RED TAIL CAT FISH

Description

The redtail catfish is quite common in the aquarium trade, although it is often sold in its juvenile state, only measuring a few centimeters or inches at the time of sale. Additionally, they are often sold with little to no information for novice or uninformed buyers, with vague warnings, if any, regarding the fish’s massive adult size. Thus, many redtail catfish are sold and subsequently purchased as very small specimens, soon outgrowing their new aquariums—something which makes them highly unsuitable for all but the largest, usually public, aquariums (or outdoor stock tanks, pools, ponds, lakes, etc). Unfortunately, many have likely been purchased when young, by uninformed shoppers, and later released by these same individuals when their true size and voracity became evident. In this way, humans have directly contributed to the species’ spreading in areas outside of its natural range.