I have a Red Tail Cat Fish and I already know how big he's going to get.....?

Question

What I really need to know from someone that has experience with this particular fish is how often do I have to feed it? He's already about 14 inches long and I prefer to feed him shrimp or goldfish. If I feed him until he doesn't want anymore, do I feed him again the next day, or should I feed him until he's full every other day? He's now eating 4 goldfish at feeding time once a day.

I really need some advice from someone who's not guessing but has experience.

Answer 1

Feeding a Red-tail until he's full is probably not a good idea. Small daily feedings,or a slightly larger feeding every other day will suffice. As a top predator they will over-eat at a moments notice. One or two goldfish a day is plenty,you might also try some crickets or crayfish for variety. I hope you have plans for a very large aquarium in your future,also I'd advise moving the fish into the larger quarters while you can still net him. When one of these bruisers gets to be 2' long they become very hard to handle,and can deal a nasty cut with their saw-like pectoral fins. They will also tear up a regular aquarium net before you can move them,and nets that will hold them(the game fishing kind) are likely to damage the fish. You only have 10" of rapid growth to address these issues,so some planing is in order. Tropical Fish Hobbyist didn't include them on their list of "tank busters" for nothing.

Answer 2

Red Tailed Catfish diet in the wild consists of fish, large crustaceans and, surprisingly, fruit. Very small juveniles should be fed twice a day and it is a good idea not to let them get used to live food at an early age. This will prevent problems with refusing other types of food later in life. Bloodworms, earthworms and good quality pellets or tablets designed for carnivorous catfish are a good staple diet when they are young. As larger juveniles, Red Tailed Catfish can be fed once a day with similar types of food. As they grow, their diet can be altered to include small shrimp and crabs, with the occasional treat of shellfish and beef heart. As adults, feeding should be done once or twice a week, with a period of fasting in between meals. At adult size, most Red Tails will ignore foods such as bloodworms and pellets as they are simply not large enough to satisfy their predatory appetites. At this stage, large portions of shrimp, crabs and beef heart are the best source of protein for these monsters. Feeders can be used for adult fish, but they will need to be of a larger size that those offered to large, predatory cichlids

Answer 3

Any techniques do no longer hear to that woman peeps! you cant placed captive turtles or any reptile back interior the wild they wont final!!! yet i do have 3 RES turtles they are all approximately 6 inches great. yet my brother has 2 toddler turtles probably the comparable length you're describing and that 10 gallon tank wont shrink it for them! i recommend it incredibly is going to for a sprint bit yet no longer interior the the long-term. i placed my toddler res in a 20 gallon tank, that's appropriate. what u will decide for: the tank of direction, a floating log, basking easy, something to hind in, solid filtration, thermometer, and a heater for the water, which could be between seventy 4-eighty stages! Res turtles like to consume! they actually like frozen krill, earth worms, lettuce, and of direction pellets. yet whilst your going to feed them krill make certain you shrink them up! and that i'm hoping you relish your new pets!

Answer 4

he will eat about as much as you offer. they tend to stuff themselves. in the wild they might go weeks with out a meal so when they get the chance they make it count! i would give him at lest 2 days in between meals. unless your keeping him stuffed so he wont eat anybody esle in the tank. i think your doing a great job hope my inout helps. cool fish!!!