The biggest RTC raised in captivity is 160 cm or 5'4", 41 years old (in 2013)

[thebiggerthebetter]

The Largest Red Tailed Catfish in the World – Photos – Tank Terrors

• By TankTerrors
• 16 February, 2013

The IFGA world record for a Red Tailed Catfish currently sits at 124cm, per the IFGA website. That is a pretty big Red Tail, but not even close to the size of this tank terror. These photos were provided by Sandee and are from the Aquarium in Amsterdam, which is home to the largest Red Tailed Catfish in the World. These were taken in 2007 as well, so this guy could be even bigger now too! As of these photos it was 160cm long (5.25 feet) and well over 120 pounds.

If you know of a bigger one, please do leave a comment and let me know but I’ve yet to see anything even close myself.

If you doubt the size, see the quote below from the Aquarium itself, Sandee asked them directly back in 2007 and got this in reply.

"The biggest one is about 160 cm long (5.25 feet). This one was bought in December 1972, about 30 cm (11.8 inches) big. The second one was bought in august 1973, the origin of the smallest one could not be found so quick.
Good question, since also I was surprised how old this catfish already is! Didn’t know that yet myself.
Thanks to very old notes of former former colleagues.
Best regards,
Eugène Bruins
Curator lower vertebrates & invertebrates
Artis Royal Zoo Amsterdam
Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
P.o. box 20164, 1000 HD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Phone: +31 (0)20 5233 454"

So there you have it, what I believe to be the largest Red Tailed Catfish in the world.

 

[ReApEr666]

True wild caught id imagine being so old... ???

 

[fishhead0103666]

Thank you Victor for sharing this, I can’t wait to read the link once I get home.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Whoa almost 50 years old. I would start worrying about small children disappearing around the tank with an rtc that size...

The amazonia exhibit at smithsonian zoo in DC has a couple big RTCs, maybe 40-45" but not as big as that hoss.

 

[coolcomfort]

Very impressive. I imagine the only thing bigger is probably in the amazons somewhere...

I'd love to know the exact weight of this one

 

[Pedro Cruz]

What a beast!
I would love to see that RTC eating... it should not be cheap to feed that cow!

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

True wild caught id imagine being so old... ???

Do you think or know that farmed RTC don't / can't live that long?

Thank you Victor for sharing this, I can’t wait to read the link once I get home.

The words are all here. The link has some more photos.

I would love to see that RTC eating... it should not be cheap to feed that cow!

I cannot imagine the feed bill being exuberant. It probably eats once a week, perhaps 5 lbs of feed, likely a large fish, maybe some dry feed too. So 20 lbs / 9 kg of feed a month is not expensive by my book.

 

[RD.]

Captive raised, or WC, makes no difference - the largest cat in that zoo display was less that 12" when originally purchased. Incredible specimen, thanks for posting this, Viktor.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Captive raised, or WC, makes no difference - the largest cat in that zoo display was less that 12" when originally purchased. Incredible specimen, thanks for posting this, Viktor.

Ive always wondered if the wild caught vs captive bred fish max size argument had any merit. My suspicious side always assumed it was a lie propagated by vendors to justify selling wild caught at such a high price. Somebody should perform some comprehensive studies to put it to rest.

 

[twentyleagues]

Ive always wondered if the wild caught vs captive bred fish max size argument had any merit. My suspicious side always assumed it was a lie propagated by vendors to justify selling wild caught at such a high price. Somebody should perform some comprehensive studies to put it to rest.

I think there may be some merit to it. Not just because of the wild or captive but because of things like water quality, type of foods available, space. More so then just where they are born. Im not saying someone really wanting to do the absolute best for an animal wont give it the best of everything, but breeders on a mass scale will feed the cheapest foods and maybe not have the cleanest most pristeen water quality. That may have an impact on the difference between WC and CB.