Phractocephalus hemioliopterus · the pirarara
Redtail catfish, done right.
How big they really get, how fast they grow, what to feed, and the mistakes nobody warns you about.
Adult length3 to 4 ftin a big tank
First-year growth1 to 2 ina month, not a week
FeedingBy the bellyjuveniles often, adults much less
Temperature70 to 79°F21 to 26°C
Start with a question
The things people actually search, answered at the top of each page.
How big do redtail catfish get?The measured maximum is about 53 inches. The famous "6 feet" has nothing behind it.
How fast do they grow?One to two inches a month the first year. Includes a length-to-weight calculator.
What size tank does a redtail need?Why 1,000 gallons works but 2,500 is the real target.
What do they eat, and how often?How often by size, the foods to skip, and the herring problem.
Why did my redtail stop eating?Check the diet first. Some fish quietly strip out vitamin B1.
Male or female?Females are heavier. How to tell adults apart by the head.
Platinum, phantom or albino?What each name means, and why to buy the fish, not the label.
How long do they live?Ten years and more. Nobody has found the ceiling yet.
What is the world record?123 lb 7 oz, Brazil, 2010.
Latest
New pages and the biggest recent updates.
ARTIS wrote backTheir keepers remember the 160 cm redtail as exceptionally large. No records survive.New: Redtail catfish in FloridaEvery reported sighting since the early 1980s, the 52.5 inch fish, and what the law says.A 52.5 inch Florida redtailCaught in South Florida in 2026, within an inch of the largest ever measured.A wild all-black redtailThe Pirarara Black, caught more than once on Brazil's Rio Araguaia.
Myths that won't die
Numbers that get repeated everywhere, and what is actually true.