Moving channel cats to pond, how should I proceed.

[tunerX]

I am going to be moving a 24" and 18" channel cat from my tank to my outdoor pond. The channels have started nesting but I am pretty sure that they will not breed because a 96x48x28 tank is to small, they don't about the size right now and are causing chaos in my tank. I was planning for a move in July when the ground water is warmer but the other fish could definitely use the break.

My major problem is that the tank is 81.5 degrees and the pond is 50 degrees. How long and what type of acclimation should I do to get these guys out of my 579 gallon?

I was thinking of using a 4x2 rubbermaid tub, and pump straight chilly well water into it at about 1 gallon per hour until the temp is equal to my ground water, about 60 degrees right now. Leave them in it for a couple days then start a trickle at the pond to get them to the 50s. I don't know if that big a drop in temp over a weeks time will cause them to go into shock.

 

[kydsexy]

if you take a trip from florida to alaska then how would you feel? a 30 degree swing in a week will probably move them into shock, even if they are hardy. try to stretch it out a little bit longer if possible, maybe 3 weeks, give it a 2 degree a day drop. also try to set the tank up in sunlight if possible

 

[maynardwix]

Do you have any other fish in the tank with the channel cats, if not you could start by turning the heater off on their tank and let it cool down, when it has cooled a bit then you can use the rubbermaid tub and slowly acclimate them the rest of the way to the temp of the pond they are going into. I am getting ready to move my channel cat to a pond, but I have the opposite problem, my tank is cooler than the pond it is going to, ponds here are about 85 - 90 right now and my tank is about 78 - 80.

 

[tunerX]

I have some cichlids in with them. The tank is at about 81.5 right now. I also have a couple pumpkin seed sunfish that can handle the cold but I am kind of stuck at that temp The lowest I could safely go is probably 78, but that isn't small enough difference.

They aren't being as ornery as the last couple of days, I guess they realized that the tank is not the best place to raise a brood. I should be able to get a couple more months out of them, since I have at least a month until their mating cycle kicks in again. I will wait until the end of July to mid August. Then the pond will be warmer and the change in temp won't be as great.

This was the first time I had channels nest and was surprised that they even decided to try it in a little 579 gallon tank.