that… amazing

 

[Cestra04]

You breed red tails? I don’t know of anyone who does that… amazing

No I breed the goldfish feeders and angelfish but someday I'll breed redtails

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Never kept red tail catfish, but if you must feed feeders, I suggest only doing angelfish. Goldfish have thiaminase, while angelfish don't.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

If you breed your own goldfish and ensure their health, and also feed the goldfish good quality feed, then you could be safe as far as pathogen transfer from prey to predator and as far as short term malnutrition. The long term malnutrition you are not safe with because overall goldfish is a rather poor diet for a tropical predator and also carries the thiaminase issues, as noted above.

Don't mean to insult you, you may know all this. If not, or not quite, the relevant sticky threads in the Diseases forum carry a lot of solid info on feeding goldfish.

As far as your RTCs, what you describe may or may not be normal. RTC appetite waxes and wanes naturally. But they also maybe developing vitamin B1 deficiency and/or too much fat deposits from the goldfish.

 

[Cestra04]

Big man does this all day, got any recommendations where to buy some vitamin powder to mix in tilapia and shrimp for feedings?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Most, myself included, seem to use VitaChem to presoak fish feed to ensure adequate nutrition.

 

[Cestra04]

Most, myself included, seem to use VitaChem to presoak fish feed to ensure adequate nutrition.

Thanks! That's what I bought usually breeding isn't as complicated but the monster fish are the ones I want to learn the most of!