barrett the catfish

Question
Hello!   My question is about my Redtailed catfish Barrett.  He is currently housed in a 30 Gallon, with a bichir bichir, and three exodon parodoxous.  I'm wondering if Barrett who joined the tank when he as two inches (now nearly 4 inches) will soon out grow his tank, its my understanding that it is not uncommon for redtails to reach the 3 foot length, however it is never mentioned on the size of the tank they are in.  Will he stop growing when he reaches his maximum for the tank? Or will Barrett unwillingly grow beyond his comfort level?    Thanks for the help!

Answer
Hi Mathias,
I'm really sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your little guy Barret will keep growing and growing as long as he continues to receive good care. The only reason fish -may- grow to the size of their tanks is if the water is not changed often enough and they are not given a good diet. But we don't want to keep our fish so poorly do we?

It doesn't matter what size tank a fish is in. If his water is changed often enough and he is given a good diet he will continue to grow as if he were in a massive tank.

Red-tail catfish grow to ridiculous sizes. They can often reach 18 inches in their first year and three to four feet is the common size they attain. They are beautiful animals but very hard to meet the demands of, they are best left to those with truly massive aquariums or public aquariums. You may have to try to consider rehoming your Barrett.

One website recommends to have at least an 8 foot long tank that is at least 30 inches wide. And even then I feel this isn't enough room for these monster catfish who really deserve much more room due to their length and bulk.

Maybe you could get lucky and find a zoo or public aquarium to rehome him. Or maybe you could build him a home that suits his needs! If you had the money, time and proper setup, your Barrett could become an awesome pet that could easily live well in his teens!

Best wishes and I hope this helps!
Karen~