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Catfish
/ Pimelodidae / Red tail Catfish
Red tail Catfish
Phractocephalus hemioliopterus | Pictures
Synonyms:
Phractocephalus bicolor, Pirarara bicolor, Silurus hemioliopterus
Physical description:
An elongated catfish with a rounded snout.
Three pairs of barbels are located around
the mouth.
The base body color is light black and little dark spots can be seen on the head.
A wide, white band extends from the
caudal penuncle to the tip of the snout.
The belly is black, as are the fins.
The caudal fin is a stunning red color.
The
upper tip of the dorsal fin may be orange to red.
Size/Length: To 40" (100 cm) in nature, not usually more than 18" (45 cm) in captivity.
Similar species: None
Habitat: South America; in deep river channels and pools of the Amazon and the Rio Negro.
S: bottom
Aquarium: 72" (200 cm) or 100 gallons (378 L).
A large tank is needed for the Red tail
catfish.
Large open swimming areas should be provides.
Large, hardy plants should be used for small
ones will be hopelessly buried or uprooted.
Use a large cave or grouping of rocks for a hiding area.
Water chemistry: pH 5.5-7.2 (6.8), dH 3-12 (8), 68-79 °F (20-26°C)
Social behavior: A large, nocturnal predator that will eat any tank mates that it can swallow.
Only
combine with large, robust fish.
During the day the Red tail catfish remains motionless, but when evening comes, it searches
the tank for prey.
Suggested companions: Large cichlids, large characins, Arawana, large loricarids
FOOD: Live; fish, earthworms, crabs, other large live foods; occasionally tablets
SEX: Unknown; possibly males are slenderer with a brighter red color.
Breeding techniques: Impossible in an aquarium because of required size of tank.
Breeding potential: 10.
Breeding has not be accomplished in aquaria.
Remarks: The Red tail catfish is not recommended for private aquaria. When handled, the Red tail catfish secretes a red substance from its tail. Some specimen have lived for over 20 years. The Red tail catfish will try to consume anything it can accommodate into its mouth-including heaters, rocks, and air diffusers. Phractocephalus is a monotypic genus -- including only one species.
Difficulty of care: 8.
The Red tail catfish is difficult to care for, requiring a huge tank and a diet of live fish. This catfish is difficult to combine with other fish because of its predatory nature.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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