Channel catfish vs. blue channel catfish

[B_IN_SD]

I think there is a difference in the fins between the channel cat and blue cat. The blue cat gets huge compaired to the channel cat. Do a google search for record sizes. this is the first site I found http://home.earthlink.net/~catfish_billy/id15.html

You should be asking what catfish can I put in my pond that will not eat the bass.

 

[gangster]

I know what blue cats are....they get huge! But shops have blue channel cats. Im not too worried about the bass. The catfish would be more likely to thin out the huge sunfish/bluegill population.

 

[jgentry]

The only other catfish are either flatheads (get huge) or bullheads. I think there are yellow and black bullheads but I don't remember for sure. I know they get a max of around 16 inches and are extremely mean in an aquarium setting. You will also want to add any catfish at at least 12+ inches because a largemouth that weighs more then 2 pounds can easily eat a 8 inch channel cat. That is why when ponds are stocked in north america they recommend adding the channel catfish in the fall at around 3 inches and then adding the bluegill and bass the next spring. Other wise the bass will just eat them. It's amazing what a 6 inch bass can swallow.

Good luck

 

[snakeheader]

marbled cats,flatheads,bullheads,thats pretty much it for choices

 

[B_IN_SD]

The midwest has White cats too. I don't think they get very big.

 

[hotsauce]

i keep both, and there is a difference. but general care and params are the same. difference...SIZE! ive kept both species and relized quickly that blues are pickier eaters. or maybe just mine. but the channels are any and everything goes. the channels seem to widen faster, the blues dont spread till they get longer, around 18" to 24". great fish! my channel feeds by hand and my blue damn near cracked the tank the other day, trying to run! as far as community with bass, make sure the cat is larger because the bass destroy them! no scales! if they seem to compete for food, the bass will attack them. as for eating the bass, the cat has to be considerably larger, unlike RTC who eat what fits! our natives aren't as mean till they get large.

 

[gangster]

snakeheader whats a marbled cat look like? Ive picked up 2 albino channel cats for now. Im gonna pick up a couple more albino's and a blue channel cat in the next few weeks. I'll put them in the pond maybe next may or june. So they will have a good 8 months to fatten up. The pond is descent size. About 20-25ft in length and about 15ft wide. Full of lillies and underwater plants for coverage. I caught a good 3lb largemouth out of it this last summer. I know the albino's young wont survive if they spawn for the most part(atleast the albino offspring). But it would be cool to have a few large albino channel cats in there.

 

[jgentry]

Albinos look great in ponds. Especially if they are tame and will come up and eat floating food.

 

[gangster]

We'll see. The pond is at my parents house a good 4hrs away. But that is kinda what I was thinking. Some real big albino cats because there is plenty of food in the pond. I'd be really suprised to see baby albino's grow up. I think all the bass and perch would pick them off.