need eclipse cat info

eclipsecatfish · Post by **eclipsecatfish** » 05 Feb 2005, 03:25

How big does a eclipse cat grow and does he eat feeders?

Dave Rinaldo · Post by **Dave Rinaldo** » 05 Feb 2005, 03:37

No need to feed feeders.

Post by **corybreed** » 05 Feb 2005, 03:43

I had an 11 inch Sun cat. It will eat whatever will fit in it's mouth.

Mark

LimaShovel · Post by **LimaShovel** » 05 Feb 2005, 16:04

Whats up cody! it can get 18inches if you feed good and have weekly water change.

RoK · Post by **RoK** » 25 Feb 2005, 08:43

Hm, I have one of them. Do you think a 75 gal is big enough for an adult?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 25 Feb 2005, 09:53

RoK wrote:Hm, I have one of them. Do you think a 75 gal is big enough for an adult?

The general rule is[1]: If a fish grows to X in lenghth, it needs a tank that is 4X x 2X x 2X (L x W x H). Sticking 18" into that equation, you get 72 x 36 x 36 -> 400 gallon. So, the answer is NO, a 75 gallon tank is not big enough for your fish by any means.

I doubt that your 75g is even much more than 18 inches wide or high... Traditional 75g tanks are 48 x 18 x 20 or something.

[1] For tall fish, such as angels, discus, silver dollars, etc, you'd need to increase the height in that calculation. But that's not the fish you were asking about...

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Mats

RoK · Post by **RoK** » 26 Feb 2005, 08:08

Hm, but I've heard the average adult length is only about 8". 18" is in the wild and that's the MAX length. So say it grows to 8", what size tank would be 32 x 16 x 16?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 28 Feb 2005, 09:38

Well, it obviously depends on conditions how big the fish grows. One major contributing factor to the fish's growth (or lack thereof) is the nitrate levels in the tank. If you keep the water clean, the fish will grow bigger than if the water is "dirty" with lots of nitrate. How much this affects an individual specie varies, some fish can't take more than about 20 ppm nitrate without showing severe signs of illness, whilst others (guppy!) will thrive in anything that has less than tripple digits in nitrate...

Sure, you don't need to go buy a 400g tank until such a time that the fish is outgrowing it's current tank. But if I were to tell you that "75g is perfect for your fish", and it later on grows to 18" because you've been looking after it really well, then I'd be very much wrong...

The potential size of a fish is based on it's genetical programming. You fish is genetically programmed to grow to about 18" maximum. You have to count on the possibility, but it's not a guarantee.

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Mats

RoK · Post by **RoK** » 01 Mar 2005, 04:30

Well, I will definently not keep it in the 75 if it gets even to say 13". I've been asking people around and looking around for info on them and most places are saying they grow to about 6-8". If mine maxes out at 8" it should be fine, just what I think though. Right now I cannot afford a bigger tank but will be able to in the future so I hope this guy takes a few years to grow to a large size. It's only about 2.5-2.8" right now.

TMarsh22 · Post by **TMarsh22** » 07 Mar 2005, 01:38

I have had an eclipse for about 2 years and it has somewhat plateaued at around 7-8 inches. He has been stuck there for months.

deerslayer · Post by **deerslayer** » 11 Mar 2005, 00:36

I have an eclipse catfish, and im not really sure what to feed him. The only time i have seen him eat was when i put some frozen food in the tank that i bought at petsmart. The food is kinda expensive for the quanity and the nearest petsmart is nearly 45 min. away. with that said i can't make this feeding an everyday thing, so what do you feed them that you are sure they eat. Thanks

Post by **Silurus** » 11 Mar 2005, 00:44

Regular sinking food (e.g. shrimp pellets, carnivore pellets) would work equally well.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 11 Mar 2005, 08:54

You can make "homemade" frozen food too, and it's not much effort, and a lot cheaper than the "fish shop" frozen food [1]. Of course, it's no point with bloodworms and such, but once the fish takes bigger pieces, you can buy fresh fish, prawns, mussels, etc. Mash it up (chop with a knife or use a blender/food processor). Freeze in an ice-cube-tray. If the fish will not take a whole ice-cube (smaller fish will not), don't fill the cube compartments full up, but maybe half-way or even less.

The bigger the fish, the less you should "mash" it, and eventually, small cuts of fish or whole prawns will be suitable.

Stick in freezer, and serve when needed.

Most carnivores don't need to eat every day, so feeding every other day or so will make the fish happier than if you overfeed it.

By the way, freezing fish is a good way to kill nearly all forms of parasites that may otherwise transfer from the dead fish to the one being fed.

[1] My local fish shop charges 2.50 GBP (around $5) for 100g of frozen food in blister-packs. The local supermarket wants about 90 pence for 100g of prawns, and fish is even less per kilo.

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Mats

deerslayer · Post by **deerslayer** » 11 Mar 2005, 20:11

thanks for the info, i'll try to make some of that frozen food and i am going to buy some shrimp pellets also.

need eclipse cat info

need eclipse cat info

eclipse feeding help