Blue Channel Cats

**andrew0702** · 04-23-2011, 02:02 PM

At what temp can i keep my baby blue channel catfish?

**smaug** · 04-23-2011, 03:30 PM

They should be kept with no heater. May I ask more about the tank he is kept in,such as its size ,tank mates and filtration?

**ilroost** · 04-23-2011, 11:36 PM

no heater on my albino channel who is 2 foot long now, i keep him in a pond outside in the summer

**UncleWillie** · 04-23-2011, 11:42 PM

Just FYI, there is not such thing as a blue channel catfish. There are channel catfish, and there are blue catfish. Whether you have a blue or a channel cat doesn't matter as they both get too big for any ordinary home aquarium. Blue cats are the largest North American catfish.

So to your question, you can keep them at any temp above freezing to about 85 or so.

**bettamom** · 05-11-2011, 07:14 PM

When I was young and living in Arkansas, there was a catfish we'd catch sometimes that we called a blue channel catfish. Maybe the name is a local thing, but they were considered the best tasting catfish. Sorry, when I saw this thread, that's the first thing I thought about. I don't think I could raise one without thinking about eating it.

**SmokeyCFH** · 05-11-2011, 11:46 PM

Once upon a time I housed a 2' channel cat. No thank you. Some of the stupidest and most skittish fish I've ever owned. I had mine in a heated tank along with a bullhead cat (which i still have) and an eclipse (sun spot) cat. I have a buddy who has two channels in a heated 120G and they've lived with the heater for well over a year. My biggest issue with channel cats is you really can't have sharp rocks or decor around because they frighten easily and will scratch up their bodies which can lead to an infection if you're not careful.

**smaug** · 05-12-2011, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by SmokeyCFH

Once upon a time I housed a 2' channel cat. No thank you. Some of the stupidest and most skittish fish I've ever owned. I had mine in a heated tank along with a bullhead cat (which i still have) and an eclipse (sun spot) cat. I have a buddy who has two channels in a heated 120G and they've lived with the heater for well over a year. My biggest issue with channel cats is you really can't have sharp rocks or decor around because they frighten easily and will scratch up their bodies which can lead to an infection if you're not careful.

They seem skittish because they are a big water fish that spends most of there lives in deeper,murky water. They would not be at ease in any aquarium where they can be seen. No dumber then any other fish but they have no business being kept in an aquarium unless it is 1000 gallons with structure they can hide in whenever they want. I have a channel cat in my 2500 gal outdoor pond. I bought him as a 3 incher one year in the first of may,by the end of that fall he was over a foot long. This is his 2nd yr with me and he is pushing 18 inches with a head as big around as a big mans fist. He will exceed 26 inches by the end of this fall and to tell the truth ,he isnt likely getting all he needs for food.

**UncleWillie** · 05-12-2011, 02:14 AM

BettaMom, I know what you mean about looking like food. In our fish lab we have several channel cats in our 220 gallon tank. They grow very similar to what Smaug's experience revealed - growing at incredible rates. They started at 2 inches, and now pushing 10'' only a few months later. They will go to the pond in the fall and grow up for 2013's annual fish fry

So in short, I am 100% with Smaug regarding keeping channel cats in aquaria.