Hi all... my RTC has reduced his consumption of food after i moved him to a 125g... he is 6" and will be moved subsequently to bigger tank and then to a bigger pond in future.... for now he is here in the grow out. ive been feeding him fish fillet, market shrimps and massivore which he used to accept so easily... now after the move since 3 days he has had one 2" shrimp... today he didnt take in any... is it normal for him to be this way.... or should i feed him in alternate days?
RTC not eating
- Thread starter Gar88
- Start date
I guess ur rite kcrandall... I am just worried of the pair of 2" synos... I hope they are not stressing him out as he didn't have any bottom dewellers as tankmates.... Anywayz how is ur RTC doing? Congrats on these amazing fellas
thank you...my RTC is great, growing like a weed. he's about 5 inches now, so about 2 inches in the first month...not bad growth
thats great growth rate.... i have a pond in sight for my aros and RTC... just hoping the eating frenzy starts back again
Usually a RTC will eat as much as you will feed. Yes, the stress of the move and new tankmates will cause him to feed less. A lot of people tend to over feed their RTC. A healthy RTC can go weeks without eating and still be fine. My RTC is about 20" and comes to the top of the tank every time I walk by, wanting fed. When I leave the side of the tank he settles back to the bottom. Not hungry just an opportunistic feeder. When the RTC becomes hungry, he will swim around the tank non-stop till he finds food. If you have been feeding your RTC daily till now, I would suggest moving to an every other day feeding till it is about 12" then to every 3-4 days. When the RTC reaches 24" go to once a week feedings. Keep the diet varied like you have been and the RTC will be a healthier, happier cat. At 6" I would not feed more than 1 market shrimp and maybe a few pellets per feeding. I try to feed my RTC enough food to meet nutritional needs and not have the distended stomach. Overfeeding causes stress. Hope this helps and you have many years with a healthy happy RTC.
thank you for your kind words and advice... i didnt even try feeding him today thought its best to keep him that way... hope he settles fast...
i have a query... he keeps changing color sometimes he is jet black and sometimes just faded... is it some kinda stress he gets into or what?
Yeah, its a stress thing. When I clean the tank mine goes gray to almost white and when he settles down the color comes back. The more I handle mine the more he gets used to it.
