Red tail kind of a bully, is he predatory?

[debbie51975]

I a red tail considered predatory?

[Northernguy]

Red tails sharks! aren't predators but they are known to bully.
RT Cats are!http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/redtailedcatfish.php
It may be pushing for a larger tank.Much larger.

[smaug]

Red tail cat are predatory as are any large catfish.Not only will they bully smaller fish they will eat any fish they can stuff into there mouths.They also attain lengths of over 3 ft.

[debbie51975]

Great! Why don't petstores tell you this stuff? When I first started my 50g tank 2 years ago, I got my red tail, along with several kissers and a bala, (all of those rehomed yesterday), anyway, I told them my tank size and they said those fish were perfect (large chain petstore)! Two years later, I've learned not to trust the pet stores. I have only had those fish for the last two years, until my sons birthday, when he got a black moore from grammy. Anyway, we learned quickly over the past two years, that the fish we got, didn't want any newbies or small fish around. After my kissers and bala got over 6 inches, we finally had to rehome for their own well being.

Now with 3 fish in the tank (moore, red tail & blue gourami), I was considering tetras, but now if a red tail will probably just eat them....argh! I'm wondering if I wouldn't be better off selling the 50 g and buying a 100g?! But even then, can a red tail co-exsist with tetras?

[Northernguy]

Not for long! The RTC will eat them in no time!
These fish do get very large.If you are getting a 200+ gallon tank in the very near future I would say keep it.Right now I suggest that you start looking for a new home.I know this is not what you want to hear but it will be best for your fish.
They don't get along with many other fish,They can eat a fish a alot larger than a tetra without any difficulty.

[jay2487]

Is it a red tail shark? Or a Red tail cat?

[VoidParadigm]

In my opinion you need to make a choice. Keep the RTC, or keep the Moore and Gourami. In a cramped space the RTC might kill things simply out of spite.

The only good companions for it are fish mean enough or big enough to not tolerate it's bullying.

Also; lol, don't trust chain petstores. They're out there to get your money, and that's it. Sure, here and there the petstores hire someone who actually knows about fish, but most of the time it's the cheapest employee they can find who maybe once had a goldfish in a bowl as a kid.

Mom & Pop type fishstores are where you'll find good information, and even then they could be mistaken.

[Red]

You should not keep the RTC in any situation. It will get the size of a dog.
http://images.google.com/images?q=red%20tailed%20catfish&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&rlz=1I7ADBF_en&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

EDIT:
I would also take a look at this before buying any fish.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=31313

[smaug]

The rtc can only really be kept if you go with a really big tank.How big,I do not know.You see the pics sev posted,you judge.

[VoidParadigm]

Having some problems posting, Smaug? :lol:

But aye, really big tank. Even 200 gallons wouldn't cut it. An indoor pond is the best option, and for most people that's pretty impossible.

[smaug]

Having some problems posting, Smaug? :lol:

But aye, really big tank. Even 200 gallons wouldn't cut it. An indoor pond is the best option, and for most people that's pretty impossible.
Holy cow:ssuprised: I didnt know I did that.Yup,the site is kinda bumpy for me tonight.Sorry.

[rhonin]

Was in a LFS a while back (one I frequent for dry goods only) and they had a tank with several RTC at about 1"+ and the sign said they get to 3'.

I heard a young lady point out to her mom(?) that they get to 3 inches and can the get a few?

I politely mentioned it was 3 feet, not 3 inches. The look on their faces was awesome; kinda like Holy @h!+!! :hmm3grin2orange:

[smaug]

At least they had that listed correctly.I bought a channel cat this spring for my pond and nowhere on the tag did it say how big they get.He made it to almost 15" by the end of summer.

[Mith]

Red tail cat are predatory as are any large catfish.Not only will they bully smaller fish they will eat any fish they can stuff into there mouths.They also attain lengths of over 3 ft.

Just googled it.....4' and 97 lbs.....that's HUGE!

[Northernguy]

I beleive that MCHRKiller has one.It is in a massive tank.
These fish are not for the average hobbiest.
Try and rehome it or take a mortgage out on a bigger tank!:19:

[annageckos]

RTC need a pond, or costum built tank. And They can and will eat fish as big or bigge than themselves. I have seen them with a fish that was too big half hanging out of it's mouth(not mine, never had one too big. Though I would love to someday)

[debbie51975]

OMG!!! Those pics are ...HUGE! There's just no way. Dang & I really wanted to keep that one! But it almost seems cruel to even try. Guess I better call my friends back.

Thanks for the info. I honestly didn't realize. I spent a long time researching the kissers before I let them go, but didn't occur to me the red tail would get that big.

*note* someone asked if it was a catfish, yes it is.

[VoidParadigm]

Ignoring the RTC for a moment... Is that tank heated? The Gourami will want heat. But with the heat you may have to be careful with the Moore, as you probably don't know whether it grew from the egg stage up in cold or warmwater. If you don't have one, a bubbler or a secondary filter may be required to get the water adequately oxygenated. Not to mention, goldfish look so cute when they play in the bubbles!

Just telling you just in case. =]

[debbie51975]

Yes, the tank is heated. When I first got the kissers 2 years ago, I was told to treat the tank with ****. Ick prevention & mild protozoan preventative for 'sensitive species'.It treats ick, parasites, velvet, sluggishness, gasping for air, flicking against rocks etc... Anyway, you can use it every 24 hours if they ARE sick (mine never have been), or weekly to Prevent. But it also says to keep the tank around 82 unless they're sick, then 85. Mine is at 82, always has been & I treat the tank once a week for the past two years.

So far the Moore, looks decent, he's swimming well, uses the whole tank. Spends time in the middles or bottom, only see him at the top to grab the occassional flake, but he mostly likes the blood worms that I put in there for my blue gourami. I'm not seeing aggression amongst the tank mates. So far it looks ok. I did have to rearange everything, to kinda psych them all into new 'territorys' before I introduced the newbies.

I just hope it stays that way. If the moore isn't liking the heat, he's not showing yet. If he does, I'll just move him to another tank and set the temp low. We'll see how it goes.

We've have plans to design a better layout for the living room, involving more tanks. I'm just not sure the weight. The house is new, just built it, but too much wait on the joists could be bad, with bowing or what not. However, I really don't want to be going down to the basement everytime I look at the fish. Right now the biggest is only 50g, so it's not problem. And we're mostly doing a series of small set-ups around the house, I want to go species specific tanks. Small species, no more big boys.

And if I can EVER get this hobby down pat, I'd LOVE to try a small salt-water set-up. Like 1 fish, 1 invert & corals. But that will take me FOREVER! I'm a full time student. Between the anatomy physiology & psychology, maybe I can sqeeze in a few salt-water books & if I'm really lucky, in another 2 years I can have my salt-water tank!:18:

[VoidParadigm]

Sounds a bit warm for the fish in my opinion, and if the heater is adjustable I'd personally turn it down a few notches - but as long as they're healthy looking good job. Good luck with your bad-advice-filled petshops in the future! :P

[debbie51975]

Yeah, I honestly think that the folks who work in aquatics, need to be trained better. Or at least have to read a few books and take a test on it. I also don't like when the tanks are labeled improperly. When they say a fish will grow 3 inches & then it's really more like 7 or 8.

Anyway, I went and got a few books on tropical fish & salt, someday when I start the salt, at least I'll know what I'm doing even if the clerk doesn't.

[Northernguy]

Thats always the best way!
Its nice to know when you are being fed BS instead of the facts!thumbs2:

[debbie51975]

Yeah...now if I could just apply the same principle to other areas of my life! :18:

*BTW my spelling is horrid..please forgive me, didn't have my required 30 cups of coffee yet today!

[jscurrier]

I enjoy going to the fish section of the large chain stores and reading the labels for fish... Bala Sharks.. Up to 6 inches... etc... Always cracks me up. Sad to see the dead fish floating in the tanks.

[debbie51975]

I see bala labeled as 6 inch frequently as well.

[jay2487]

I think they intentionally try to sabotage your tank. Telling you two fish will be fine with each other, or that a fish that grows to a foot long will only grow to 4 inches that way when it gets stressed and dies in your 10gal tank because you thought that was fine and have no clue that your small tank is the cause, you go right back to the same store and buy more fish. It's not very profitable to sell you fish that you could keep for 10 years. It's better to feed you misinformation and have you kill your own fish, that way you go back and they say "oh well heres some replacements and you need to buy some of this product or that product so it doesn't happen again." Never really addressing the true problem

[debbie51975]

Well, it's funny now, because I go armed with my info & I make a point about raising h** over incorrect info.

just yesterday, my mother and I went to a large chain store to look for my sons new gecko. First they tried to sell me an iguana (mind you I had one ... I know how big they get and how fast, even had a red tail boa...I swear..this house can be a ZOO!) Anyway, I was an isle over and I hear the girl tell my mom that if she couldn't afford the larger tank, an iguana would be fine in a 10g for the time being, they don't grow fast! (The repti is grammys gift for my son). The iguana was ALREADY too big for that tank! Tail to nose!!! Of course my big mouth...had to set her straight... she tried to tell my mom how cheap it would....BULL! They need vitamins, heating, proper bedding, HUGE tank & numerous other things if you actually want the animal to ENJOY it's life! By the time I got done being the 'temporary' sales clerk...she kinda looked peeved! I feel like it would be better if someone asks them a question, if they don't know the answer, just say 'I don't know'. I'd rather hear that, then go home with an animal that will most certainly require re-homing, unless you happen to have enough cash on hand to go purchase an enormous tank at the drop of a hat....ugh!

Sorry...I'm ranting...I finally drank my much needed coffee...now I can't shut-up!:hmm3grin2orange: