first off i would like to say mfk is a awesome place and this my first and i hope it is not a stupid question thank you in advance for your help and i am sorry if this question has been asked somewhere in the forums already i did not see and that is why i am asking. over the winter i am going to start construction of pond between 8,000 and 10,000 gallons and i was what species if any non native catfish would be able to survive the winters outside.thanks again
South Carolina Catfish pond
- Thread starter meloreaper
- Start date
Although others will disagree this is not a good idea. If the pond were to overflow, or flood the fish could potentially become an invasive hazard. There are many, many non native catfish that could survive a SC winter, but again I would urge you to keep native species due to the risk of escape.
Welcome to MFK btw. 
I have considered this option before myself, but I couldn't live with myself if I was the cause of a invasive outbreak.
I have considered this option before myself, but I couldn't live with myself if I was the cause of a invasive outbreak.
Welcome to MFK! As stated above, it's not usually recommended that you keep non natives in outdoor ponds. But it's always possible. There are numerous species that can live in the pond year round and people frequently do keep non natives in ponds. Just do your research and of course build a monster pond for monster fish
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this may sound cocky foolish but i have three stage plan to prevent this stage 1 my pond will be half in the ground and half above surrounded by a deck like you would have around a pool and plexiglass panels will be on top of that so people cant fall in but can still see good stage 2 i am going to put overflow drains around the top that will drain excess water into my fishing pond stage 3 the only body of water other than my fishing pond is a small creek that is barely ankle deep and is almost half a mile away through some woods i am sorry if i sound foolish or naive it is not my intention
also i planed to only have 1 of any given species so that even if someone climbed over my fence and stole my fish they could not breed in the wild for this very reason i like all of you would never want to be in any way for there being a new fish problem in US
Sounds like you do have a good plan, and are very prepared. All sounds well, and I'd say you're pretty safe with the only creek a half mile away. Just do your research and keep us on mfk updated!
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I think we should start off with what is the lowest temp your pond will have and for how long (hours, day, week, month?). Then, what is the highest (you likely will want to shade it?) and for how long?
Birds can snatch and drop the fish in another body of water when unable to swallow/eat. Better check with your local Fish and Wildlife office for the requirements to house non-natives in an outside pond AFTER you know what you want. If there are no conditional/restricted and no prohibited species on your list, it will make it much easier. The permits are usually free. There may be inspection(s).
Birds can snatch and drop the fish in another body of water when unable to swallow/eat. Better check with your local Fish and Wildlife office for the requirements to house non-natives in an outside pond AFTER you know what you want. If there are no conditional/restricted and no prohibited species on your list, it will make it much easier. The permits are usually free. There may be inspection(s).
during the summer it can get pretty hot outside but the water temps rarely gets over the mid 70s and that's in direct sunlight my small preform garden pond is part shade part sun and it stays pretty cool even during the hottest months however winters in sc can be a little hinky 1 day it could be nice and warm and the next freezing cold and i am not sure what the water temps are during the winter here but i do know that my pond does not freeze over and the fish seem to do fine just in case this is important it has a few comets and a pair of bullheads. also unless there is a freak storm air temp stays in the low 40s but only for a couple months
Hmm, my 6'-deep 12,000 gal fully in ground koi pond in Rochester NY would be in the 70-ies all summer long. And the ground temp is steady 45 F below 3' mark. If I had to guess, in direct sun, a similar pond in SC with the ground temp of ~55 F, half-way out of the ground, would easily be in the 80-eis and high 80-ies. Herein lies a problem for most temperate/cool water fish.
A few months with the air temp in the 40-ies I think will cool the water to below 50 F. Herein lies the problem for tropicals.
I suggest you browse the Cat-eLog on Planet Catfish which lists temperature ranges to find which cats can handle the ~45 F to ~85 F range. When you find one, click on the purple "(Show others within this range)" link!
Wanna try your hand at the ultimate of all MFK fish - wels? Central Asian, Australian, SA (more like central Argentina) would be the areas of interest, if you are determined to skip NA. Otherwise, a flathead, blue catfish, channels, bullheads are all nice.
Tachysilurus fulvidraco = Tawny dragon catfish is kept in outdoor ponds in CA but IDK how low a temp those ponds get to.
Also, keep in mind that temp and temp ranges need to be verified and verified again and again from different sources before you commit.
Also, keep in mind that sometimes the temp ranges simply reflect the breadth of the area a species populates and it does not mean that when subjected to yearly fluctuations within this range, this fish will be fine. Their habitat temps may be more or less steady but they reside over a large area.
A few months with the air temp in the 40-ies I think will cool the water to below 50 F. Herein lies the problem for tropicals.
I suggest you browse the Cat-eLog on Planet Catfish which lists temperature ranges to find which cats can handle the ~45 F to ~85 F range. When you find one, click on the purple "(Show others within this range)" link!
Wanna try your hand at the ultimate of all MFK fish - wels? Central Asian, Australian, SA (more like central Argentina) would be the areas of interest, if you are determined to skip NA. Otherwise, a flathead, blue catfish, channels, bullheads are all nice.
Tachysilurus fulvidraco = Tawny dragon catfish is kept in outdoor ponds in CA but IDK how low a temp those ponds get to.
Also, keep in mind that temp and temp ranges need to be verified and verified again and again from different sources before you commit.
Also, keep in mind that sometimes the temp ranges simply reflect the breadth of the area a species populates and it does not mean that when subjected to yearly fluctuations within this range, this fish will be fine. Their habitat temps may be more or less steady but they reside over a large area.