I read the "red tailed catfish - not for the home aquarium" post and I found this on my lfs website:
"South American Red Tail Catfish
The South American Red Rail Catfish is a brown to gray fish with a wide white to beige horizontal band running along both sides of the body. The tail and dorsal fin become pink to red in color as they mature. The other fins are dark and tipped with white or beige.
This is a popular fish due to its large size and attractive appearance, but it is poorly suited for captivity, and should only be kept if an appropriate habitat can be provided.
Red tail cats should not be kept in aquariums smaller than 250 to 300 gallons, at the very least, and even tanks of this size will not provide enough swimming space for a large specimen. Preferably, if kept in an aquarium, they should be housed in a long and wide tank no smaller than 700 to 800 gallons.
Other characteristics that make it difficult to keep Red Tail Cats are diet and disposition. Red tail cats are omnivorous, and feed on fruits, crustaceans, and fish in their native habitat. In the aquarium, they will eat just about anything that will fit into their cavernous mouths, including tankmates. Choose only tankmates that are very large and robust such as pacus and very large cichlids.
Their enthusiastic response to food makes them easy to be overfeed, and so they should be fed with care. Their diet leaves a lot of waste, so water changes and heavy filtration are a must, and should not be neglected. Also be sure to provide a large hiding place for daytime resting.
Though this catfish is capable of reaching a length of four feet, it rarely exceeds a length of two feet in the home aquarium largely because of the lack of adequate space and appropriate care. If kept carefully and with attention to its needs, Red Tail Cats can live to be over 20 years old."
Courtesy of Aquarium Supplies, Pet Supplies and Pond Supplies by That Fish Place - That Pet Place
Although I am pleased they mentioned the HUGE tanks needed, I still think red tailed catfish shouldn't even be sold in the average lfs. The average joe fish buyer is not going to buy a 400g tank just so he can have one. Granted, there are people who specialize in the large fish and should have access to these types of fish, provided they have the appropriate living conditions.
I buy my fish from this store, and although they do sell red tail catfish and other species that really don't belong in the average fishtank, they do have tags with all the fish listing the adult size and minimum tank size. And I do applaud their efforts.
Just thought I pass this on....
-TM
"South American Red Tail Catfish
The South American Red Rail Catfish is a brown to gray fish with a wide white to beige horizontal band running along both sides of the body. The tail and dorsal fin become pink to red in color as they mature. The other fins are dark and tipped with white or beige.
This is a popular fish due to its large size and attractive appearance, but it is poorly suited for captivity, and should only be kept if an appropriate habitat can be provided.
Red tail cats should not be kept in aquariums smaller than 250 to 300 gallons, at the very least, and even tanks of this size will not provide enough swimming space for a large specimen. Preferably, if kept in an aquarium, they should be housed in a long and wide tank no smaller than 700 to 800 gallons.
Other characteristics that make it difficult to keep Red Tail Cats are diet and disposition. Red tail cats are omnivorous, and feed on fruits, crustaceans, and fish in their native habitat. In the aquarium, they will eat just about anything that will fit into their cavernous mouths, including tankmates. Choose only tankmates that are very large and robust such as pacus and very large cichlids.
Their enthusiastic response to food makes them easy to be overfeed, and so they should be fed with care. Their diet leaves a lot of waste, so water changes and heavy filtration are a must, and should not be neglected. Also be sure to provide a large hiding place for daytime resting.
Though this catfish is capable of reaching a length of four feet, it rarely exceeds a length of two feet in the home aquarium largely because of the lack of adequate space and appropriate care. If kept carefully and with attention to its needs, Red Tail Cats can live to be over 20 years old."
Courtesy of Aquarium Supplies, Pet Supplies and Pond Supplies by That Fish Place - That Pet Place
Although I am pleased they mentioned the HUGE tanks needed, I still think red tailed catfish shouldn't even be sold in the average lfs. The average joe fish buyer is not going to buy a 400g tank just so he can have one. Granted, there are people who specialize in the large fish and should have access to these types of fish, provided they have the appropriate living conditions.
I buy my fish from this store, and although they do sell red tail catfish and other species that really don't belong in the average fishtank, they do have tags with all the fish listing the adult size and minimum tank size. And I do applaud their efforts.
Just thought I pass this on....
-TM