the tank size thread to end all

[nitrofish1]

So far, its been hard to find concrete answers on tank sizes for large cats, as well as their tankmate selection.

(This thread should be pointed to bottomfeeder and/or necrocanis)

Im still looking for these answers, and my questions are the tank size for a

RTC
TSN
Hybrid

And/or a combination of one to all three of these species in the same tank.

Tankmates suitable for these fish?

(Im looking at an at least 10'x4' tank, suggestions wanted!)

Thanks

 

[basslover34]

necro gets a shout out and I'm dissed... well No Answers for you !!

 

[nitrofish1]

necro gets a shout out and I'm dissed... well No Answers for you !!

well i tried to edit my post, but it was 31 minutes past, and it was meant to say

(to bottomfeeder, necrocanis, AND basslover)

 

[flyin lizard]

If the neighbors ask if you are building a swimming pool then its big enough..

 

[basslover34]

since your talking about a fish with a potential growth of over 5' you want it to be that deep (front to back) but honestly you'll prob never see that size so your 10 X 4 would be fine

I have all three of those fish together and those are really all I keep in the tank with them... I have a Pleco that seems to survive against all odds but I think it's either a he'll get it in time or he's just a freak.

 

[nitrofish1]

i know necro and you suggest a 10x4, but necro suggests a height of 3, but its easy to shave off a few grand by going with a 2.5' tall tank.

ive seen them with arowana, pbass, jars, CK's etc. ive also seen gars too, which is a favorite of mine, but hear its a bad combo

and that tank size is for 2 cats?

 

[polish]

Tank Size is the same for all 3 fish, imho.

10x4 is not enough in fact not even close, I used to think so but not anymore.

I'd say Necros tank should be what most consider bare minimum for those monsters, when talking LIFE tanks.

A 3-4ft fish is not comfortable in a 4ft wide tank, especially when they have long whiskers, not to mention they can easily surpass 5ft in due time. If you want to see really comfortable RTCs look at TLkmDN's setup and Arapaimag's setup.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104062

See this thread for a 35+ year old 5.25' RTC in captivity. ^^^^^

That fish would make any standard tank look tiny. Think big pond like Necros as a minimum, any less is to small. To me at least. I'd love to get another one day but after my experience with my RTC's and seeing how fast they grow when given proper conditions it's simply nor fair to the fish to give them any less than a couple thousand+++ gallon tank.

Here are just a few random images from google, that little 3" baby will turn into one of these before you know it.

People will still buy them and be naive, just like I did. But trust me, if you have to even think about it then it's probably not the fish for you.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[jasoncambs]

10x4 ,, yeah a 3 inch rtc would do great in that,,,


i see loads of figures kicking around for tank sizes , soooooooo

i would say that use your common sense ,as the size of tank still should be in relation to the fish , tank is good enough if the fish can perform a radius swim with ease bottom to top and at the ends then i would say at least (I DID SAY AT LEAST)6 times as long as the fish would be OK but not ideal ,,

now if you fish is 5 inches or 5 foot you would get 2 different requirements ,,

option 1,,,

if you plan on upgrading several times then you will get an easier life with water changes and filtration for a while ,also if you plan future upgrades you see a change of scenery as the upgrades are installed,

option 2 ,,,

or if you go for the huge tank / pond straight off then you will be looking at a needle in a haystack,,and the haystack will be with you forever,,

i personally like the upgrade route as i like to swap and change and keep busy with hobbies ,, and upgrading gives you the opertunity to try different avenues as things get bigger,, it may cost a bit more but you learn a lot more this way too,,

 

[mkman]

get a stock tank, the ones that you water cattle with. They come in polyurethane or whatever is spelled. Very cheap, a 9 ft diameter one at 2+ ft deep is around 200 bucks.

Much cheaper than a tank.

If you want larger sized ones like 16 ft diameter and 4 ft deep, there is a place that makes them

 

[nitrofish1]

10x4 ,, yeah a 3 inch rtc would do great in that,,,


i see loads of figures kicking around for tank sizes , soooooooo

i would say that use your common sense ,as the size of tank still should be in relation to the fish , tank is good enough if the fish can perform a radius swim with ease bottom to top and at the ends then i would say at least (I DID SAY AT LEAST)6 times as long as the fish would be OK but not ideal ,,

now if you fish is 5 inches or 5 foot you would get 2 different requirements ,,

option 1,,,

if you plan on upgrading several times then you will get an easier life with water changes and filtration for a while ,also if you plan future upgrades you see a change of scenery as the upgrades are installed,

option 2 ,,,

or if you go for the huge tank / pond straight off then you will be looking at a needle in a haystack,,and the haystack will be with you forever,,

i personally like the upgrade route as i like to swap and change and keep busy with hobbies ,, and upgrading gives you the opertunity to try different avenues as things get bigger,, it may cost a bit more but you learn a lot more this way too,,

i wouldnt trust my DIY skills to build a tank like necrocanis is building.

and p.s. with the growth rate of a rtc, it wouldnt be a needle in a haystack for long.