31 replies to this topic

[bigjohnnofish]

there has been reported spawning of the RTC in queensland... came from a reputable person so i have no reason not to believe him....

 

i dont reckon they would last long in a river system like the swan river as its fished pretty heavily and if you've ever kept a RTC you know it'll eat almost anything that finds its way to the mouth... they arent an aggressive fish like a mangrove jack.... and will generally only consume their food whole as they dont have teeth... but rather top and a bottom plate that crushes their food... no threat to human swimmers unless they get big enough to swallow you whole... lol.... very much doubt that could happen... and their temperature survival range is much warmer water... they slow down in cooler water and IMO would prob die in cold water... very sensitive to bad water conditions.... and prone to gill flukes and parasite infections when exposed to these and other pathogens...

 

and p.s. matty a breeding pair is a pair of fish that have deemed to have spawned together at least once...  other wise its just a pair of fish (m/f)

[Kleinz]

I saw this the other day...

 

 

[JackMack]

RTC remind me of killer whales, I think it must be the colouring and body shape.

[MUZZYBEAR]

i recognise that big lady lol

[SamJohns]

There was a rtc on gumtree a week or two ago, along with some other big fish ;-)

Had some pretty sweet gill curl. Poor bugger.

[Peckoltia]

Gill curl can be fixed with a scalpel and some clove oil.  

[bigjohnnofish]

what do you reckon causes gills to curl ??? high nitrates ? or is just a genetic thing ?

[sandgroper]

I had a 30cm black shark get gill curl back in my younger days from jumping out of the tank. Perhaps he has jumped out at some stage. Mine was probably from lack of oxygen and drying out to much.

[Buccal]

I once saw a RTC in a four foot so was massive,,,, it was sitting diagonal from top corner to opposite bottom corner.
The water was urine color,,, as obviously of the richter with nitrates,,,,, this fish also had gill curl.
My thinking is if the fish has to grow and mature through such conditions,,, it will grow into these deformities.
I would think is also possible to genetically be that way or born that way.

[Steven]

I always thought that it was either poor water qualities or the tank was too small causing the fish to have to swim backwards all the time to turn around... You see alot of people simply cutting the curled part of the gill off and hoping it grows back in good condition. I think they use something to knock the fish unconscious before operating on it and they seem to recover ok.

Ive seen alot of different fish get gill curl. Mainly arowana or saratoga as people put them in too small tanks

[Peckoltia]

I have seen many freshly imported RTC with gill curl. I think it can largely be attributed to poor water quality. It is only the gill membrane that curls, and not the operculum. I have anaesthetised a couple RTC with gill curl and cut back the membrane. Both times, the membrane has grown back straight, which leads me to believe it is a water quality issue and not a genetic one.

 

My reasoning for doing the surgery was for aesthetics and it makes it easier for the fish to breathe when stationary.

[bigjohnnofish]

that answers the question for me.... bad water conditions it is... 

 

i was under the impression that if nitrates got too high - as in off the scale of 160ppm that your beneficial bacteria starts to die off also... as nitrates are a waste product of your nitrite consuming bacteria and it'd be like swimming in their own feecies... hence nitrite levels go through the roof and then same thing occurs and your ammonia consuming bacteria die off also... giving you double headed attack of ammonia/nitrite all at once