Monster Catfish!

**pyen85** · 12-25-2006, 12:31 PM

woot! Never did see a fully grown planicep before. That thing is huge! LFS told me they only get up to about 18-24 inches, dead wrong!!! I had one in a pond that got up to 30". Poor guy died for undetermined reasons. It was the last one in a LFS in Hawaii and they sold it at a very high price. Thanks for setting up the thread. Great info!!!

**ZOO YORK 207** · 12-25-2006, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by pyen85;628919;

woot! Never did see a fully grown planicep before. That thing is huge! LFS told me they only get up to about 18-24 inches, dead wrong!!! I had one in a pond that got up to 30". Poor guy died for undetermined reasons. It was the last one in a LFS in Hawaii and they sold it at a very high price. Thanks for setting up the thread. Great info!!!

Get one from one of the venders here on MFK.

Hey Necrocanis PM and tell me how your move is going for you.

**pyen85** · 12-25-2006, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by ZOO YORK 207;628923;

Get one from one of the venders here on MFK.

Hey Necrocanis PM and tell me how your move is going for you.

I'm not sure on the legal issues here in Hawaii but i believe just recently a number of bigger sized fish have been banned. Kinda weird cause we only have one or two small resevoirs and many small streams, but of course they have their local enangered species. Ever since some one caught a red belly piranha everythings been all loopy. But either way I no longer have the pond to house one.

**necrocanis** · 12-31-2006, 7:29 AM

hmmm, that sux, are you at least able to apply for a permit? I think that it's good that states look out for their local endangered species, because there are a lot of people out there that buy fish uninformed and don't have the heart to kill them when they get too big, so they release them. I just think that if a species is banned that you should be able to apply for a permit and if you meet minimum requirements to house that species you wish to own for life then you should be able to keep it so long as you have proper permits.

**b-rock** · 01-08-2007, 4:33 PM

all the info youve posted is is great , i have an albino channel thats about 16 inches in a 150 gallon, he very active and extremely aggressive towards his pacu tankmate, im currently working on a large pond in my back yard as a new home for him. the pics you have are awesome!keep up the good work for sure
thanks,
b-rock

**sicxspeed** · 01-08-2007, 6:17 PM

please keep this thread alive. I know your really busy and all, but the info on here is amazing. Love it, keep up the work bro. Thank you.

**necrocanis** · 01-09-2007, 4:59 PM

tnx guys, one day I promise when my computer at home is hooked back up to the internet I will post plenty on this thread. I have many things that I would like to add, but I am unable to for at least another month or two. Keep an eye out for future posts.

**necrocanis** · 01-27-2007, 10:24 PM

Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
Family Ictaluridae

Adult length: 3-4ft.
Adult weight: 25-45 lbs.
Size in pet stores: 2-5 inches

This large catfish is from North America. It is a very valuble food fish, and is raised in great numbers on fish farms! Many aquarium websites list the adult length of this fish at less than 2ft. I disagree with this for several reasons. First I have caught many of them over 2ft. Second the world record was around 4ft, and wieghed in at 58 lbs. This catfish is not picky. It will eat almost anything. Many people in North America consider them scavengers, because of their willingness to eat even rotten meats. I would suggest only feeding top quality foods. Even though this fish is native to North America an aquarium fish should never be released into the wild. This fish although native can contract desieses from other aqurium fish and when introduced back into the wild transfer them to their wild cousins. Thus starting an epidemic! Enough said about that. This catfish is rather peacefull at a large size. They do well in warm water and cold water setups. Many people keep them in their Koi ponds and they are actually able to over winter with the Koi in all but the most norther climates where they should be brought indoors during the cold winter. I would suggest a tank size of at least 3 1/2' x 8', or a pond of at least 6ft in dia. This is a very hearty fish. Great large catfish for anyone who is looking for their first monster catfish. Just be prepared for their eventual size. 3ft. is more on the smaller end of what they can reach. I know numerous people with this cat at that size or larger. They are generally cheap in pet stores and are widely availible in their natural colors as well as albinos. They will eat anything that can fit into their mouths so please plan your tank carefully. Plenty of hiding spaces as juveniles, but you can thin the cover out as they grow. Once they are larger most become somewhat lazy and lounge around not even bothering to hide. They will eat from your hands as other large catfish do. This takes some patience. If you have an albino and keep it with lots of koi many people may say wow that's a strange koi. lol. I have 2 myself!

**necrocanis** · 01-28-2007, 1:02 PM

lol, I am back at work, but there are several more in the works. I will be back from work on thursday so check next weekend for more! Any suggestions for catfish that get over the 2 ft. mark?

**Chad55** · 01-28-2007, 4:49 PM

Tig, jurnese, marbled pim, marbled sailfin, lince cats, id sharks, paroon sharks, ummm planiceps, black and/or brown bullheads get pretty large idk about 2 foot though. I can't really think of any more. You may have even covered some of the ones that I put down already. Oh and electric cats get big right? Oh TSNxMarbled Pim hybrid (one of my favorites).

Chad