Red Tail Catfish
|
Scientific Name: Phractocephalus hemioliopterus Price: Upon Request Origin: Amazon and Rio Orinoco, Rio Maranham, Brazil Family: Pimelodidae NOT AVAILABLE NOW |
|
Other Names: Redtail catfish, Red-tail Catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus |
|
Technical Info
Temperature: 21 - 26 ℃
pH: 6 - 7.5
GH: 2 - 12
Max size: 100 cm
Min Tank size: 1000 Ltr
Position in Aqua: Bottom swimmer
Description
The redtail catfish is distinctively-colored, with a dark grey to black background color, a wide white stripe that extends along the midline (from the mouth to caudal fin) and a red or orange caudal fin. The dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are also sometimes red or orange.
Food
Can be fed on small feeder goldfish but it would be better to guide them of live food and feed them frozen bloodworm and earthworms when young. Adults and juveniles do like earthworms and other meaty foods such as prawns and crabs. Tablet and large pellet food is also greedily taken. Feed twice daily to young Redtails and then down to one feeding a day, 6 days a week, when they reach the juvenile stage. Adult Redtails can be fed a large meal once or twice a week only and the rest of the days to digest their meal.
Breeding
No instances have been recorded as yet owing to their adult size and the swmming area that would be needed. If there was to be a breeding project a Public Aqaurium would be the place intended or ponds in warmer climates.
Compatible with
Whilst it won't hesitate to gobble any smaller fish, it's actually quite peaceful and can be kept alongside other similarly-sized species in suitable surroundings. You'd need a tank approaching public aquarium size in order to do this, though. Most of the usual "tankbusters" are too small to avoid being eaten. Possible companions include Doradids such as Oxydoras niger or Pterodoras granulosus. If the tank is also very deep big characins and cyprinids could be added. It's territorial towards both conspecifics and other large Pimelodids, so should be the only fish of this type kept unless space is truly not an issue.