I know grown channel cats will eat bullfrogs, but can bullfrogs eat baby channel cats? I knew we had a bullfrog in the pond because I heard it all last year and I've heard it a few times this year, but I'd never seen it until last night...with a flashlight. All I saw at first were glowing eyes and it took me a second to realize it must be the bullfrog. Despite my screen name, I'm a girl and kind of on the small side and that frog looked huge! He looked more than big enough to be able to eat the two little catfish that we bought last year and I haven't seen my fish in several days. Is that possible? They're albino channel cats and the bigger one is probably about 4-6" now, but the smaller one is half that size. They tend to only come out at night (which is why I was out there with a flashlight) and they now stay on one end of the pond because the little one went over the waterfall into the koi pond last year and it took me weeks to catch him and get him back in his own pond. He was so traumatized I didn't see him for weeks and now I only see them both on the other end of the pond--the end where the bullfrog lives. Should I be worried?
Channel cats and bullfrogs
- Thread starter JustJack
- Start date
Thanks for your help! I know nothing about bullfrogs except what I found online after I saw the frog. How deep in the water will the frog go? Do you think the catfish would come up high enough for the frog to get them (the pond is about 4' deep)? I still haven't seen the fish, but I didn't see the frog last night either. Also, a future question--are bullfrogs poisonous? My fish are little now (assuming they're still there), but do I have to worry about them eating one when they get bigger?
Hi neighbor. I think the frog can eat small fish, although cats have large, very sharp spines in their dorsal and pectorial fins that make them far less likely to be eaten versus say a goldfish. If the fish can fit in the frog's mouth, it can be eaten - the rule of thumb.
At night, your cats are all over the place searching for food high and low and in between, so it doesn't matter where the frog is.
I don't think bullfrogs are poisonous to fish. Since this is a "natural" pond/setting, it likely does not matter but I'd be cautious giving live frogs to aquarium fish - frogs are known to host and, hence, can transmit worms and other parasites.
At night, your cats are all over the place searching for food high and low and in between, so it doesn't matter where the frog is.
I don't think bullfrogs are poisonous to fish. Since this is a "natural" pond/setting, it likely does not matter but I'd be cautious giving live frogs to aquarium fish - frogs are known to host and, hence, can transmit worms and other parasites.
Hey, thanks for the info! I hope my cats are out at night! They're albino and they hate the light, but I can't see them at all if I don't go out there with a flashlight.
The reason I asked about the cats eating frogs is because there was a big monster fish in that pond when we first moved in (also an albino channel cat) and he would eat anything that ended up in his pond. He suddenly died about a year after we got here and not knowing his age, we kind of thought he ate something--like a frog or acorns. We knew nothing about pond keeping at the time and weren't prepared with the hundreds of acorns that dropped in there from the oak tree on the property behind us, but now we have nets over the ponds. I know my monster ate the acorns because A) his pond was clean, and B) I had dozens of little oak trees sprouting the following spring in the exact spot where I buried him. But I don't know if that would have killed him. My husband thought he ate the bullfrog...and we didn't hear one for a long time after that either. I just don't want to lose anymore fish so now that I have new channel cats, I want to learn as much as possible to keep them safe.
The reason I asked about the cats eating frogs is because there was a big monster fish in that pond when we first moved in (also an albino channel cat) and he would eat anything that ended up in his pond. He suddenly died about a year after we got here and not knowing his age, we kind of thought he ate something--like a frog or acorns. We knew nothing about pond keeping at the time and weren't prepared with the hundreds of acorns that dropped in there from the oak tree on the property behind us, but now we have nets over the ponds. I know my monster ate the acorns because A) his pond was clean, and B) I had dozens of little oak trees sprouting the following spring in the exact spot where I buried him. But I don't know if that would have killed him. My husband thought he ate the bullfrog...and we didn't hear one for a long time after that either. I just don't want to lose anymore fish so now that I have new channel cats, I want to learn as much as possible to keep them safe.
Most catfish hide during the day, especially when small. They are nocturnal fish. They will become much bolder when they will be growing. They can be easily trained to be hand-fed and interact with the keeper. Albinos rarely survive in the wild - too visible for predators or land and air. Good you have the netting but the land predators and cats still can get them.
In a vast majority of cases, fish die in people's care from poor water conditions almost always having to do with insufficient bio-filtration. If your pond is huge and natural, then it is a different story.
I've never heard of a case of a catfish dying from eating a bullfrog - you need to continue searching for that info or seek someone who might know (start a new thread with a clear title, like "Has any one heard of catfish dying from ingesting a bullfrog?"?). Acorns is a good guess IMO. I wonder if they sprouted inside your fish and killed it, sort of like the famous, wicked bamboo execution. But then, it likely was not the first time that oak dropped acorns in the pond and the fish must have been there for a long time. If both true, that argues against that hypothesis.
In a vast majority of cases, fish die in people's care from poor water conditions almost always having to do with insufficient bio-filtration. If your pond is huge and natural, then it is a different story.
I've never heard of a case of a catfish dying from eating a bullfrog - you need to continue searching for that info or seek someone who might know (start a new thread with a clear title, like "Has any one heard of catfish dying from ingesting a bullfrog?"?). Acorns is a good guess IMO. I wonder if they sprouted inside your fish and killed it, sort of like the famous, wicked bamboo execution. But then, it likely was not the first time that oak dropped acorns in the pond and the fish must have been there for a long time. If both true, that argues against that hypothesis.
I don't think it was a bullfrog either. I thought it was the acorns, and from what all of the neighbors have said (they've been here since these houses were built), it is the first time the oak dropped acorns--at least since the hurricanes. It's not a natural pond, though--the previous owner put it in, and based on that timeline, it's definitely the first time that tree dropped acorns since the ponds were put in. We had a front move through that weekend with heavy gusts of winds and we could hear the acorns hit the deck and plop into the pond all night--hundreds of them. I went out first thing in the morning with the net to try to get them out and there were none in there so he had to have eaten them. It got cold, too. It went from 80 degrees to 30 in the space of 24 hours. That was two years ago so I don't have any info on water quality at the time, but I did test it and took a sample somewhere else to be tested too, and all the koi and goldfish in the lower pond were fine. That's when I ordered the netting and now I never take if off.
But I did see the smallest of my channel cats last night so I'm sure the bigger one is still there. My old monster was very friendly and I'm hoping these guys will be too. I'll have to go searching through old posts or start a new thread to see how to train them.
But I did see the smallest of my channel cats last night so I'm sure the bigger one is still there. My old monster was very friendly and I'm hoping these guys will be too. I'll have to go searching through old posts or start a new thread to see how to train them.
you stop throwing food in the pond and just hold the food in the water in your hand/glove/tweezers/what not, something a cat cannot resist, e.g., a nice chunk of fish... being armed with patience as it may take days/weeks of trying and being prepared to be splashed too The bigger (= more confident and bold) the fish is, the easier it is usually to accomplish, at least with the fish that do grow big. You know channels can hit 3.5'-4' and 40-60 lbs, right?By natural, I meant liner-less.
Are the koi pond and the catfich pond connected? Same water?
Some pics would be nice. For one, I wonder what your netting looks like that it does not let through small acorns. Everything I ever used had large holes, like 1"x1".
That's great info, thanks! And that makes sense with the food. The only reason I saw my little one last night is because I fed them much later than usual and he was out waiting for me, wondering where his food was!
My nets are 1/4"--I had to get them online because I couldn't find any pond/fish supply places here. I think I found it on ebay.
Yes, the ponds are connected. I've tried several times to get good pictures, but I really need an aerial view. The ponds form a u-shape and there is a raised deck inside the U, so it's surrounded on 3 sides by pond. The waterfall in the back corner flows into a bog area which flows into the catfish pond, which flows into the koi pond. And yes, I do know how big the channel cats can get! Big Boy was at least 3 ft. and 50 lbs. (maybe more) and he is buried right beside the pond's edge because that was as far out as we could get him (and my husband is not a small man).
I hope my baby cats grow enough this year that I can start training them!
My nets are 1/4"--I had to get them online because I couldn't find any pond/fish supply places here. I think I found it on ebay.
Yes, the ponds are connected. I've tried several times to get good pictures, but I really need an aerial view. The ponds form a u-shape and there is a raised deck inside the U, so it's surrounded on 3 sides by pond. The waterfall in the back corner flows into a bog area which flows into the catfish pond, which flows into the koi pond. And yes, I do know how big the channel cats can get!
Big Boy was at least 3 ft. and 50 lbs. (maybe more) and he is buried right beside the pond's edge because that was as far out as we could get him (and my husband is not a small man).I hope my baby cats grow enough this year that I can start training them!
Your pond system sounds fascinating. Definitely worth a new thread with pics, stats, etc. Is the house multi-story? Maybe the second story could be used for a pic taking. Or you may ask a clown that walks on high sticks, don't know what they are exactly called in English.
Your hypothesis that acorns killed your big channel seems stronger now. Again, may be a good idea to ask in a new thread if anyone saw anything like that. Poisoning or sprouting are not the only things. For instance, Big Boy may have gotten too greedy and ate so many of them that he simply could not pass them, could not regurgitate, and got a clog and died.
Channels are the most farmed fish available in most restaurants. Early in life, they are said to put on 0.5 lb of body mass per 1 lb of food. I got two 5" albinos Mar 2011. Today they are about 1' 4". Just an FYI. This is a far cry from champion growth.
Your hypothesis that acorns killed your big channel seems stronger now. Again, may be a good idea to ask in a new thread if anyone saw anything like that. Poisoning or sprouting are not the only things. For instance, Big Boy may have gotten too greedy and ate so many of them that he simply could not pass them, could not regurgitate, and got a clog and died.
Channels are the most farmed fish available in most restaurants. Early in life, they are said to put on 0.5 lb of body mass per 1 lb of food. I got two 5" albinos Mar 2011. Today they are about 1' 4". Just an FYI. This is a far cry from champion growth.