PlanetCatfish.com

Why does my Asian Red Tail Catfish push all the pebbles out form his cave so he has a bid nest type area? That seems to be what he does all day you can look at the tank and see pebbles flying out the the cave, do any of you know why he could be doing this?

Sometimes they just prefer their hiding place that way.

I don't have a RTC, but I have also noted this behavior in my channel cat. I agree that he is just making himself more comforatable.

My Asian RTC moved a lot of gravel around before getting things to its liking.

If the tank is well lit, your catfish may be stressed. I had a channel cat that was trying everything he could to get into a very dark place. If you see your catfish swimming around, compare his chromatophores if you can to see if he looks like he might be stressed. Many catfish make a big deal of getting into dark places.

I have one of those. It is just the same, only I have sand. He is still growing, he`s now 7 inch long.
I think it is just a thing that he has to do. Under his cave there is no sand at all cos he got rid of it. Maybe he likes to see the carpet, or maybe his reflection.
He now goes out into the light every now and then, just to wallow in the sand. He`s watching now as I type this.
It keeps him occupied and out of trouble. So long as he`s happy, I`m happy

jofi_dragon wrote: It keeps him occupied and out of trouble.

At least for now....

it's a behavioural trait that's evolved to avoid predation. the tighter they can wedge themselves into a crevice, the less likely they are to be predated when they're not active and therefore vunerable in the day.