Short Body RTC size?

Suarez

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 24, 2020
5
6
3
25
Hey everyone, I absolutely love RTCs, but definitely cannot properly house one for life so will not be getting one. However, I know short body variations are a thing, and have done some digging but can't really seem to find much about their average size in aquaria. I've seen some people saying 2' max but wanted to see if anyone has any more info/personal experience with SBRTC. I'm planning on starting up a new fish room and want to eventually build an 8x4 tank, so was hoping maybe Id be able to house one of these guys if I implement a ton of filtration. Thanks.
 

fishhead0103666

Alligator Gar
MFK Member
May 14, 2018
6,058
6,938
188
youtu.be
vincentwugwg vincentwugwg
 

thebiggerthebetter

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
15,590
13,982
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
From hearsay, their lifespan is too from 1 year to several years. And a price tag of a few hundred $.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Suarez and dr exum

Suarez

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 24, 2020
5
6
3
25
Thanks for the info, I'll most likely steer clear if they have a shortened lifespan and a huge price tag. I'm not sure if the shortened body is due to selective breeding or just a lucky mutation, but I'd feel guilty supporting a trade that's harming the fish if it's intentional breeding that's causing the short-body defect.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thebiggerthebetter

vincentwugwg

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Oct 22, 2013
3,069
6,695
3,339
New York Mets
Thanks for the info, I'll most likely steer clear if they have a shortened lifespan and a huge price tag. I'm not sure if the shortened body is due to selective breeding or just a lucky mutation, but I'd feel guilty supporting a trade that's harming the fish if it's intentional breeding that's causing the short-body defect.
From what I understand.. the sbrtc are not intentionally bred.
 

thebiggerthebetter

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
15,590
13,982
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Thanks for the info, I'll most likely steer clear if they have a shortened lifespan and a huge price tag. I'm not sure if the shortened body is due to selective breeding or just a lucky mutation, but I'd feel guilty supporting a trade that's harming the fish if it's intentional breeding that's causing the short-body defect.
A priori they cannot not have a shortened lifespan because the internal organs don't care if the body is full length or shortened length and grow as big as they are programmed and get jammed and misshapen inside.

Badly disfigured animals don't live out a normal and expected lifetime, even in safe captivity, not to mention the wild. Neither do people, even despite all the modern medicinal advances, mostly available only to the richest and "privilegest" anyway.

From what I understand.. the sbrtc are not intentionally bred.
I respect your view and you personally, Vincent, so if we disagree sometimes, it should be fine in my eyes. You have "only" 2-3 more decades of earnest fish keeping and knowledge gathering on me :)

It's capitalism and in capitalism, when a new market opens and the offer is slim and the demand is high, the price of goods is high. Then a lot of people jump on this, what's called a bandwagon, to make $$ and the offer increases and prices drop.

If there is a known way, or an experimental way, or even a potentially supposed way to make a fish a short body one, you can bet your left butt cheek the "bandwagoneers" will explore and employ it. This is what's called a no-brainer.

Thus, to me, people that buy or want to buy these animals are aiding and abetting this activity, to which I (and the OP) have an ethical objection.

Yet, I believe that freedom is above all. If it is not illegal, one must be free to try it and practice it.

I also believe that on the one hand, we must be able to talk about it as friends and well meaning peers, to build up each others' knowledge, and on the other, must avoid things we already know we disagree on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Suarez and Iamfish

thebiggerthebetter

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
15,590
13,982
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store