Redtail Catfish Feeding on PROTEIN

Aquarium Redtail Catfish feeding time. These fish love their food and can consume crazy large pieces. Their mouths expand and allow food to go down their throat. This intense feeding is fun to watch. I also try to make sure all the fish in my pond are getting good.

Added Banter on Fish

Fun fact. Freshwater feeder fish are intended for salt water fish due to the fact that freshwater parasites won't survive in saltwater, making the fish 100 percent safe to eat. But too many freshwater keepers have started feeding their fish freshwater feeders, feeder companies ran with it. So the lack of knowledge goes to the keeper and the greed goes to the feeder company. Keep your freshwater fish healthy, don't use freshwater feeders and use frozen foods.

I breed my own feeders. What the retailers fail to realize is we can buy 10 feeder guppies, 2 fancy males, treat for parasites and have an endless supply of free food.

I got a 40 gallon breeder tank (they’re longer so more swimming space). I cycled the tank. Then I bought six female guppies and three males. Within a month I had about 30 fish. I went pretty basic with black sand and some Amazon sword plants and duckweed. As long as the fry have hiding places they usually live. I swap out my females every 3 months or so to prevent too much inbreeding.

But the ones I swap I usually trade with other guppy breeders in my area. But you could always let them birth in a breeding box and then send them to a community when you’re sure they’re not pregnant again already.

Petstore feeders are just awful anyway lmao home bred feeders is where it's at if you need to feed live, well gutloaded, disease free, perfect size since you'll feed them when they are.

I feed my feeders like royalty. The better they eat the better my oscars eat. I raise the most beautiful guppies and platie as feeders because I might as well enjoy looking at them too.

I feed my Redtail catfish feeder fish very rarely. The deficiency from eating thiaminase-rich prey is so rare that it's not really a valid concern. Also, the few times it has been documented, the prey in question were clupeids, which I've never seen offered for sale as feeder fish.

The only documented cases of thiaminase in fish I've ever heard of were in the Laurentian Great Lakes and Finger Lakes in North America and in the Baltic Sea in Europe. In both cases, salmonines (trout, salmon, and char) were the affected fish and the cause was eventually determined to be over-consumption of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengis) in North America and sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in the Baltic Sea. It's likely that there are also interacting factors between thiaminase content and fat content, and susceptibility to thiamine deficiency may be higher in migratory species than in non-migratory species.

But didn't you say you also maintained your populations of alligator gar at the hatchery on goldfish? Can you weigh in on this thiaminase discussion?

The recent findings about thiaminase affecting wild populations of predators was the result of bateria in the gut of the prey that persisted in the gut of the predator. That bacteria had and continued to produce thiaminase.

Thiaminase in the flesh of of live prey is not a problem for a predator because it will be broken down in the digestion process along with all other proteins. What is a problem is if fish flesh is stored for a while before being fed to other fish. In that situation the thiaminase will destroy the thiamine in the stored flesh and reduce its nutritional value. So fish flesh that contains thiaminase should either be used immediately of cooked before storage to destroy the thiaminase.

Constant supply of live healthy forage is the best way to grow healthy predators, especially if they are intended for breeding. We fed the striped bass pellets, but kept them supplied with forage too. We also supplemented the catfish ponds with forage. Bass and bluegill broodstock ponds were only supplied with forage.

Thats super easy. I do it on the cheap, no commercial hatchery. I use plastic candy containers but any container that's food safe with good surface area that holds water works. Mine hold about 2 gallons each. You also need non iodiized salt, I use kosher salt, a largish dinner spoon or measuring spoon, brine shrimp eggs, airstones, and a heat source. I fill the container about half way with warm but not hot tap, no dechlorinator, add 2 heaping teaspoons of salt, more or less, then add a heaping spoon of eggs.

Awesome Redtail catfish Feeding footage.

Then I put the container on my large seedling heat mat available at Amazon and drop in 1 or more airstone. You want a lot of water movement so I use 2 with a large air pump. I also have a thermostat to control the temp. Leave aline fir 24 to 36 hours, then put somewhere where there is some light. Let sit 20 minutes, no air. Then I use a plastic squeeze pipette to suck up the bbs. Squirt into a brine shrimp net, rinse briefly and feed.

[seang]

I have a redtail cat and a tiger shovelnose and several other species like peacock bass, largemouth and several greater sirens and a regular iridescent shark.

The redtail and tiger shovelnose are both my absolute favorites. I started them out when they were about 3" long and now they are both over 2'. I started them out in my 40 gallon fish tanks inside the house and as they got bigger I moved them out to the small 150 gallon koi pond in front of my house. After they were big enough in there I moved them to my backyard pond which is approximately 30' by 90' long. Although I although I barely ever see the tiger shovel knows the red tail comes up every single night when I feed them. He even lets me pet him on the head but if I touch any other part of his body he freaks out and takes off.

Thanks for the video

[brandonsmalleyorblspinc]

Im glad too see u joined the RTC club brother take mine

[vikkiep]

can you, or do you have any videos explaining how you built this tank? or what that rubber is called? looking to make a big tank for my Red Tail Catfish:)

[helm]

My12" rtc is a bit too pale. Is it due to his food? If so, what can I feed him that would improve his coloration ? Thank u

[oliverrobey]

Red devils together my Red devil cichlid does not get along with any other

[luchieratic]

Just hand feed the red tail!! That’s what I do to mine, it’s so fun to hand feed them, there’s nothing to worry about

[brandonsmalleyorblspinc]

I got back into 🎶 and i have rare stuff i got a blue Azul that would doo great with yur pond

[michaelpye]

I have a small pond in Surin NE Thailand it’s around 40metres x 30 metres x 2 m deep I have around 20 red tails in there ranging from 1 kilo to 10 kilos biggest went in around 18 months ago the size of your thumb I now feed them chopped up raw chicken and fish around 3 x a week now of a night otherwise my pacu will take there food before it reaches the bottom they will out grow the pond and I will sell them on there my favourite fish and fight like hell on rod and line