The End All Red Tail Catfish debate thread!!!! :)

[Adamrhh]

Me personally I would never eat any "pet fish" the only fish I would eat would be caught fish and or fish from store or restaurant. If I buy a fish that I will look at for X years no way would I eat it I would trade him in to a better home if my tank was too small.

 

[houie925]

Me personally I would never eat any "pet fish" the only fish I would eat would be caught fish and or fish from store or restaurant. If I buy a fish that I will look at for X years no way would I eat it I would trade him in to a better home if my tank was too small.

One of the basic things folks need to understand when considering an RTC is that if you buy one you are most likely going to own the fish until the day it dies. Whether that's in 20+ years at over three feet, in a year or two when the fish reaches eating size, or in six months when the filtration on the 55g tank and the weekly 25% water change aren't good enough anymore so the fish gets sick and dies. The demand for RTCs over 12" is nearly zero and if your tank is over 100g very few who would take the fish for free are going to provide a better home.

 

[MonsterMinis]

One of the basic things folks need to understand when considering an RTC is that if you buy one you are most likely going to own the fish until the day it dies. Whether that's in 20+ years at over three feet, in a year or two when the fish reaches eating size, or in six months when the filtration on the 55g tank and the weekly 25% water change aren't good enough anymore so the fish gets sick and dies. The demand for RTCs over 12" is nearly zero and if your tank is over 100g very few who would take the fish for free are going to provide a better home.

x a Billion! The vast majority of big cats do NOT get a better home when you trade it into your lfs when it outgrows your tank. having been on the otherside of that.. most end up back in tanks to small w/ people that generally know even less then their original owner, and The LFS know who their customers w/ huge tanks generally are and often try to sell to those people first but at the end of the day they need that tank/money. And the people who do have large enough tanks/ponds/ect to house them want to raise one from a baby just like you did. Or do not want to add a fish w/ a questionable history Just like Zoos/Aquariums.

imo buying a fish with the intention of sending it back to the lfs once it outgrows your tank is no better then sticking it in an undersized tank. You just don't see the end result and can tell yourself pretty lil' lies. Some species there are exceptions but they are exceptions not the rule. RTCS are not an exception they are most deffinately the Rule, heck they likely started the rule to begin with. You have better luck re-homing an Adult Oscar then a RTC of the same size. At least in the Midwest US.

tbh I'de be surprised if 1x2000 RTCs in the us are properly housed.

Its unfortunate but true.