Shovelnose & Redtail Catfish

Five South American predators — redtail catfish, tiger shovelnose, the redtail-shovelnose hybrid, bocon and lima shovelnose — each listed Quarantined, Lightly Medicated or Non-Quarantined. All five are sold at sizes that look manageable. A redtail cat passes four feet and a hundred pounds and swallows anything that fits, which by year two is most of your other fish.

Do not buy a redtail or a true tiger shovelnose without the pond or the thousand-gallon build already standing. Rehoming one is close to impossible. If you want that shape in a tank you actually own, buy the lima shovelnose — it stops near 18 inches. Ask me before you commit to the big ones.