redtailcatfish
Guide / The site

Redtail catfish myths, checked

Short answer
Three widely repeated numbers do not hold up: an inch a week, a six foot maximum, and a record past 60 inches. A fourth, 1,000 gallons, is only half true.

"An inch a week"

Redtails grow an inch a week in the first year.

That would be 52 inches in a year. Real growth is about one to two inches a month. A tiny juvenile can manage it for a few weeks, which is probably where the line comes from.

"Six feet and 180 pounds"

They reach 1.8 m and 80 kg.

No fish that size has been measured. The largest on record was about 53 inches.

"The record is past 60 inches"

A record fish past 60 inches, caught in 2008.

The IGFA record is 55.4 inches and 123 lb 7 oz, from 2010.

"Two feet by the first birthday"

Possible, but it is the top of the range, not the norm.

"1,000 gallons"

Enough for a young adult. A full-grown fish needs about 2,600. See tank size.