Anyone Keep/Kept Blue Catfish?

divemaster99 · Jul 29, 2014

Wondering if anybody on the forum has kept or is keeping Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus). There's two tiny ones for sale at one my LFSs. Obviously I wouldn't be getting any now since my biggest tank is a 75 gallon. I'm wondering because next fall I'll be setting up a tank in the 150-240 gallon range and it's either going to be natives or all catfish, a blue cat would fit into either. Before people say it I'm aware they will get incredibly big and have multiple friends with large ponds that would be willing to take it off my hands once it got to big. I think it would be cool to growout the largest fish in North America and I've always loved the Ictalurus genus. So what's your guys overall experience with this fish as far as behavior, activity, feeding, water params, etc?

GarNiac · Jul 29, 2014

I hv 9 of them, 2 big blues are in a pond n 7 youngs are in a 400g tank, they do get big but not tat fast. They would eat anything, not a fussy eater. They are not aggressive at all, not even picky to other tank mates, n of course much smaller tankmates could always end up as snacks. Not to worry much about water parameter as they are hardy fish. But if u wanna get one or some, 150-200 gallons would not be enough unless u have a big pond. They've grown quiet significant when young, but seems to slowdown after reaching 40-50cm, you wouldnt notice they growth tat one day you'd notice tat the tank is just not big enough.

Oddball · Jul 30, 2014

I've kept thousands of blues. I noodle for them in AL and MS. After catching the adults, I harvest the eggs, hatch them out, and raise the fry for restocking local farm ponds.

SePPii · Jul 30, 2014

That's really cool oddball

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mike_sema · Jul 30, 2014

Oddball said:
I've kept thousands of blues. I noodle for them in AL and MS. After catching the adults, I harvest the eggs, hatch them out, and raise the fry for restocking local farm ponds.

Very cool indeed, I have been wanting to do the same with some Flatehead catfish. Good luck OP those blues are very nice

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Dieselhybrid · Jul 30, 2014

That's cool stuff man A+

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divemaster99 · Jul 30, 2014

GarNiac said:
I hv 9 of them, 2 big blues are in a pond n 7 youngs are in a 400g tank, they do get big but not tat fast. They would eat anything, not a fussy eater. They are not aggressive at all, not even picky to other tank mates, n of course much smaller tankmates could always end up as snacks. Not to worry much about water parameter as they are hardy fish. But if u wanna get one or some, 150-200 gallons would not be enough unless u have a big pond. They've grown quiet significant when young, but seems to slowdown after reaching 40-50cm, you wouldnt notice they growth tat one day you'd notice tat the tank is just not big enough.

I know that wouldn't be big enough for life but like I said I have multiple friends at my local fish club with large ponds who would be willing to take it.

thebiggerthebetter · Aug 2, 2014

I've come only across a couple of reported cases of "supposedly true" blue catfish at an LFS. 99.9% of the time they are blue channel catfish. Silly name invented to tell albino channels from normal colored channels, as if albino was not enough.

Chicxulub · Aug 8, 2014

First off, it is highly unlikely that these are blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus. These are likely just channel cats, I. punctatus, which often look blue as juveniles. The lfs's generally call them blue cats to differentiate them from the "normal" albino channels.

If this is a blue cat, you'll find that it is a totally different animal than a channel. Much more active, very bold, mid-bottom active swimmerr, appreciates current and CAN be fantastically predatory aggressive.

With their bright blue metallic sheen and bold, winning personalities, these are probably my favorite catfish. I fully intend to revisit this species again someday.

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knifegill · Aug 8, 2014

Channel cat = forked tail.

Blue cat = not forked tail.

Yes, petshops usually lie about their channel cats, calling them "Blue" for no good reason. I have trouble believing the "non-albino" line. I think it's intentional, to increase sales. Employees are usually clueless and think they are actually selling Blue Catfish to people. But they are not.

I tried for a year or so to get a blue catfish and could not. A few people claimed they could get one for me, but all came up empty. Had to settle for something else. Which, actually, has turned out quite well so far.

But do pound the pavement! 200g is a fine start, especially if you truly have a suitable re-home plan in place. I hope you can find one!


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Anyone Keep/Kept Blue Catfish?

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