Growth rate of Hemibagrus wyckioides?

TheFishGuy · Post by **TheFishGuy** » 29 Dec 2006, 23:21

Hi all, I recently aquired an asian red tailed catfish for 5.99 us dollars from a local pet shop and was wondering two things.

1.) Was that a good price?

2.) What kind of growth rate can I expect from this guy?

I just pulled him out of my 240 nursury tank because he was getting beat up by all the cichlids in the tank. They removed one of his barbels and the other has half missing. I just want to know how long it'll be till I can put him back in the 240. The cichlids range from an inch long to 4" and are from all over the world. The catfish is about 3".

Thanks in advance, TFG

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 30 Dec 2006, 16:04

It will be about a foot long in two years, if fed well, but by that time it will be a menace to the cichlids.

TheFishGuy · Post by **TheFishGuy** » 30 Dec 2006, 16:09

So it's a slow grower compared to other aggressive cats

I think all he's got to do is gain about an inch then he can go back into the 240. Then when/if he becomes a problem it's off to the 800 where he'll be on the bottom of the totem pole once again... At a rate of only 3/8" a month I've got three months till I can put him in the 240

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 01 Jan 2007, 14:01

Bear in mind that they can, and do, kill fish up to twice as large as they are. (They also aren't above biting the hand that feeds them). Really, the only thing that's safe with a big one is something like .

TheFishGuy · Post by **TheFishGuy** » 01 Jan 2007, 14:15

I've gotten a bunch of different feedback on their aggressiveness. A few have had success keeping them with other fish, and a few have had maniacs. He'll be going in an 800 gallon tank once he reaches a safe size from being swollowed, so hopefully that will help. If he starts to go nuts then he'll just have to be dealt with..... Somehow

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 03 Jan 2007, 14:44

Mine actually learned to take prawns from my fingers, but not exactly in a dainty way. It would rocket out of its cave with its mouth open, and snap up the prawn. Sometimes it would miss, and I would hear its jaws snap together. Sometimes it would overshoot, and swallow my index finger and thumb up to the second joint.

I bought it on a busy afternoon at the garden centre, and after it was bagged up somebody else accidentally took it home. It was too late to bring it back that day, so they put it in their tank overnight, not knowing that it was predatory; so it had a nice midnight snack of tetras, and they brought it back hastily in the morning. When I went to get it again, it was the fish expert's day off, and everybody else was afraid to catch it, so I had to net it myself.

The only other fish it would tolerate were large doradids, as I said, and a big gibbiceps that sometimes was known to kick bagrid butt.

TheFishGuy · Post by **TheFishGuy** » 03 Jan 2007, 20:07

Thanks for the info...