Pond for Blue Channel Catfish?

Question

I have a catfish who is currently in a 55 gallon aquarium, and he is not going to last very long in there, so I need to get him a pond pronto. What size /shape of a pond would a channel cat be happy in (providing they grow to 4 ft sometimes), and what kind of filter, plants, equipment should I buy for the pond?

Answer 1

If you are in a hurry, you can go to a feedstore and get a horse's trough. If it freezes in the winter, move the trough into a garage or basement.
If you make a pond for him, make sure that it is deep enough to be below the frost line, and also so predators won't catch him. You don't want it so deep that kids could drown.
The size of a home made pond is limited by your cash. My grandma had one made for her goldfish. The sides were straight, made out of poured cement. She had some boxes with some lilly pads planted in them so the fish could hide in the plants. This way a kid could always climb out if they fell in.

Answer 2

It depends on what you want to put in the pond. If it is just the catfish, I would put a pump, not a filter for circulation so mosquitos dont lay eggs in the water. I would not worry about a filter because catfish feed off the bottom, so they would pretty much keep it clean. Make the pond deep, dont just buy one of those plastic molds at Lowes or something. They will not survive in one of those. I would try and make it at least 6 feet deep and 15'x15'. This should allow enough oxygen so that you dont have to run a constant pump. It might be a good idea to let the pond circulate and get some coys or something before putting the cat in. Hope these suggestions help!!

Answer 3

do not put any koi or goldfish in the pond with this catfish, he will eat them! why don't you turn him loose next spring?

Answer 4

get a big one! (this is coming from a little kid here!)