Redtail Catfish

The redtail catfish is an unmistakable Amazonian giant: a dark back and pale belly split by a broad white stripe, and the vivid orange tail that gives the fish its name. Three pairs of long barbels frame an enormous mouth. It is the only living member of the genus Phractocephalus, a pimelodid. It ranges through the main rivers of the Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo basins, from Brazil and Peru to Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Bolivia. Adults hold deep channels and soft bottoms, hunting fish and crustaceans after dark and readily taking fallen fruit and seeds. Be honest about this one: it does not belong in a home. Sold at 6 cm, it passes a metre within a few years, and a grown fish needs something in the region of 10,000 litres and 3.6 m of length. It is calm with fish its own size but swallows anything smaller. Feed meaty foods sparingly; overfeeding kills. Public aquaria only.