CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

At the mo I am liasing with a company about getting a 8ft tank built to be able to house my redtailed cat for as long as poss, at the mo he is only a baby! I plan to keep my two Tin foiled barbs with him. What else could I keep in this tank? Any ideas? Just so you know he will be going off to Bristol zoo once he becomes to large for my new tank. I'd also like to think about a new fish to live in this tank when the time comes for him to move on, preferable I'd like some thing that could go in with him and continue to live there once he leaves. Any ideas?????

Hi, Lisa:  I haven't kept one of these, but I did have a Tiger Shovelnose for a couple of years.  Really sweet fish, but past a certain point, tough to justify keeping at home.  He now resides in the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.  Red-Tails if anything are even more likely to eat their tank-mates (The curator at the Aquarium told me that their previous TSN had been eaten by a Red-Tail).  They'll even eat turtles!

Younger (smaller) ones seem to co-exist well with fish to large to swallow, though that is a moving target.  If you start with a small one, large cichlids should be OK for a couple of years, though I'd shy away from pike-shaped varieties.  Too easy to swallow.  Give your catfish someplace to take shelter till he gets his growth.  Spawning or grouchy cichlids can and will persecute them from time to time.  I kept a roof tile for my guy to hide under till he got big enough to feel confident and comfortable with his co-tenants. 

Red-tails are gorgeous fish, though!  I'm not sure what I envy more, the catfish or the 8-foot tank!

Here's a pic of a 3-foot RTC with an 18-inch clown knife fish:

http://www.aquamojo.com/Redtail.html

They were gret pics, but very common views of a rtc lol, they really do eat any thing they can squeeze in dont they! Just bought another tank, so gonna set up my rtc my large plec and my Barbs in there for a year before getting my tank built for him. Its cool you have one of ur fish in a public display, cant wait to visst Bristol zoo and see Alfie my rdt there, although I'll miss him lots. I'll then be left with a huge tank to fill. What do you think about keeping an Arowna with the rtc? He could then take over the 8ft tank?

Should be OK.  Might even think about a few Dats as well.

What a great idea, dont really know much about Dats tho so will have to research

I have something at home.  Will forward it to you tonight or tomorrow.

That would be great thanks, I aprechiate the time and effort you guys put in on this site, you show alot of dedigation x

Dedication even 

Red tails will eat pretty much anything that is meat. I have an albino oscar that i rescued from the display tank of a fish store. They had a three foot red tail that was planning on eating this oscar. The oscar had had so many close calls with the red tail that he had pretty much been descaled on the back half of his body. He also had a wound that was right down to the flesh near his tail! Be prepared that pretty much whatever you put in with your red tail will most likely become a meal for it.

Thanks for the warning Fred, but think I'm prepared for that, have a silver Arrow with him at the mo all seems well.