So today I was feeding my sturgeon and I noticed the strangest thing. The Chinese Wels decided to join in on the frenzy. I was not expecting this because he always eats live earthworms and frozen fish. I feed my sturgeon high protein pellets. I’ve never seen him do this. Is it normal for a highly predatory catfish like this to suddenly start eating pellets?
fugupuff
I personally don't see it as surprising but rather normal and expected to happen sooner or later, especially if the catfish doesn't fill up on the worms and fish. Sturgeon pellets are usually high in fat and smell attractive to a catfish too.
What I am surprised by a bit is that you are calling it a highly predatory catfish. I'd think that by nature this is a scavenger and opportunist and not a predator. It doesn't have much stealth because even its smallest profile, which is head-on, is still large and looming, it doesn't have much speed, burst or steady state, so it can't be an active pursuit or an ambush predator. It has a lot of agility and flexibility, which points to an opportunist.
Also eating pellets doesn't make a fish less of a predator. Almost all 100% predators are known to take pellets, some easier, some harder. ATF, dorado, TSN, goonch, gulper, various perches would be good examples.
Finally, a few questions you totally don't have to answer: how do you decide between adding to your old thread on the same fish or creating a new thread? Does this consideration enter your mind? How you'd deal with a peer asking Hey, I've heard you have kept a Chinese large-mouth catfish, I am considering getting it, where can learn of your experience or tell me about it? I am curious.
