Wels (Silurus Glanis) Growout and Update thread

[Chub_by]

Hi everyone. Due to the trouble that Wels have caused some people on this board, let me preface this by saying that I live in an area where these fish are native and completely legal. Never, ever keep fish that are illegal in your area and never, ever release fish, legal or illegal, into the wild. You would be doing the hobby more harm than you think.

I considered posting this in the catfish section, but after all, I am keeping them in a coldwater pond and maybe this thread will help bring some attention to this often wrongfully overlooked part of the forum and the hobby itself.

So, after giving away all of my previous pond fish (https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/possibly-the-last-pond-update.733698/) last week, I was very close to returning to my roots and stocking my favourite overall group of fish, predatory cyprinids (My screen name derives from the common name of the Chub, Squalius Cephalus). So close, in fact, that I already had the following fish in my shopping cart at an online pond fish retailer:
-Chub
-Orfe (Leuciscus Idus)
-Barbel (Barbus Barbus)
-Asp (Leuciscus Aspius)

Now, I can imagine I would have been pretty happy with this stocking. They're all nice looking, active and interesting fish and Asp especially would have been something very unique that is kept by pretty much nobody for ornamental reasons.
However, I had some doubts. Firstly, only the Asp and at a push the Chub would have been "real predators", secondly the number one on my future wishlist, elopichthys bambusa, is all but impossible to locate here and thirdly Asp and Barbel need very highly oxygenated, high flow water which I don't know if I could have supplied in summer (my pond gets very warm).
So I'm scrolling a few online suppliers and an offer for "black and white Wels" catches my eye. I'd always said I wouldn't get a Wels until I found a piebald one. It wasn't one of those, but the next best thing lol.
Very long story short, this arrived at my doorstep yesterday morning:

 

[Chub_by]

Cont. because writing long threads on mobile is the worst


Inside was this:



Yup, not one but two Wels.
Let them float for a while and then mixed their bag water with some from my pond to finish their acclimatisation and for a quick photo sesh:



Obviously, the wild form doesn't show up nearly as well against the black tub as the albino morph. I may need to acquire one of those blue koi tubs lol

 

[Chub_by]

Cont.

They arrived in good condition, the wild form slightly tattered but nothing that won't heal fast in good water. They do seem very thin though, I am debating cautionary deworming. Any opinions?

Their home for the next few years:



I upgraded the filter after this picture, it should handle their bioload easily but I might add additional mechanical next spring to prolong cleaning intervals.

 

[jjohnwm]

This should be an interesting thread. How big/deep is that pond? Liner-style?

And...is that a banana plant growing near that pond? Where in Europe are you located?

Does absolutely everybody live somewhere warmer and more comfortable than I do????

 

[Chub_by]

This should be an interesting thread. How big/deep is that pond? Liner-style?

And...is that a banana plant growing near that pond? Where in Europe are you located?

Does absolutely everybody live somewhere warmer and more comfortable than I do????

Yes it's a liner, the total size of the pond is about 20sqm, but the deep water area is only about 2/3 that and has varying depths so the total gallonage is around 3,500g.
I wish I lived in a warmer and more comfortable area lol, but if I did the whole garden would be full of palms and the pond would contain RTC not Wels
Yes that's a banana plant, it's a Musa basjoo which doesn't produce edible fruit but the rhizome is very cold hardy. I've seen people keep them in very cold areas of the US and Canada with the necessary winter protection. (Growing exotic plants in marginal climates is one of my big hobbies along with fish)
I'm in Germany.

 

[wednesday13]

nice pickups ?... they dont fair well together IME... never know unless u try tho, might get lucky. I had around a half dozen and ended up with 2 in seperate tanks. Look pretty decent weight wise, all head and tail is normal lol...Really not the gluttons people make them out to be. Theyll grow more bold/tame over time during feeding. Good luck with them ??

 

[Chub_by]

nice pickups ?... they dont fair well together IME... never know unless u try tho, might get lucky. I had around a half dozen and ended up with 2 in seperate tanks. Look pretty decent weight wise, all head and tail is normal lol...Really not the gluttons people make them out to be. Theyll grow more bold/tame over time during feeding. Good luck with them ??

Thanks bro, yep cohabitation can be difficult but I shouldn't have any problems in a pond this size until they grow considerably bigger. In the long run its probable that I'll keep the albino for visibility regions. And yeah the tameness is one of the main reasons I got these lol, can't wait to hand feed them some small whole fish

 

[kno4te]

Would wait before deworming. After settling in.Try feeding and see if they are eating and putting on size. Even consider adding some garlic. Should be hungry. If not then I’d consider levamisole and/or prazipro.

 

[Chub_by]

Would wait before deworming. After settling in.Try feeding and see if they are eating and putting on size. Even consider adding some garlic. Should be hungry. If not then I’d consider levamisole and/or prazipro.

Thanks for your input, yeah I think I'll wait and try garlic first. Their diet at the beginning will be pangasius fillet, mixed seafood and small whole fish (I'm looking for something other than smelt).
Once we hit autumn I'm planning to get some sturgeon pellets (very high fat content) in them to fatten them up for winter.

 

[kno4te]

Thanks for your input, yeah I think I'll wait and try garlic first. Their diet at the beginning will be pangasius fillet, mixed seafood and small whole fish (I'm looking for something other than smelt).
Once we hit autumn I'm planning to get some sturgeon pellets (very high fat content) in them to fatten them up for winter.

Soak it in some Boyd’s vitachem. For the prepacked fish and shrimp.