Red tail catfish

[fishman1]

I was thinking about putting a red tail catfish into my 180 gal with my arowana do you think they will get together if so does anybody have experience owning a redtail catfish if so could you give me some tips on owning one and tell me if they are easy or hard to take care of.thanks

[Mzungu]

Please don't. Redtail Cats grow to be humongous, and really shouldn't be in the hobby. A 180g is waaaay too small for one.

[imagirlgeek]

I have to agree with with MB on this. They are amazingly beautiful fish, and I wish I had the space to keep one, but it hardly seems fair to keep one as a hobbyist.

Pros:

• Awesome, beautiful catfish

Cons:

• Grows VERY fast
• Can reach between 3 to 5 feet long (yes, that's FEET)
• Will attempt to eat anything it can fit in it's mouth, including large rocks, heaters, other fish...basically anything you put in the tank.
• What it can't digest, it will (attempt to) regurgitate. This will foul the water quickly.
• Life span is 20 - 30 years. So you have to be seriously committed to keeping this fish happy and healthy. Not many people will be willing to buy a 3 foot catfish from you when you get tired of having it.

I know how tempting it is to get a red-tailed catfish. They are definitely one of my very favorite catfish, but I know it's not realistic for me to own one. For it to thrive, I'd need about a 1500 to 2000 gallon tank and I don't see that happening.

So...you don't have to listen to us, we are just a couple of people on a forum, but REALLY think about it before you buy one. Keeping up with the needs of this catfish is a huge commitment.

[rgonzales]

a RTC would not work in 180, you'd need an indoor pond for one of those but there are other good looking catfish that you could put in a 180

[amilcar]

I actually came upon one at a bayou not too long ago!!

[Oldsgirl]

I love RTC's, but I do agree, they grow so quickly and eat so much, it's more than most people want to get into.

I have a RTCxTSN hybrid in a 375 now, and I'm already thinking about what I'll have to step up to next for him and the other fish in there. I wouldnt have thought 4 fish would overcrowd that tank, but the day is approaching quickly.

More so than height, the big catfish need deep tanks, so they have plenty of room to turn around. Also keep in mind that they eat a lot. My freezer looks like something from Fear Factor. O yeah, one more thing- it will eat your Aro. I would say it would eat anything it can fit in it's mouth, but it doesn't even all have to fit in there at once

[ChiroHorn]

The combination would work fine. For a while. Then like the others said, you'd have to move him into a bigger tank or pond. RTC are very easy to care for. They'll pretty much eat anything & everything. The other fish better watch out when the lights turn off.

[CichlidFan]

I think everything has been said that needs to be said here......

CF