channel catfish

[nativelover]

im not sure if this is the right place to write this.

im 15 yrs old, so i dont have alot of money to spend on suplies, and stuff. but, i love to fish, and during the summer, (catfish season) the DFG always plants small channel catfish (6-10") in the local ponds to start off the season. and when i catch them i usually let 'em go 'cause their too small to eat. so what would i need to keep one in a tank. i was hoping maybe someone could tell me how to build a custom tank, or were i could find a big tank really cheap. what substrate should i use? (ive always wanted a fine sand substrate but everytime i got some it got sucked up in my filter(in my oscar tank)) and what kind of filtration could i get away with?

just to let you kno, i netted one about 3 inches onetime and put it in my oscar tank and it grew to 12 inches within 9 months, and i let it go in a pond at a retirement home next to my school. but i really want tooo keep one for along time and grow it to its max size, (aquariume size)

[netobeto]

you will need a real big tank because the channel cat grow like more than 2 feets.

[M|L]

So basically you want to grow a channel catfish to it's adult size? You will need to be ready to purchase a big tank, because they will grow up to 3 feet long which means you will need a tank that is at least 10ft x 3ftx 2ft LxWxH.

Oh, this should be in the Catfish and Bottom Dwellers forum, because it's a topic about channel catfish.

[piranha45]

you could buy a stock tank
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=stock+tanks

alot of local horse-feed stores will sell them

[rayman45]

have u seen the 125 pounder that got last week i think
i got pics of my 22 incher in my gallery

[cenecker]

If memory serves - the all-tackle world record for channel cats was a fish of 90 lbs or so and over four feet long. Think about that before trying to keep one in an aquarium. Not that it can't be done by any means, I mean this is Monster Fish Keepers after all. I just don't think you should attempt it if you have limited financial means. Consider what it would cost to feed a fish that big, and that doesn't even start to get into the cost of a tank (or preferably pond) and the kind of filtration a big, messy, destructive fish like that requires.

Channel Cats are my personal favorite fish, I've dreamed of owning one for a long time. The cost prohibitation factor and the fact that its also illegal to have them here in AZ has made me wait. In the meantime, just go to petco or petsmart or even wal-mart. They all carry (at least all of them around here) atrius jordani , or what they ussually call silver-tip or black-tip sharks. I have four of them, they ussually top out around 12" and mine get along pretty well with my oscar. They look remarkably like tiny channel cats.

Keeps me happy till the day I get the real thing :drool:

[piranha45]

those silver shark cats are actually brackish-estuarine species, which is why I've yet to get one. interesting to see yours are doing well in freshwater..


my lfses have blue/albino channels all the time, 4-6" specimens for 2 dollars.

[lil_lara]

I keep channel cats... mine are currently about 6 maybe 7 inches long. They grow quickly in the right conditions. You could keep it untill it gets big and re-release it maybe? I'd check with your local gov on that. Other wise alot of fish stores sell channel cats and don't tell people how big they get. Its going to take about a year... or longer for it to get over a foot.

Building a custom tank? if you pm me your email address I could have someone who builds custom fish tanks email you some advice if you'd like.

[cenecker]

From what I'm told - jordan cats will survive fine in freshwater (I do add as much aquarium salt as the other fish will tolerate). My largest is about 6 inches long and just under a year old. Of course I was feeding him fish flakes for the first half of his life since that's what the guy at wal-mart told me to do (I haven't been into aquaculture for that long BTW, I used to believe what people at pet stores told me). Once I switched him to a more carnivorous diet and moved him to a more suitable tank, he's started growing A LOT faster (Just about doubled in size the past few months), so god knows how big he would be by now if he had been properly cared for his whole life.

HOWEVER - since they are born in freshwater and migrate to the ocean as they grow...apparently they will grow to like two-feet plus if you slowly cross them over to salt water.

[piranha45]

hehe, damn the stupid highschool kids that work at lfses...

[rayman45]

If memory serves - the all-tackle world record for channel cats was a fish of 90 lbs or so and over four feet long. Think about that before trying to keep one in an aquarium. Not that it can't be done by any means, I mean this is Monster Fish Keepers after all. I just don't think you should attempt it if you have limited financial means. Consider what it would cost to feed a fish that big, and that doesn't even start to get into the cost of a tank (or preferably pond) and the kind of filtration a big, messy, destructive fish like that requires.

Channel Cats are my personal favorite fish, I've dreamed of owning one for a long time. The cost prohibitation factor and the fact that its also illegal to have them here in AZ has made me wait. In the meantime, just go to petco or petsmart or even wal-mart. They all carry (at least all of them around here) atrius jordani , or what they ussually call silver-tip or black-tip sharks. I have four of them, they ussually top out around 12" and mine get along pretty well with my oscar. They look remarkably like tiny channel cats.

Keeps me happy till the day I get the real thing :drool:


they just got a 135 pounder 44" girth

[cenecker]

I read a press release about a 135 lb. BLUE catfish that was caught recently. Is that what your talking about? Or was there another one?

Funny thing about catfish - catfisherman lore states that most of the biggest cat fish were caught in the old days, and never reported because they were sold as food by poor fisherman. According to such stories, 100-300 lb cats were not uncommon in the glory days (oxymoron) of the old-school cat men. Of course I also think there's some truth in something else these same people say - we don't know how big they really get, because the biggest ones don't get caught. Anyone who's fished for catfish knows even a 10# cat can be a real handful! Can't imagine a 100# plus cat!

[guesswho2005]

you could buy a stock tank
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=stock+tanks

alot of local horse-feed stores will sell them


I use them for my indoor ponds, Rubbermate makes two sizes 6' 350 Gal, 8' 550. They are rated for Ag use and animal safe. Most are already fit with a lower drain bulk head. The 8' is a bit trouble some trying to get them inside a standard door trust me. Wife still give me S*&T about the ceiling. Good Luck

[nativelover]

the all tackle world record for a chennelcat is 53 lbs
a flat head in in the 90's
and a blue is 121.5 lobs

[cenecker]

53 lbs? coulda sworn I read about a 90 or so pounder....hhmmmm better check my sources again.

[nativelover]

its actually 58 lbs...sry. and i read about a 90 lb blue caught in lake texoma a couple months after the new world record 121.5 lb blue was caught. (in lake texoma). the blue was caught late last year early this year, i forget.