The redtail catfish diet is omnivorous and intermittent. Your redtail catfish feeding should look like a weekly feast of plant matter, fruits, invertebrates, and fish. Ideally, you’ll provide them with things like algae wafers, saltwater fish filets, earthworms, shrimp, marine shellfish, and even feeder fish.
What do red tail catfish eat?
Just like any aquatic pet, red tail catfish have certain dietary and nutritional requirements. Also, keep in mind that they are omnivorous, so they prefer meaty foods. In their natural habitat, these fish eat insects, smaller fish, worms, and even random vegetations that come their way.
How do you fish for Asian red tail catfish?
To fish for our Asian red tail catfish, we recommend fish baits or pellet fished on the bottom, although as an opportunist scavenger they will take any bait; we have even had them taken on fly in fry type patterns.
Are Asian redtail catfish good to keep in aquariums?
Asian redtail catfish are not a good fish to keep in aquaria - they get large & ideally need a tank twice the length of the fish times four times the length of the fish (as an adult - this means 8x4 foot). More importantly they are EXTREMELY aggressive when they start to get bigger, more often than not, to the point of killing all other tankmates.
What kind of water does a redtail catfish need?
Water hardness: Redtail catfish will thrive in moderately soft to medium-hard water which puts the range for the degree of water hardness between 3dH – 12dH. As a rule of thumb, you should not attempt to put any fish that can be easily swallowed together in the same tank with a Redtail catfish.
What is the best food for red tail catfish?
Diet and Feeding In the wild, redtail catfish eat anything they can find, including crustaceans, small fish, insects, and fruit. Ideal foods for the redtail catfish include sinking pellets and both live and frozen foods like shrimp, crayfish, small fish, and worms.
What does red tail catfish eat?
Red-tailed catfish are territorial fish. Diet: They feed on fish, crustaceans and fallen fruits.
What do red tail catfish eat in captivity?
In their natural habitats these fish will eat worms, smaller fish, insects, and random vegetation they come across. You'll want to keep this in mind when coming up with their diet in captivity....Some of the recommended live food choices for an optimal redtail catfish diet are:Small fish.Worms.Shrimp.Cut up meat.
How much do red tail catfish eat?
They don't actually need to be fed much. The younger phractocephalus hemioliopterus need food every other day but full-grown redtail catfish can do well with one large meal a week.
What is the best catfish food?
7 Best Foods for Catfish ReviewedNew Life Spectrum AlgaeMax Mini-Wafers. ... Repashy Morning Wood. ... Omega One Veggie Rounds. ... Omega One Sinking Shrimp Pellets. ... Omega One Super Color Veggie Kelp 2mm Sinking Pellets. ... Northfin Mass Carnivore Formula. ... Repashy Super Green.
Can you overfeed catfish?
Caution: NO NOT OVERFEED. To much feed may cause a fish kill from decomposition of the uneaten food. This is extremely important during hot summer days.
How long can a red tail catfish grow?
While most pet stores will sell juveniles that start at 2 inches (5 cm), they grow at a rate of one inch per week. The redtail catfish can grow to 3 to 4 feet in length in captivity.In the wild, they can grow up to six feet long, easily weighing 80 pounds.
Why does my red tail catfish hide?
Why do our catfish like to hide from us during the daytime? This is partly due to the fact that in most cases their eyesight is poor, and the fact that they are not comfortable with bright lighting. In the wild most catfish are to be found in deeper water, although again there are exceptions to every rule.
Do red tail catfish have teeth?
It can grow to about 4 to 6 feet long and is dark gray or brown in color. However, despite their intimidating whiskered looks, redtail catfish teeth are non-existent.
How do you tell if a red tail catfish is male or female?
Males are elongated and narrow, while females have a rounded shape in the abdomen so they can carry eggs. A female about to spawn will become very round and will have a reddish tinge to the area around her vent where the eggs will emerge.
Do catfish need air pump?
Yes, cory catfish need a bubbler. Even though cory catfish can swim up to the surface and gulp oxygen in order to breathe, a bubbler or air pump will provide consistent oxygen in the water. Too little oxygen in the water might eventually cause your cory catfish to become stressed or even fall ill.
Do redtail catfish lay eggs?
What is known about redtail breeding is that they are oviparous, meaning that they lay eggs that later hatch, which is like most catfish species. They prefer rocks and weeds for laying their eggs, and water temperatures between 75 and 80-degrees Fahrenheit are needed for success.
Do red tail catfish have teeth?
It can grow to about 4 to 6 feet long and is dark gray or brown in color. However, despite their intimidating whiskered looks, redtail catfish teeth are non-existent.
Can red tail catfish live with Bass?
While they are voracious, red tail catfish aren't really aggressive. They get along just fine with most large fish and even other bottom dwellers.
How can you tell if a red tail catfish is male or female?
The female catfish has shorter and fewer bristles, usually limited to areas around her mouth. The male pleco could have bristles that cover much of his face and can even have some on his pectoral fins. In some types of plecos, the female has no bristles.
What is the biggest red tail catfish ever caught?
The world's largest redtail catfish was captured in 2010 by Gilberto Fernandes in Brazil's Amazon River. Fernandes' redtail catfish was 123 pounds 7 ounces (56 kilograms) and 4.62 feet (1.408 meters) long.
Etymology
Hemibagrus: from the Greek hemi, meaning ‘half’ and the generic name Bagrus.
Distribution
Type locality is given simply as ‘Cambodia’, but this species is currently considered to occur throughout much of the Mekong river system in China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand plus the Chao Phraya drainage in Thailand.
Habitat
Inhabits main river channels, including whitewater rapids, and performs localised migration into flooded forest during the wet season from July to October.
Maximum Standard Length
The largest bagrid species in central Indochina reaching at least 900-1000 mm and 70-80 kg in weight.
Maintenance
Likely to prefer dim lighting and access to refuges in the form of driftwood, large rocks or lengths of plastic piping.
Diet
This species is a predator feeding primarily on crustaceans and smaller fishes, although there should be no need to use such live foods in captivity.
Sexual Dimorphism
The male has an elongate genital papilla located anterior to the anal-fin.
Redtail Catfish Natural Habitat
The Red-tailed catfish is said to be the last living fish in its genus, which is over 13.5 million years. In the world, the red tail catfish inhabits the streams, rivers, and lakes.
Redtail Catfish Tank Requirements
Caring for the red tail fish is not particularly hard, only that it requires space. As stated above, the red tail catfish is not a small fish, so it needs a huge tank.
Redtail Catfish Water Conditions
Like for any freshwater fish, the red tail catfish requires that you maintain specific water parameters. In the wild, the red tail catfish live in tropical environments, so you need to match these conditions.
Redtail Catfish Diet and Feeding
The red tail catfish is a good eater. Period. It can chow down on random things like rocks, driftwood, and even gravel. That is why you should not include much in your tank.
Redtail Catfish Tank Mates
The red tail fish exhibit a rather contradictory behavior. Sometimes, it is peaceful and at times it is super aggressive. It can also be shy and inactive.
Redtail Catfish Breeding
There are no reports of these catfish having successfully reproduced in aquariums. This could be attributed to the fact that red tail catfish are territorial in nature, plus they are huge fish meaning you need to provide a large enough tank for them to cohabit.
Conclusion
Anyone passionate aquarist can keep a red tail catfish. The major deciding factor is the ability to provide the right conditions, including tank size and water quality.
Natural Habitat, Identification, and Where to Buy
This giant and incredible fish naturally lives in South America, where it’s known by a few other names. In Venezuela, for example, it’s known as the caiaro, while in Brazil, this large freshwater fish is known as a pirarara.
Creating the Landscape
These fish are scavengers and will eat practically anything they come in contact with. This means that they should have fairly sparse tanks. They need low lighting, no décor, and should not have plants, gravel, or smaller stones in their tanks.
Society
Another one of the aspects that makes keeping redtail catfish a challenge is the way they interact with other fish. That is, generally redtail catfish eating fish in tank is a common issue across the board. They simply don’t get along well with smaller fish, despite being peaceful in nature.
Gender, Breeding, and Reproductive Considerations
There are several factors that make breeding redtail catfish extremely difficult. In fact, it’s so challenging that even professional breeders report difficulty. The likelihood of a hobbyist finding success is very slim, and from what we’ve read, unreported as of yet.
Nutritional Needs
Redtail catfish food technically could be anything a redtail can get ahold of. They will seriously eat anything they can get in their mouths.
3 More Things to Know About Redtail Catfish
The barbels on redtail catfish snouts are super sensitive and have chemical reception cells that act as an additional sense of smell for them.
agressive asian red tail catfish
I am new to this form and i have been mostly collecting catfish in my 65 gallon tank. I have 2 pictus catfish's, a raphael catfish, a shark cat, and just recently i added these two interesting agressive asian red tail catfish. I would really like to know more about these fish and how to care for them better. Including better foods, water temp,ect.
Re: agressive asian red tail catfish
I am new to this form and i have been mostly collecting catfish in my 65 gallon tank. I have 2 pictus catfish's, a raphael catfish, a shark cat, and just recently i added these two interesting agressive asian red tail catfish. I would really like to know more about these fish and how to care for them better. Including better foods, water temp,ect.
Re: agressive asian red tail catfish
2 black sharks, 2 Pictus catfish's, 2 Golden Guorimes, ID shark, Shark Cat,2 Asian red tail catfish, rapahel catfish, rainbow shark, craw fish.
Re: agressive asian red tail catfish
2 black sharks, 2 Pictus catfish's, 2 Golden Guorimes, ID shark, Shark Cat,2 Asian red tail catfish, rapahel catfish, rainbow shark, craw fish.
Re: agressive asian red tail catfish
it's only a little one but it is the devil in piscine form! aka Hemibagrus wyckioides - quote from cat-e-log "Not compatible with other fishes due to its nasty disposition. Many claim that H. wyckioides is the most aggressive freshwater fish in the world.
Re: agressive asian red tail catfish
wow this does not sound good... not good at all so i figure than even though they don't leave their cave once they get bigger they will adapt their aggressiveness because now they are showing signs of friendly tank mates lol.
Re: agressive asian red tail catfish
yes, i was thinking of returning my fish my i really like a ID shark and the shark cat is given aquarium salt already and the pet store around my area say its good for all fish because it reduces stress and keeps the water better. I have no idea i am just starting out. thank you for your helpful information though!
Synonymstop ↑
Distribution
Habitat
Maximum Standard Length
- The largest bagrid species in central Indochina reaching at least 900-1000 mm and 70-80 kg in weight. The largest specimen known to date measured 1300 mm.
Maintenance
- Likely to prefer dim lighting and access to refuges in the form of driftwood, large rocks or lengths of plastic piping. An enormous filtration system and dedicated regime of water changes should also be considered mandatory.
Diet
- This species is a predator feeding primarily on crustaceans and smaller fishes, although there should be no need to use such live foods in captivity. Smaller specimens will readily accept live or frozen bloodworm, Tubifexand most dried foods whereas adults can be offered earthworms, prawns/shrimp, mussels, strips of white fish flesh and larger sink...
Behaviour and Compatibilitytop ↑
- Likely to prove aggressively territorial and incompatible with other fishes in all but the largest public installations and even then may attack its tankmates. It’s also one of few freshwater fishes that appear unafraid of humans meaning care must be exercised when performing maintenance.
Reproduction
- Unrecorded in aquaria but this species is produced in commercial quantities via artificial treatment with hormones. Under these conditions incubation has been observed to take 30-38 hours at 28°C/82.4°F with the fry initially measuring around 5 mm TL. The yolk sac is fully-absorbed after a further 3 days with the larval stage ending after 4-8 days and post-larval stage …
Notestop ↑
- Juvenile specimens are sometimes available in the aquarium trade although their purchase is strongly discouraged, and given its eventual size, aggressive nature and the fact it can live for several decades this species shouldn’t be considered a home aquarium subject in all but the most exceptional circumstances. H. wyckioides can be told apart from most other congener…
References
- Ratanatrivong, W., 2011 - Unpublished dissertation from the Graduate School of KU and KU Library: 34-51 Breeding Enhancement of Red-tail Catfish, Hemibagrus wyckioides(Fang and Chaux, 1949) by Usin...
- Ferraris, C. J., Jr., 2007 - Zootaxa 1418: 1-628 Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types.
- Ratanatrivong, W., 2011 - Unpublished dissertation from the Graduate School of KU and KU Library: 34-51 Breeding Enhancement of Red-tail Catfish, Hemibagrus wyckioides(Fang and Chaux, 1949) by Usin...
- Ferraris, C. J., Jr., 2007 - Zootaxa 1418: 1-628 Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types.
- Kottelat, M., 2001 - WHT Publications, Colombo: 1-198 Fishes of Laos.
- Ng, H. H. and M. Kottelat, 2013 - The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61(1): 205-291 Revision of the Asian catfish genus HemibagrusBleeker, 1862 (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Bagridae).
