RTC & Koi?

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koigirlfl

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 22, 2007
21
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Gainesville FL (70 miles from any beach)
I have a 3500 gallon Koi pond 12' x 10' x 5.5' deep, filled with Koi. My dad went out to get plecos and came back with a 14" RTC, because it was the "biggest" catfish at the store. (He tries) After reading thru the posts I just figured out how big this puppy is going to get.:WHOA:

Now I'm worried about the koi as they are my main hobby. Anybody know about keeping RTC outside and with something that looks like overgrown goldfish to a RTC? So far none of the littler Koi have come up missing as they are still bigger than the RTC is, but I'm waiting for it.

Any suggestions or should I put the RTC up for sale?
 
I do worry for the Koi. Also, I'm familiar with Gainesville because I'm from very, very south GA... don't temps get pretty cold there? An RTC won't do well, and might die, in the winter temps we used to have where I lived. Basically, if the fish looks like it would fit in his mouth, it will most likely be eaten. But, he might not live through the winter, either... They're Amazonian fish, and are used to warmer temps. It might be a very good idea to take him back.
 
my first ever RTC died by choking on a koi that was only slightly smaller than himself. both fish are dead. was really gutted....if he hadnt died he wud be MASSIVE NOW :(
 
Feed your RTC well and he will leave the KOI alone. Leave him hungry... he eat them during the night while the fish is sleeping... a nocturnal fish RTC. In the end, he will be the only one left. He has 15 years of life to eat all the KOI he/she wants haha...
 
screw the koi- go monster.


I understand the love of koi keepers. Though, no koi is safe from RTC in my opinion so best bet is to remove the RTC or create a divider in the pond for your favorite and let the RTC eat or swim with your culls.

Fish from South America in the amazon river area really never ceases to amaze me with their feeding habits- they can down fish bigger than them and kill themselves if they fail to digest fast enough.
 
I'd go with Channel cats if you want a big Koi-compatible catfish.
 
poor kois lol
 
I also keep koi (6 of them, biggest one is tiny at only 14") and I wanted to get a RTC.... Well after much research I decided that it would be really risky to attempt keeping them together so I decided to just build a separate indoor pond for the cat. Catching it to bring in for the winter would be a pain with a 5K pond anyway...
 
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