🐟 Redtail Catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus)
Iconic Amazonian Giant • Bold Red Tail • A Pond and Public-Aquarium Showpiece
 
📋 The Redtail Catfish is one of the most iconic Amazonian giants, with a bold red tail, a broad head, and a powerful body, native to the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo basins. It's sold as a small juvenile and it's one of the fastest-growing freshwater fish in the trade, commonly gaining 1-2 inches a month in its first year and often passing 60cm within twelve months. Adults reach about 100-130cm, and can grow to as much as 180cm and 80kg, which makes it a showpiece for large indoor or outdoor ponds and public-aquarium-scale systems.
Redtails are bold, characterful predators that will eat anything that fits in their mouth, and they're peaceful toward fish too large to swallow. Room is what keeps a Redtail healthy and growing well, since cramped spaces can stunt growth and shorten its life. With good care it lives 15-20 years or more, so it's a long-term companion. Commercial stock is farmed in very large ponds, and the species isn't bred in home aquariums.
 
💡 Highlights
✨ Iconic Red Tail: Instantly recognisable colouring
📈 Fast-Growing Giant: Often over 60cm in its first year, up to about 180cm
🏞️ A Pond and Public-Aquarium Showpiece: Made for very large spaces
🦈 Bold Predator: Eats anything it can swallow
⏳ Long-Lived: 15-20 years or more