I am thinking of getting a redtail catfish 5-6 inches, and getting a spotted gar with it once I get a 250 gallon tank setup, then building an above ground tank outside in about 6 months. Should I not get the redtail? Or would it become large enough in a few years to just swallow the spotted gar? Should I opt for an alligator instead? Would a 20-24 inch spotted gar be eaten by a 36-48 inch redtail? When that time of growth comes or even sooner? Does it sometimes depend on the catfish itself and how it behaves? Would the gar be too narrow or aggressive possibly and catfish doesn't eat it? Or would opting for another catfish other than redtail be preferable overall? I'm most likely building a 1500+ above ground tank in about 6 months. No worries on tank size from what I read but really don't know if its the right choice. Thanks
Redtail Catfish and Spotted Gar
- Thread starter Wabbabe
- Start date
I also have a RTC. Bought it january at 4 inches and now its about a foot long, so you can see the growth rate. If the gar is bought at the same size as RTC, 5 to 6inches, as you mentioned then the RTC will definitely outgrow it in a few months and devour it. You should probably give the gar a head start at growing. once fully adult, both can coexist with each other.
My recommendation would be grow out the gar first then the RTC. Then you can add them together in your pond.
My recommendation would be grow out the gar first then the RTC. Then you can add them together in your pond.
Oh, wonderful thank you for the info. Would it be better to switch to alligator gar? I dont want to end up having the red tail at 36 inches and the spotted at 24 and the rtc eat it unless at that size they are fine of course. Also to be making sure here are the pond size I plan to build, is this good long term or should I change them?
12’ by 10’ by 3’, those are the dimensions I plan on. Now that I realize the growth, is the tank going to be fine? I plan on possibly buying color morphs, hence the spotted gar.
First of all you have to tell that whether you are planning on growing out the fish together or not. Second RTC can grow up to 4 feet in captivity (while it may require years) and three feet easily. A spotted gar will grow up to 2 feet in captivity, making it likely for it to get devoured once the RTC hits 3.5 to 4 feet. So if you plan on keeping both fish for life, then you ae better off with the alligator gar. But gator gars can row up to 6 to 7 feet long and are truely monsters. Furthermore, i don't recommend growing out a RTC with gator gars because in my experience, gator gars grow more quickly than RTCs and have teeth that can tear apart large fish.
A shopkeeper near my house had several 5 to 6 inch alligator gars, all of which grew uo to 2 feet just within 6 months. You as you can tell they grow faster than RTCs and are more aggressive. If you asre switching to alligator gar, then you will definitely need a bigger pond than the one you mentioned.
Would an alligator gar around 5 feet eat a spotted gar at 2 feet? Also probably will make a much much bigger tank later on in probably 10-12 years, as I save money for a bigger one. Also, are there any other catfish that are as playful as a RTC? And possibly dont get nearly as big? Also if im not mistaken dont alligator gars stop growing as much at 4-5 years? Or could having it in a 2000 gallon make it shoot up quick? Would a TSN be better than redtail or another catfish entirely? Furthermore, should I just stay away from alligator gar entirely, even if in about 10 years I had space, would it most likely tear up other fish?
If you are buying a young “spotted gar”, most likely it’s a mislabeled Florida gar. Florida gars generally only reach 18”-24” in captivity. Unless you catch yourself a 30”+ Florida or Spotted gar from the wild, I wouldn’t recommend mixing it with an adult RTC. (I don’t know much about the catfish but I’ve seen how massive they can get). Gator gar would probably be a better option with RTC (most common combo for people with monster tanks/ponds). Realistically, gator gars will max around 3.5-5 ft in captivity given the proper space. Gator gars are expected to live over 100 years so they’ll probably still continue to grow quite a bit in their 4th/5th year. Generally speaking, a full grown gator gar should be ok with a full grown spotted or Florida gar. Gars generally are not cannibalistic as adults unless it is starving there’s nothing else to eat (I.e you’re not feeding them).
