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hey i am pretty new to the freshwater aquarium and i have a redtail catfish that ate one of my pictus. is this going to cause a health problem?

uhh well i dont think so. but redtails get really really really really big. like over 3 feet. and they eat everything they can fit in their mouths. so if you keep it with anything small its probably going the way of the pictus. what size tank is it in now?

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Hello anthony,

Other than the dorsal spine of the pictus causing internal injury to the red's digestive tract or other internal organs, the kitten should be ok. BEWARE.... redtails eat almost ANYTHING that will fit into their mouths including other fish, as you have noticed.
As a former *attempted keeper of Redtails myself, hope ya got plans for a largish pond in the near future !!

Good luck!

J.

anthony,
Please do not think of me as being rude from what i am about to say.
If you are new to keeping freshwater aquarium, has somebody explained the basic requirements to you for the fish you currently have? And what sized aquarium do you have mate?
Im hoping this isnt a case of the LFS just selling you a red tailed catfish without explaining they grow larger than you do..and at a faster rate of knots.
What fish do you have in the aquarium and how big is it? if you have anything else left, it will likely fall victim to the RTC eventually.
Obviously without knowing your livestock and tank size it's hard for me to know much, but unfortunatly i think this may end up as "best to take it back to the shop"...
The others covered the spine thing pretty well, but they certainly exceed three feet, infact common size is 6.
James

Hey, welcome to FishProfiles!

As mentioned, the redtail catfish will eat anything. They've even been known to swallow rocks, which they have to vomit later. There is likely not going to be any health problems with your redtail catfish, although there is the chance due to the spines of the pictus catfish. This is the least of your concerns.

Unfortunately, the redtail catfish is a poor candidate for a beginner. While a cute little fish as a juvenile, they grow to monstrous proportions and is one of the "tankbusters" that is unfortunately regularly available. They are a popular target for exotic fishermen in the Amazon, and doing a google image search for redtail catfish will show you just how large these fish can get. While these fish are quite hardy and attractive, which are two points in its favor, these fish simply grow too large for most aquarists to wish to provide for, and it is likely that the fish store irresponsibly did not warn you about the potential adult size of this catfish species.

Within a year this fish will need a tank anywhere from 75 to 180 gallons, and perhaps more. The fish will inevitably require hundreds to thousands of gallons of water for a proper home. Because of the immense size of these fish they are not good candidates for any but the richest of fishkeepers that would be able to provide such a large environment. Think about trying to take care of a large python and you have an aquatic equivalent.

It would be a good idea to trade this fish back to the LFS for store credit, or for fish that will not grow too large for your aquarium. It is always a good idea to know and have researched about a fish prior to making a purchase.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

well as of right now the red tail is the smallest fish after it ate the others. i also have to ID sharks. they are in a 55 right now but a family member of mine is having a beautiful pond built and i think the redtail will end up there shortly

It's not going to be small for long, on a diet of fish and meat is when they grow the quickest. 55 gallon is not going to be big enough for too long, so hopefully that pond is finished soon. How big will the pond be? I'm assuming this is some sort of heated indoor pond, or you live in a warm location. It's going to have to even bigger if it's going to house iridescent sharks as well; despite attaining approximately the same size, iridescent sharks are faster and more active. Considering that, the pond will need to be enormous. Even a 12'x12' area is nothing for an active 3-4' long fish. Ponds and large tanks are the only way to go with large catfish, but in the home it is almost impossible to have an enclosure large enough. I have great respect for these catfishes, and that's why I leave them alone, because providing for these fishes is very expensive and on a huge scale.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

i intend to upgrade my tank to house the ID sharks but the redtail will be on its own at the pond. i dont have the details yet about the pond size but the space is pretty large.

ID sharks/catfish are one of the most active fish you can obtain, and they get double, triple or even bigger than this one: http://www.worldofpangasius.com.vn/Upload/new_pages/10%2004%202007%2015%2005%2007/images/Big-Fish-2.jpg.
Would be a shame to waste a pond on these, and you'd need a big tank to accomodate..

The iridescent sharks will need a tank that is large enough for their active swimming behavior. Often large specimens traded back to the fish store have their noses rubbed white because of the small size of their enclosure. If you see such a thing on your fish, it's too late to be thinking and you've got to upgrade to a bigger tank ASAP. These fish do grow enormous, and even "stunted" both these species are still above the manageable sizes of most aquarists. Good luck, they are impressive fish indeed.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.