Baby Flathead Catfish

[Tigerboy3382]

Hello everyone. I'm new to this site but I want to find answers on how to take care of my baby Flathead Catfish. I have had him for 2 days and would love to know what to feed him, what to put in his tank and how to provide the best care for him. He is currently about 2 inches long and is housed in a plastic pet carrier enclosure. I live on a lake so I used the lake water for him so he feels more comfortable and added some floating algae. Google says to feed him aquatic insects which he has been eating but I would like more professional advice on how to care for him.
This is the first time I have cared for a catfish so any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[jjohnwm]

Well, first off...get him out of that plastic shoebox and into an actual aquarium, with a filter of some kind. Do some research on cycling a tank/filter, and be prepared to do a fair bit of water changing until the cycling is completed. No heater required.

I have no idea about the growth rate of Flatheads; if they are anything like Redtail cats he will outgrow a small plastic box pretty much by the time you finish reading this post. Will likely eat just about any meaty foods you offer: insects, worms, shrimp, carnivore pellets, etc. A good quality sinking pellet would be nutritionally complete and should be what you count on as a basic diet, with other items added for variety. Your water will stay cleaner if you offer foods that are a size which he can swallow whole, but not so small that numerous tiny uneaten particles remain. Personally, I would use Hikari Massivore; you'll probably need to break the pellets up into manageable chunks at first, but he will soon be eating them whole.

I'm jealous; I think a Flathead could make a fantastic aquarium specimen in a large enough tank. If I caught one I'd be over the moon. Good luck, I hope you keep us posted!

 

[Tigerboy3382]

Well, first off...get him out of that plastic shoebox and into an actual aquarium, with a filter of some kind. Do some research on cycling a tank/filter, and be prepared to do a fair bit of water changing until the cycling is completed. No heater required.

I have no idea about the growth rate of Flatheads; if they are anything like Redtail cats he will outgrow a small plastic box pretty much by the time you finish reading this post. Will likely eat just about any meaty foods you offer: insects, worms, shrimp, carnivore pellets, etc. A good quality sinking pellet would be nutritionally complete and should be what you count on as a basic diet, with other items added for variety. Your water will stay cleaner if you offer foods that are a size which he can swallow whole, but not so small that numerous tiny uneaten particles remain. Personally, I would use Hikari Massivore; you'll probably need to break the pellets up into manageable chunks at first, but he will soon be eating them whole.

I'm jealous; I think a Flathead could make a fantastic aquarium specimen in a large enough tank. If I caught one I'd be over the moon. Good luck, I hope you keep us posted!

Thank you so much for the advice. My larger tank is being used for my Gaint Goliath Birdeater tarantula and this plastic carrier is an 2ft by 1ft. He has been eating some crayfish meat that I caught and broke up for him as well as small aquatic insects and I don't live near a pet store so it will be quite a long drive to get the proper tank materials.

I probably should have mentioned the possible legal obstacles to keeping one; you should check that out first thing.

These fish are invasive to my lake as well as gar and dogfish which I caught a few months ago.

 

[Texasrockwell]

If he is invasive to your area you definitely should check to see if its legal to own. I am currently growing one out as well, but I am in the US and they are native here. I feed mine live red worms and cut talapia. Mine was about an 2" when I got him and he is about 6 inches now, and that is over a 6 month period. Mine doesnt have the growth rate of Red tail, but as with alot of fish, you can power feed and see more growth. It took a while for mine to get used to eating pellets and cut fish, Flatheads are natural predators in the wild an mostly eat live food.

 

[Tigerboy3382]

If he is invasive to your area you definitely should check to see if its legal to own. I am currently growing one out as well, but I am in the US and they are native here. I feed mine live red worms and cut talapia. Mine was about an 2" when I got him and he is about 6 inches now, and that is over a 6 month period. Mine doesnt have the growth rate of Red tail, but as with alot of fish, you can power feed and see more growth. It took a while for mine to get used to eating pellets and cut fish, Flatheads are natural predators in the wild an mostly eat live food.

I'm from Wisconsin, US.

 

[Tigerboy3382]

Tigerboy3382 have you looked into how big these fish grow?

they get to be 4 ft

 

[Tigerboy3382]

Did you catch him or buy him?

i caught him from my lake. i saved him from being eaten by the local northern water snakes we have hanging around our shore

 

[fishhead0103666]

they get to be 4 ft

I see from your profile that you are 18, most 18 year olds do not have the money to care for a fish that can get to 2 feet let alone 4 feet, nor are they willing to keep them for their natural life spans. Please reconsider, I know you think you saved the catfish from dying but if you are not able to provide the proper care for him then you are merely delaying the inevitable. There are much more suitable species of catfish size wise for you. A Platysilurus mucosus would be a wonderful option.

 

[Tigerboy3382]

I see from your profile that you are 18, most 18 year olds do not have the money to care for a fish that can get to 2 feet let alone 4 feet, nor are they willing to keep them for their natural life spans. Please reconsider, I know you think you saved the catfish from dying but if you are not able to provide the proper care for him then you are merely delaying the inevitable. There are much more suitable species of catfish size wise for you. A Platysilurus mucosus would be a wonderful option.

I understand and if I can take care of giant snakes and tarantulas, I can take care of a fish.

 

[Fishyboy🐟🐟🐟]

I understand and if I can take care of giant snakes and tarantulas, I can take care of a fish.

Fish are different than snakes and ew ew spiders
They are much more sensitive
They need filters, water changes, conditioners and generally may take more care
I do not keep snakes Or ew ew spiders so idk how hard they are to keep
Please note flatheads are not just any fish, they get MASSIVE and need a BIG tank/pond