All about the red tailed catfish
- Thread starter evilfish
- Start date
all I know is don't feed them live mice. I did that ant it coughed up hairballs for a few days then died
I'm drawing up plans for a tank in the neighborhood of 10' x 5' x 4' to house him in. Eventually, I'd like to build him something in the neighborhood of 16' x 8' x 5' but I need to find the right house first.DanDanThePiranhaMan said:
Hey! 16'/8'/5'. That is one super sized RTC pool, wish I had the space and money to build something that size, maybe one day.blacktip said:
Chris.
jsodwi said:
I did that on a 24 incher before. Do pinkies to be safe.
Do not feed them everyday, feed a lot then let them fast for a few days.
They secrete tons of slime when the water params arent good. Change the water quickly when you notice that or the water will stink.
keep sharp rocks and any inanimate object that it can swallow away.
and yeah, they get big. Not 4 feet in home aquaria, not even in ponds. but they will get huge - 2-3 feet is not uncommon.
i have a juvy that is about 4/5" right now.
here's abit of info on them.
Scientific Name Phractocephalus hemioliopterus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Common Name South American Red Tailed Catfish
Type Locality Rio Maranham, Brazil.
Species Information
Size
1100mm (44") SL
Notes on ID An unmistakable species - the only identification woes come when examining young hybrids which appear in the hobby from time to time. The amelanistic form (absence of pigmentation but no albino pink eyes) is only found in young fish and only lasts for a few weeks. The fish revert to their normal colouration thereafter.
Sexing Unknown, although the tail colour (which varies between red and orange / pink) and darkness of the top of the head (which varies from black to grey with black spots) vary from fish to fish. These are more likely to be due to diet and mood than sexual differences.
Habitat Information
Distribution Throughout the Amazon system; Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Peru.
Temperature
21 - 26°C
pH
6.5 - 7.5
"Furniture" The fish does not require cover although subdued lighting should be utilised. Aquarium decor and equipment should be selected and deployed for it's own care rather than that of the red-tail. Thus the required heavy external filtration and out-of-tank heating are recommended. Red tails are renowned for swallowing items within their tanks (I.E. heater clips, filter intakes etc.); gladly these are often regurgitated but can sometimes cause serious problems for the fish. The best policy is to have as much as possible outside the aquarium.
Husbandry
Feeding The important fact in feeding these fish isn't what it's when. Red tails should only be fed sporadically. Once fed they become sluggish and so the time to feed a red tail can be gauged by the activity of the fish. It will become permanently active when hungry. Over-feeding can be disastrous and is a common cause of death in these fish. In the wild the fish eat fallen fruit, crustaceans and fish.
Compatibility This fish is territorial within confined spaces and is certainly capable of killing other tankmates. Best kept "home alone" unless a very large aquarium is to be provided.
Suggested
Tankmates Given sufficient space (and we are talking small ponds here or public aquaria) the fish can be successfully mixed with other large Pimelodids, Doradids, Cichlids and Characins.
Breeding Impossible within the confines of an aquarium. Commercial breeding as food fish is practiced in South America, a spin off from which are the aforementioned imports of "kittens". Aquaculture has also given us hybrids of Red tails and Tiger Shovelnose (Pseudoplatystoma sp.) Also shown above is the inappropriately named white red tail which is very uncommon indeed.
here's abit of info on them.
Scientific Name Phractocephalus hemioliopterus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Common Name South American Red Tailed Catfish
Type Locality Rio Maranham, Brazil.
Species Information
Size
1100mm (44") SL
Notes on ID An unmistakable species - the only identification woes come when examining young hybrids which appear in the hobby from time to time. The amelanistic form (absence of pigmentation but no albino pink eyes) is only found in young fish and only lasts for a few weeks. The fish revert to their normal colouration thereafter.
Sexing Unknown, although the tail colour (which varies between red and orange / pink) and darkness of the top of the head (which varies from black to grey with black spots) vary from fish to fish. These are more likely to be due to diet and mood than sexual differences.
Habitat Information
Distribution Throughout the Amazon system; Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Peru.
Temperature
21 - 26°C
pH
6.5 - 7.5
"Furniture" The fish does not require cover although subdued lighting should be utilised. Aquarium decor and equipment should be selected and deployed for it's own care rather than that of the red-tail. Thus the required heavy external filtration and out-of-tank heating are recommended. Red tails are renowned for swallowing items within their tanks (I.E. heater clips, filter intakes etc.); gladly these are often regurgitated but can sometimes cause serious problems for the fish. The best policy is to have as much as possible outside the aquarium.
Husbandry
Feeding The important fact in feeding these fish isn't what it's when. Red tails should only be fed sporadically. Once fed they become sluggish and so the time to feed a red tail can be gauged by the activity of the fish. It will become permanently active when hungry. Over-feeding can be disastrous and is a common cause of death in these fish. In the wild the fish eat fallen fruit, crustaceans and fish.
Compatibility This fish is territorial within confined spaces and is certainly capable of killing other tankmates. Best kept "home alone" unless a very large aquarium is to be provided.
Suggested
Tankmates Given sufficient space (and we are talking small ponds here or public aquaria) the fish can be successfully mixed with other large Pimelodids, Doradids, Cichlids and Characins.
Breeding Impossible within the confines of an aquarium. Commercial breeding as food fish is practiced in South America, a spin off from which are the aforementioned imports of "kittens". Aquaculture has also given us hybrids of Red tails and Tiger Shovelnose (Pseudoplatystoma sp.) Also shown above is the inappropriately named white red tail which is very uncommon indeed.
