RedtailCatfish
Guide / Keeping one

Redtail catfish care

Short answer
A big tank, warm and stable water, a varied fish diet fed by the belly, and room to grow. Plan the adult setup before you bring the juvenile home.

1. The tank

1,000 galone fish, heavy filtration
2,500 galideal for one or two adults
12 by 8 ftfootprint for an adult to turn

Bare bottom or large smooth pebbles, never gravel. Heaters and thermometers go in a sump, where a big fish cannot break them. Adults want open space more than decoration.

Tank size, in full

2. The water

70 to 79°F21 to 26°C, kept stable
pH 5.5 to 6.8stability beats a number
Aeratealways, even when it looks fine

Cold is harm, not a setting: a heater failure is an emergency. Low oxygen kills quietly, and a fish that is not gasping can still be short of it.

Water, in full

3. Feeding

Every day or twosmall juveniles
Much lessbig adults
By the bellynot by the calendar

Build the diet on white fish such as cod, pollock, flounder and mullet. Herring, anchovy and shrimp are treats only, because they destroy vitamin B1. No feeder fish, no beef heart or chicken. A redtail always acts hungry, so its begging tells you nothing.

Feeding, in full · Vitamin B1

4. Health

Stopped eating?check the water, then the diet
Off balance?suspect vitamin B1
Tail baseinfection there needs treating fast

Most problems trace back to the water or the food. Torn fins heal on their own; an infection at the base of the tail does not wait. Let a new fish settle for a day or two before treating anything.

Health, in full

5. Tankmates

Too big to swallowthe only safe tankmate
Around 3 ftwhen males mature and can turn on females

Big doradids, arapaima and pacu work. Anything that fits in a redtail's mouth is food. Other redtails are territorial, but adults often tolerate smaller ones.

Behavior and tankmates, in full

6. Plan for the adult

1 to 2 ina month, the first year
3 to 4 ftadult length in a big tank
10+ yearsand still growing at nine

The juvenile in the store is the smallest this fish will ever be. Have the adult tank planned, or built, before it outgrows the first one, and if life changes, rehome it to a keeper with the space.

Growth · Size · Lifespan · Rehoming