# cold water catfish?



## awh (Aug 20, 2008)

is there a cold water catfish that i could keep in a pond 8 ft square 3 ft deep i have a mixture of goldfish in there already plus two koi


----------



## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Hi
There are a few catfish that can tollerate our climate, however your pond is no where near big enough. The North American, Canadian and European Catfish grow massive and eat everything......dead or alive.

You could look at something like the Weather or Stone Loach, but i would forget about a catfish. I've seen the effects of Catfish finding there way into lakes and destroying the fish stocks:devil:


----------



## Luca Brasi (Feb 7, 2010)

If you can find one (There are restrictions on their import into the UK these days) a brown bullhead catfish would live in a pond that size. It might eat your goldfish or koi depending on sizes though. They grow very big and have carnivourous appetites to match.

I saw some for sale in Wharfe Aquatics in Pinxton last year so you could try looking there.


----------



## Luca Brasi (Feb 7, 2010)

Should have added their latin name Ameiurus nebulosus. They grow between 14" to 18" and can weigh upto 2 and a half kilos.

Blue and albino channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) also appear for sale every now and then. Like the bullhead mentioned they are also from North America. They grow larger though. In there native range they enjoy temperatures much warmer than our winters but I do know people have over wintered them here in the UK without problems. Maybe not the best choice of fish though.


----------



## awh (Aug 20, 2008)

thanks
so catfish is a no no 
will have a read up on the stone loach


----------



## mickey22 (Feb 16, 2009)

Luca Brasi said:


> a brown bullhead catfish QUOTE]
> 
> bit of-topic but..
> me and my friends used to find a small almost pleco shapped fish in streams in the uk that we used to call bullheads...not sure how we came to that name but would they be of the same species?


----------



## johne.ev (Sep 14, 2008)

How about Sterlets?


----------



## Luca Brasi (Feb 7, 2010)

mickey22 said:


> Luca Brasi said:
> 
> 
> > a brown bullhead catfish QUOTE]
> ...


----------



## Luca Brasi (Feb 7, 2010)

johne.ev said:


> How about Sterlets?


Not sure if the pond is big enough for Sterlets. They grow pretty big and it's only 8' long.


----------



## awh (Aug 20, 2008)

no i ruled out Sterlets long ago they can grow quite large 
when finished it will be the larger of two ponds am going to make a raised pond using new railway sleepers 10inch x 5inch standing on narrow side then lined with 2 inches of polystyrene then a liner (hence the size 8 foot square by 30 inches)


----------

