Yet ANOTHER RTC - Whats happening???

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
No one will export these fish.. The only fish they will export are natives and locally breed fish.. I hope I find somebody who would export my gar before i move..
 
enjoy ur lil guy, he'll be 20" in 1 yr lol.

i bought my baby 1" rtc last december. he's in my 400gal already and has been after the first 4 months. pushing over 5" across his head from left gill to right gill, and pushing 20", he's claimed 2 tankmates so far.

u should be fine in that 270 for atleast 3 years tho as long as he doesn't go tank busting. they grow real slow after the 20" mark
 
He's actually settled in well... Still camera shy though ... I've tried to take a couple of photos of him but I just get a blur, as soon as I get close enough to the tank to take a picture... he bolts into his hideout (Jar on it's side coated with sand so it's dark in there for him). My Wife did a couple of unexpected things since "Buster" has come into the house...
1) she actually asked me how he was doing when she was at the office... She Hates fish... but it seems that Buster is having an impact... must be how cute he is :D
2) She actually went and checked him out before leaving for work this morning... then came and gave me an update as to the fact that "He's peacefully hiding in his jar, He's looking fatter today!" Talk about being speachless... She's NEVER Said a word about any of the other fish I have... EVER!

I'm Tryin to get the pic ASAP cause i really want to document everything with him so that others can see EXACTLY what they are getting into with a RTC. I've even started planning his tank for after he outgrows the 270 LOL(lord knows it won't be long before he'll need it if he keeps eating like he has been)

As for his Snow White Tail... I think he wasn't fed properly cause i woke up this morning to his tail being "Brownish" like a faint yellowness in the color... I can only assume that he either wasn't eatting the "flakes" that the store seemed to be feeding him ... he was stressed for a long period (Store has high wattage lights over the tanks that stay on 24/7 with very little cover for him to hide) or he was just a late bloomer for his markings... which would be really weird cause all of his spots are there... just the tail wasn't properly colored.

Question for those of you that have had really young RTC's ... how did you start to hand feed them... Buster Refuses to come to within a foot of my hand... if I leave the food he waits till my hand is out of the tank then swoops in to take it!
 
Well today was a "normal" day for feeding Buster, He finished his Calamari Ring that he started on Tuesday, I know it doesn't seem like much but considering that the ring was over half his size.. I think he did a good job :D

After spending the whole day trying to "catch" him off gaurd and get a picture of him I realized that his tail has darkened considerably and that little dot that he had seems to have grown to half of his tail... :headbang2I guess he's coming of age LOL

So after dinner I decided to take my son out to big ALs for the Shark feeding as he thinks its funny to watch it thrash around biting the fish they feed it.

I come home and figure I'll try to get busters picture again... go to the tank and look in ... it seems that his full belly wasn't as full as I though ... he decided to slow down one of the smallest comets in the tank... I very stressed out (Since Buster's been in the tank) all White comet is swimmin his little heart out... with NO TAIL :ROFL:I don't think I'm going to have to feed buster tomorrow :ROFL:

I was able to get a picture of him as well which i'll post later tonight.
 
u cant usually handfeed them until they get much larger and more confident...like at least a foot long wen they stop hiding out in jars and watnot. mine only started handfeeding at about 30'' and now hes so confident that he just waits at the surface of the pond and allows me to pet him anytime i want!
 
Is digging a normal behaviour for a young RTC? Since it got really cold here I decided that I would heat his tank as the temperature dropped in the tank to mid 70's so I brought it up over night to 79-81...he seems to have decided that the heater is his new best friend and has been laying next to it digging down in the sand till it's bare tank and not moving from his nest... he's become very protective over this spot as well... I'm not concered as he can't hurt him self (I've come up with a genuis way of protecting my fish yet heating the water evenly ... (The heater actually sits inside a jar that is standing up with the input for the AC110, no room for anything to fit inside with the heater and there is a constant flow of water passing the heater except a tiny feeder... but they stay away from there cause the current is to strong for them) Just wondered if this behaviour is normal for young RTC's
 
basslover34;1309689; said:
interesting... but I've heard alot of these .. My RTC started hand feeding right away stories so I was just wondering how they did it ... So far I'd have to say myth buster... errrr busteD!!! ;)
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NOPE myth not busted :D I just hand fed my 5" RTC a 6" smelt :naughty:

And I have pics to prove ;)

Actually its all about getting the little guys to feel comfortable. They need to feel no worries. If you have them in a tank with others it will usually take to about 10-14". No two fish are alike but thats been my experience when kept with others. Keep them alone and in a stress free enviroment and my little guy came up from the bottom of a 150 and ate shrimp from my hand at only 3". This is not the norm for little RTC's but I have a very social one here. Mine is around people all day long and is always out swimming whenever someone enters the room, even with bright metal halide lighting.

Good luck and one day he'll try and take your fingers off I'm sure :D




bob
 
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