Walking CatFish

RobD23

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 20, 2005
865
5
0
39
The Rex
Heres everything you need to know about Walking Catfish if your interested in keeping them....They remind me of Snakeheads quite a bit.:thumbsup:


found this online somewhere:

WALKING CATFISH
COMMON NAMES: Walking catfish, clarias catfish, freshwater catfish
This common name is given because of the fish’s ability to “walk” from one water body
to another during wet seasons using their pectoral fins.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Clarias batrachus
DISTRIBUTION: Native to southeastern Asia, including Eastern India, this species is
present in the United States including: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia,
Massachusetts, and Nevada.
DESCRIPTION: Walking catfish are typically a shade of gray or gray-brown with many
small white spots laterally. The head is flat and broad and the body tapers to the tail. This
species of catfish is scaleless with four pair of barbles. The dorsal and anal fins are very
long. Unlike our native catfishes, there is no adipose fin in the walking catfish. Albino
and calico color variations are popular in the aquarium trade of this fish. Although some
of these color morphs have been released into the wild, due to natural selection, wild
populations found within the United States have usually reverted back to the natural
gray/brown color of their ancestors.
LIFE CYCLE BIOLOGY: Reaching maturity at one year of age, this species is reported
to reach a length of 24 inches in its native range. Walking catfish build nests of debris or
submerged vegetation. The male guards the adhesive eggs and hatched young. Walking
catfish feed on a variety of prey, including eggs or larvae of other fishes, small fishes,
and a number of crustaceans and insects. They are able to breathe air by means of an
organ arising from the gill arches. The only area where well established populations are
present and reproducing is the southern half of the Florida peninsula. Literature suggests
that walking catfish cannot survive in water temperatures below approximately 50οF. If
this is truly the case, walking catfish would not be able to tolerate Indiana’s winters.
PATHWAYS/HISTORY: The walking catfish was imported to Florida, reportedly from
Thailand, in the early 1960s for the aquarium trade. Introductions apparently occurred as
early as the mid-1960s when adult fish imported as brood stock escaped via transport or
from a fish farm. Walking catfish found in other regions of the United States are likely a
result of aquarium releases.
DISPERSAL/SPREAD: In Florida, dispersal has occurred by way of the interconnected
network of canals along the southeastern coastal region; however, spread was accelerated
by overland migration, typically during rainy nights.
RISKS/IMPACTS: Walking catfish have a strong potential to be a pest due to their
ability to migrate across land, and the fact that they feed on almost anything. They will
compete with native fish for food and space. In Florida, walking catfish are known to
have invaded aquaculture farms where these predators feed on fish stocks. Fish farmers
have had to construct fences to protect ponds from invasion. In some areas of southern
Florida, abundance estimates are in the neighborhood of 3,000 pounds of walking catfish
per acre.
MANAGEMENT/PREVENTION: Walking catfish
from the family Clariidae are on the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service list of Injurious Wildlife Species.
Under the Lacey Act, it is a violation of Federal law
to import walking catfish or other Injurious Wildlife
Species into the country without a permit. Indiana
Administrative Code also lists exotic catfish from the
family Clariidae illegal to possess live (312 IAC 9-6-
7).
While it is suspected that walking catfish will not be
able to survive Indiana winters, preventing the
introduction of these fish into Indiana is the main
management objective. There are a few things that
you can do to help prevent introducing walking
catfish and other invasive fish species:
�� Learn how to correctly identify walking catfish and other invasive species.
�� Do not release aquarium fish into the wild.
�� If you have a walking catfish in an aquarium, it must be euthanized. IT IS THE
LAW!
�� Kill all walking catfish caught, do not release them alive.

walking cat.jpg
 

SCHLEIMYENDE

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 9, 2006
10
0
0
54
Sweden
They are not illegal in Sweden, my clarias is 13" long and i got him when he was 3" 8 months ago.
He lives with two Oskar ciclids and a RTC 15" long in a 1200L tank.
He atacks the oskars dorsal fins and he tries to strike back by grabbing him over the neck.
I probably must build a new bigger tank this summer.
Hope fully i will get more carnivore fish to survive with the RTC.
 

Jakob

Piranha
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2008
4,408
74
81
Iceland
Clarias Batrachus isnt illegal in Iceland, really fun fish to keep.
 

~ocean

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 12, 2009
2,130
1
0
Stoon
I want one even more... but i'll be fine with just my IDs...
 

Nicko

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 8, 2008
35
0
6
england
there not illegal in the UK either. tbh the only place i can think of where they are illegal is the US so all that killing and illegal stuff could be abit miss leading.

i have kept a few of these in the past and currently keep two of these, and as Jakob said these are really cool fish to keep. i would deffo recomend them to anyone who lives somewhere were it it legal to keep them.

if anyone wants to see any more pics of these fish check out this thread of my fish
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=278468
(btw there are more pis on the second page)
 

~ocean

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 12, 2009
2,130
1
0
Stoon
well they aren't illegal in Canada too...
 
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