But it seems he knows he needs a 1000g+ tank
I think arows or pacus would be fine. Get a 1600g tank with the rtc, arow (get it large, 10" if you can), and MAYBE a Pacu (they get 3 feet, fyi)
Tank mates for a REDTAIL CATFISH!
- Thread starter mudskippers
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But it seems he knows he needs a 1000g+ tank
I think arows or pacus would be fine. Get a 1600g tank with the rtc, arow (get it large, 10" if you can), and MAYBE a Pacu (they get 3 feet, fyi)
aros are usually 10" when they sell them! 3 feet is what adults can reach.
keep the bioload as low as possible until you get a suitable tank. then you can ask LFSs around you to ask people if they have any pacu that are getting to big for their tanks. you could have a few in the 1500 gallon tank youre going to need. there are bound to be at least one person that has a pacu that has goddten to big for their 29 gallon. wouldnt add any other catfish/bottom feeders though. most cichlids stay to small to be kept with red tailed shakrs, because these guys can get to over 3 feet long and have massive mouths.
keep the bioload as low as possible until you get a suitable tank. then you can ask LFSs around you to ask people if they have any pacu that are getting to big for their tanks. you could have a few in the 1500 gallon tank youre going to need. there are bound to be at least one person that has a pacu that has goddten to big for their 29 gallon. wouldnt add any other catfish/bottom feeders though. most cichlids stay to small to be kept with red tailed shakrs, because these guys can get to over 3 feet long and have massive mouths.
I had a 24" rtc that would eat anything whether it fit in his mouth or not. on monsterfishkeepers.com one guy had a 12" rtc eat his 15" silver aro. Just remember with an rtc even well fed that fish will attempt to eat any and everything. I have heard many stories of rtc's deaths due to eating a fish to large for them to swallow including my two footer. And yes that rtc is my avatar.
If you can provide him a suitable tank (1,500 gallons) and kickass bio filtration, you should go ahead and keep him. Otherwise, go for a smaller cat like a Lima shovelnose.
And to answer your question. I keep my 22" RTC with a 26" Asian RTC, a 20" common pleco and a 22" Clown Knife. I heard many stories about ARTC being vicious, but mine is not. They all get along pretty nice. You can try that combination, since in my experience, they grow at about the same rate, although the RTC grows fatter while the ARTC grows longer.
