Red tail barracuda

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a difficult fish that needs a very large tank, at least 380 liters and realistically more for length, with strong filtration. It patrols the mid to upper water and will eat any tankmate small enough to fit in its mouth, so house it only with fish too large to swallow. It often refuses dry food and wants meaty items like whole fish, shrimp, and krill. Plan for skittish behavior and give it open space.

In the wild

Red tail barracuda come from the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America, living in open stretches of clear, slow to moderate rivers where they hunt in the water column. Submerged wood and plants along the banks give them ambush cover. In the tank they need a lot of length and open swimming room more than decor. Keep the pH from 6 to 7.5 and temps in the low to high 20s C, and use a tight-fitting lid.

Good to know

This is a predatory characin relative in the family Acestrorhynchidae, built with a long torpedo body and a mouth full of needle teeth. Adults reach around 30 cm. It is a fast pursuit hunter that feeds mainly on other fish. There is no captive breeding record for it, and it is not considered threatened in the wild.

Did you know

Despite the name it is not related to true marine barracuda. The label just comes from the similar shape and hunting style. Newly imported fish are very jumpy and will bolt at sudden movement, sometimes hard enough to injure their nose on the glass or hood, which is the main reason a secure lid and a calm tank location matter so much.

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