had this little guy about 3 weeks now and about to pick up a 120 hopefully today or tomorrow. right now hes in a river rock aquarium doing fine with lost of hiding spots. i was planning on going with the poll sand filter substrate on the 120 . how do the rtc x tsn do with that? just wondering if he ends up eating the sand while feeding or if it becomes a pain.
rtc x tsn sand substrate
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i got sand in my 240 with a hybrid in it and its all good....that 120g isnt gonna house him properly for more than a year, you're gonna need somehitng bigger..i got mine in a 240 and hes gonna require bigger than that eventually.
eventually yes but i dont want to build him a build 200+ when hes only 5inchs . hate to say it but what if theres some kinda tragic event and he doesnt even make it past a year. thanks for the sand info tho because i was thinking about pool filter sand
I have my 9"tsc and 4-5"rtc in a 125 with sand a little small pebble and they do great. i will be done with my 500 by chrismas building it my self. there tanks mated will be a peacock and a spotted florida gar and large pleco, and the 500 will have sand aswell.
Most people say sand is NOT GOOD for RTC and TSN's due to the fact that they suck up small particles that get stuck in their gills that later cause infections. When i researched the substrate and asked around almost all recommended it not be sand, including the "fish" vet. Every time the RTC "gulps" and goes vertical it will get its food + a mouthfull of sand, especially when feeding it bloodworms or other foods that are not whole.
Get a bigger tank then 125, your RTC is 5" well in the time it takes the new tank to cycle it will be 10". Dont plan on it to die, you bought the fish now its your responsibility to care for it right.
Get a bigger tank then 125, your RTC is 5" well in the time it takes the new tank to cycle it will be 10". Dont plan on it to die, you bought the fish now its your responsibility to care for it right.
thats what i was wondering because i been seeing him eat and thats exactly what i was wondering with the sand . i feed blood worms krill and blackworms
so yeah sand is not good, especially if your feeding him blood worms.
Bloodworms I dont like for RTC over 6", when their younger and feeding off smaller foods then I like them. Even with a "worm" feeder they get all over the place and usually cause an outbreak in gravel worms.
Krill grows thems fast, natural, and high in protien. Hikari Krill cost me 6$ and he grows more then an 1" per week. I use krill and sometime massivore delite and beef heart.
Bloodworms I dont like for RTC over 6", when their younger and feeding off smaller foods then I like them. Even with a "worm" feeder they get all over the place and usually cause an outbreak in gravel worms.
Krill grows thems fast, natural, and high in protien. Hikari Krill cost me 6$ and he grows more then an 1" per week. I use krill and sometime massivore delite and beef heart.
yeah im trying to get him on some pellets and frozen or dried stuff but the guy just loves to hunt living stuff at night when its completely dark. have to basically put food in his face for him to eat during the day but while im at work overnight i get home in the morning and his belly is full and there are missing ghost shrimp and minnows.
i dunno I guess its your personal preference. When my RTC started to show signs of "gill curl" I hired a vet to do a house call. He told me to wait a month and showed me massage technique before surgery. I was setting up a 100 gal for him and the vet help me set it up. He told me the substrate must be big enough not to fit into his gills and told me not to use sand. He also help me build a cave for my RTC and made sure i had a powerhead going to keep water flowing through the cave. Besides bad water quality he said these are two common mistakes that can cause minor infections. I watch mine swallow and puke out rocks though, so i stopped feeding bloodworms. I think it would be impossible to find substrate it wouldnt swallow......
Mine is around 10" to 11" in my 100 gallon tank. So I powerfeed him small meals ever 4-7 hours and vary it between krill, pellets, bits of fillet. I never feed him live food and hand feed him so he isnt nervious when i have to handle him. I have 2 knifes and a couple of blind cave tetras they get along fine,when 1 goes missing ill start with live food. Trace minerals are also very inportant in fish and are proven to boost growth.
Mine is around 10" to 11" in my 100 gallon tank. So I powerfeed him small meals ever 4-7 hours and vary it between krill, pellets, bits of fillet. I never feed him live food and hand feed him so he isnt nervious when i have to handle him. I have 2 knifes and a couple of blind cave tetras they get along fine,when 1 goes missing ill start with live food. Trace minerals are also very inportant in fish and are proven to boost growth.