I have considered getting a black or blue Bullhead catfish for my 125 Gal. tank, but their reputation for violence seems to be at par with Leatherface. I have read that they only get about 16", but that they cannot live with other fish, including other Bullheads. Is this true? I know a Channel Cat would get along fine with my other fish, but C.C's get way too big for a 125 tank. I would think that if a C.C. is a compatable tankmate, a Bullhead(much smaller) should be OK as well. Does anyone keep these cats?
Question on American Bullheads?
- Thread starter shaunman
- Start date
Where the heck have you heard about excessive aggression on bullheads' parts? They are NOT aggressive. They just eat a lot, and their bulk allows them to get most of the food at feeding time, but no, they don't go around beating fish up. And they do love being in groups, as well.
I also am not sure what you mean by "blue bullhead" - you are probably thinking of the blue channel catfish.
Bullheads do not get quite that big - not 16 inches anyway. Channel cats get bigger than that, on the other hand.
A group of 2-4 black, brown, or yellow bullheads would be awesome. I've done this before, in fact. You can expect them to reach about a foot.
I also am not sure what you mean by "blue bullhead" - you are probably thinking of the blue channel catfish.
Bullheads do not get quite that big - not 16 inches anyway. Channel cats get bigger than that, on the other hand.
A group of 2-4 black, brown, or yellow bullheads would be awesome. I've done this before, in fact. You can expect them to reach about a foot.
ive never had a bull head kill another fish but thay nip the hell out off fins when hungry i had one in a pond that was 19'' and in there for about 5-6 years so it might out grow the 125
I have never heard of a bullhead over a foot. If somebody has pictures, they need to post them.
Otherwise, I'll continue to believe that they are in fact something else.
Otherwise, I'll continue to believe that they are in fact something else.
Catch yellow bullheads out of a farm pond at home in north carolina anywhere from 6" to 18". Definitely 100% yellow bullheads. I have been studying catfish almost exclusively for 8 years. Now that I am in montana the only small catfish that I can expect to encounter is brown, and yellow bullheads, stone cats, and channel catfish. Ehh, one day I'll get back to the more diverse catfish waters of north carolina. One thing you might wish to note also is that the average size of catfish is larger in the southern states than in the northern ones. Most species of catfish don't make it this far north. There's a picture of a 6 lb. yellow bullhead somewhere on the internet. He was 19" and fat as hell.
santoury;771231; said:
It depends on the species you're talking about. Some reach only 10-11", others can reach 24.
This individual is a brown bullhead owned by an aquarist in the UK. It's an award winning fish at 20" in length.
SOURCE: http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/nebulosus.html
Here are some photos of other large bullheads.
To answer the OP's question. I have not found bullheads to be aggresive at all. They generally keep to themselves. They are heavy eaters however and if they think a fish can fit in their mouths they will try to do so. There is an article I wrote about bullhead cats in the "Coldwater, Temperate and North American Native Fish" forum on this site. It's a sticky so it will be right on top.
Nice job sandtiger. I know there are a few species that get over a foot long I just didn't feel like looking them up right away. That's the first time I have seen that one of the 20" from the UK. He's a fatty. Several pounds there I am sure.
yep those are fattys all right back in iowa id catch a hole string of them thay are really good fried but i like them as pets to thay eat ALOT and have there own personality but never a vicious one
Thanks. Cool pictures by the way. Nice to know about the difference in size depending on them being Union or Confederate. The one I was thinking about getting is about 4 inches, and if I were to guess, I'd say it's a yellow. I have only read that they are pretty agressive, not actually ever having owned one, but then again, there is all sorts of mis-info out there, like Bullheads not ever getting more than a foot long. Thanks everyone.