Flathead Catfish

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 31 Oct 2011, 10:05

Anyone around here keep flathead catfish? I have a tank several hundred gallons and keep a 10 inch flattie with some large perches.

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 01 Nov 2011, 01:34

Cool!

I am a "never-have-but-wanna-be". Please share details and pictures. They grow enormous so very few people would keep them in anything smaller than a several-thousand-gal pond.

Also, not many on this forum are into big cats, at least into keeping them: one user in a thousand maybe.

I've been here for 2 years and you are the first who says they keep this cat.

What's your game plan for this fish as it grows?

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 03 Nov 2011, 21:17

I've had "Freakles" for about a year now. Hes grown some but not extremely fast. I should be able to house him until he is about 10 lbs or so. Im an avid flathead fisherman, so very familiar with many big cats. I housed a large blue cat with him for a while, but even though Freakles is a 1/10 of his size, he really would beat him up. I had to remove the blue cat to keep the competition at bay. The aquarium has many tangled up roots and rocks and stuff and he loves it. The tank has large filters, skimmers, and UV's to maintain the bio-load.

The hardest part of keeping this catfish is keeping it fed. I have a separate tank just to raise feeder goldfish, minnows, and other assorted "yum yums". I go through a rigorous quarantine of feeders before feeding them to the main tak to prevent disease and parasites. I've calculated it out that this catfish can consume 10-15% of its body weight each day! He doesn't pick on the perches or crappies. Maybe he is "waiting"

Should he outgrow the tank, I will build a larger or he will go into the private pond. Ive kept many fish over the years but this is the coolest little dude! Totally fascinating to watch hunt. Ive never seen him miss a strike.

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 04 Nov 2011, 12:12

You are making me a bit too excited

Thanks much for sharing. Photos would go even farther. Sounds like you are an experienced and knowledgeable fish-keeper, which is very pleasant to encounter.

I am building a small, fresh water Public Aquarium in Naples, FL ((( http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =4&t=33968 ))) and am constantly looking for contacts just like you to help me catch big fish for my exhibits. I aim to exhibit the largest fresh water (some brackish) fish from all 5 continents, 2' and up, and educate visitors on aquaculture, conservation, pollution, humane fish-keeping hobby, etc. So it is mostly cats and odd balls - arowanas, pacus, giant gouramis, gars, carp/koi, eels, arapaimas, Nile perch, bass, sturgeon - stuff like that.

If interested, here is a sample of what I've kept before:
note 5 pages http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... et+catfish

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 07 Nov 2011, 13:11

Sounds really exciting. I would love to be able to build somehing like that. If ever I can help you out aquiring some native species, let me know. I can typically catch flatheads 30 plus pounds, and blues in that range as well.
I can post pics of flatheads, blues, paddlefish, and stripers caught this year if i can figure out how to use this thing.

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 07 Nov 2011, 15:11

I appreciate the offer.

As for the pics, there are several easy ways: please find the right entry in FAQs.

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 17 Nov 2011, 13:38

One simple way is to use the "upload attachment" tab below your reply window (when you are typing up a reply). It allows you to attach 3 files of no more than 512 KB size each. This is the only way I've been using. Others involve using links, clogs, etc. as described in FAQs.

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 01 Dec 2011, 02:08

Here is freakles. Im hoping to shoot some video of a strike on his prey. He is really getting big now in just last 4 weeks!

Martin S · Post by **Martin S** » 01 Dec 2011, 07:22

Can someone please tell me what species 'freakles' is? The image doesn't give enough away to those, like me, who aren't familiar with native fish of the US.
Thanks
Martin

Dave Rinaldo · Post by **Dave Rinaldo** » 01 Dec 2011, 07:33

Martin S · Post by **Martin S** » 20 Dec 2011, 13:16

Dave Rinaldo wrote:
Pylodictis olivaris

Thanks Dave

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 23 Jan 2012, 23:58

A few pics of Freakles, he is now eating from my hand!

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 26 Jan 2012, 17:06

Awfully cute IMHO. Thanks! What's his length today?

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 27 Jan 2012, 01:07

Hes now 12 inches. Getting to be a friendly little guy.

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 31 Jan 2012, 11:26

Here is a quick video I made of my flattie being fed.

Steve GT · Post by **Steve GT** » 31 Jan 2012, 12:12

Stunning cat you have there

Out of interest how big will it get full size

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 31 Jan 2012, 12:18

Steve GT wrote:Out of interest how big will it get full size

Somewhere around "huge" (depending on the exact definition of huge - but definitely too big for most home aquaria) - the size is listed on the Cat-eLog page whhich is in Dave Rinaldo's post above.

--
Mats

Steve GT · Post by **Steve GT** » 31 Jan 2012, 12:34

Wow I see what you mean, around 5ft in size then

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 31 Jan 2012, 12:37

in this case just length is not gonna cut it; this will be 1 massive monster

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 31 Jan 2012, 19:20

Me likes. Me wants to get some of that for my new fish tank soon. Record catch weighed 56 kg. She is holding a fish roughly half that size. My kind of gal too, BTW.

http://www.jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/fres ... ivaris.htm
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Pylodic ... varis.html

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 01 Feb 2012, 21:29

These are a few we caught this year. I hope my little guy gets this big!

apistomaster · Post by **apistomaster** » 02 Feb 2012, 01:16

Around the 1890's Channel and Flathead Catfish were planted into the Columbia River and it's major tributary, the Snake River.
The Snake River runs through my town and until a few years ago I had only seen and caught Channel Catfish from the Snake River. Then one morning I saw my neighbor across the street hanging a big fish from his chain link fence. I strolled over to check it out and it was the first Flathead I had ever seen. He caught it about a mile from our houses while night fishing. It isn't legal but he used a 10" Rainbow Trout for bait. It was very close to the size of the big fish the young woman is holding in that photo. One huge fish with a very wide mouth. Made me wonder just how large they get here.

Fat_Cat_Fanatic · Post by **Fat_Cat_Fanatic** » 27 Feb 2012, 09:47

I am new here, basically just joined. But this thread immediately caught my eye and interest. Probably because I am a huge Flathead fan. I caught one last year that was too small for me to eat, but its against the law here to throw them back into the river if you get one, and so I kept him. He is quite happy being housed in a 75

Gal tank I had just collecting dust. He is 16 inches n enjoys a diet of Small Panfish, Large Feeders and Night crawlers. I absolutely love him to death, he is also getting really tame for a wild caught critter if I may say so. Also I intend on Building a decent sized outdoor pond for him once he gets another 6 or so inches long

F_C_F

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 27 Feb 2012, 21:36

Welcome, Ef.Si.Ef.!

Great story and good to have another big catfish fan around here. Where on the east coast is it illegal to release an (invasive, I assume) flattie? And, also, what does your signature, which I find vague but in a way funny, mean in your interpretation?

Fat_Cat_Fanatic · Post by **Fat_Cat_Fanatic** » 27 Feb 2012, 23:21

$\M/$ Victor in Southeast Pennsylvania. I been told repeatedly by other anglers that you can get in big trouble by releasing them back, at least back into the Susquehanna where I do a majority of my river fishing, they are just destroying the populations of everything else in my area due to their massive growth rate n rather dominating final size and voracious appetite. I wont lie tho, If n when I do catch a small baby and no one is around I have tossed a cpl back in the last 2 years

As for shaking it twice,

it probly means what you think it means, But I will let you just use your imagination with that

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 29 Feb 2012, 14:10

Interesting to know. Very picturesque, mountainous river - never fished but drove by many times on my way from Rochester NY to FL and back. You might wanna consider indicating at least your state in the location details - it'd be helpful to others to talk to you.

A friend of mine tosses "bad" fish on the shore for the birds and racoons to enjoy...

Judging from your heavily veiled response, I better not pursue it and no, I'd rather thoroughly not imagine anything along those lines either

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 09 Mar 2012, 02:37

Greetings! It is great to have another person out there keeping one of these cool little guys! Mine seems to eat heavy every 4 days, filling until he is so round he almost busts! likes worms, shrimp and krill. I stopped feeding live fish due to disease problems, so he is on a worm/frozen diet and seems to be growing bigger and better! Mine is getting pretty friendly now too.

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 09 Mar 2012, 13:06

Yeah, for some of my fish it takes a while, many months sometimes, to learn where the goodies come from. For others, it is very quick and they are ready to crawl up your arm to get a tasty tidbit.

And then there are those amazing YouTube videos where it is quite clear that some big fishes, like RTCs and RTCxTSN hybrids, enjoy interacting with the owners' hand and being rubbed and petted over and over and over again without any food in sight. No one knowledgeable, I think, would recommend petting your fish and damaging/removing its slime coat and introducing alien bacterial cultures onto their skin and, occasionally, bad stuff into the tank water (e.g., trace amounts of detergent, lubricants, heavy metals, whatever else we touch, etc.) but somehow it is still a heart-warming sight.

tbinchrist · Post by **tbinchrist** » 24 Jun 2012, 13:46

My flattie is now about 15" and doing well!
Just acquired a Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) for a tankmate. He is in quarantine right now.So long as the nightlights stay on, the flathead gets along fine with everyone. If it goes black, it gets pretty interesting.

sequoiacat · Post by **sequoiacat** » 18 Jul 2012, 06:28

I want to house one as a pet too now. ill have to wait foe when i own property.