Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Black bullhead (couple of questions)

Hey there!
Haven't been here for some while and now it seems it's the right time to come back and talk about some bullheads.
I tried using the search function to find the plenty of topics about them (probably there are) but somehow search didn't find anything. Weird...

I saw and advertisement that offers me some type of catfish. They are not common in Latvia and that's why I don't know much about them.
Look here:

https://www.ss.lv/msg/lv/agriculture/fish-industry/fish-fry/cllmx.html

(click on pictures to see more).

At first - is that black bullhead? If not - any ideas what is that?

And then - is there any risk connected with introducing them into a rather large pond (2,5-3,5 acres)? I got plenty of crucian carp (carassius auratus gibelio) there (might be useful as forage fish for them) and perch and Northern pike as main predators.
Can anyone give me some quick answers as well?
1) how fast do these grow (Latvia might be similar to some Nortern part of USA. We got ice for some months usually (it means - cold water for some long period).
2) max. size (not talking about world record but something reasonable);
3) how soon do they spawn (2nd year; 3rd year etc.). Btw, these fish in the advertisement are like 3-5 cm (1-2 inches) in length;
4) are they tasty? They should I assume but whatever - I'd like to have an approval.
5) what about their survival in water with a low oxygen level?
6) any other useful information.

Over here in the USA, we say do not stock them. They usually overpopulate and become stunted. They survive in poor water conditions. Those look like some species of Bullhead.

What about a pond with other predators? Small perch and pike may eat the juveniles but big pike might eliminate larger specimens.
And I might take the rest with a gill net or so

Welcome back Grundulis!

What are you looking to accomplish by adding a species like this? Just more diversity?

With adequate predators present (here we'd suggest largemouth bass for control), they shouldn't overpopulate. But you also probably won't see any benefit to them either. Stocking at such small sizes, they'll be gobbled up pretty quickly.

If for some reason the predators weren't able to knock them back, bullheads can create problems. Their spawns are large, they create muddy water by scavenging around the bottom of ponds, and can be pesky little bait thieves when fishing for something else.

They don't look like black bullheads to me, but I've seen only small ones that were very black. Larger ones may be lighter. These look closer to yellow bellies, but not quite. The black bullheads I've seen were in cold water with northern pike. They were all too small to mess with. I believe in warmer water, black bullheads grow as large as yellow and brown bullheads, and they are all so similar that the species makes very little difference. I lived on a lake in southern Wisconsin that had nice brown and yellow bullheads, commonly up to around 3 lb, and also northern pike and walleye. I think bullheads are excellent table fare, but the warnings about overcrowding are valid. It might be better to experiment in a smaller body of water that you could sacrifice, if necessary. They have sharp spines in their dorsal and pectoral fins that cause stinging if you get stuck, and they protect the fish from predators. They can survive in muddy, poor quality water that few other fish can stand. When they get more than a few inches long, northerns won't prey on them.

IME...

I grew up eating Bullheads and thought they were great. If I catch a nice one now, it is still invited to dinner. The largest one I've ever caught was probably 1.5 pounds. At least some folks must stock them here as I see that Smith Creek Fish Farm sells them. Would I stock them in my own pond? No. I think there are lot better choices available, at least for folks in the US. I don't know what's available in Latvia.

Now if my pond had extended periods of poor water quality and I was looking for a fish that would survive, I would consider it.

Why do I think about them? Yes, more diversity would be just fine for me
I have some possibilities to stock them into another pond (can be drained easily) without any predators for reaching decent size. Then I'd might put them into the main pond.

And I don't care much about mudd water because I've got plenty of common carp and they do exactly the same.

The other pond sounds like the ticket. Put them in there and see what you have in a year or 2. When they get big enough to eat, start taking them out and see if you can catch enough to keep their number under control. They could provide you with lots of good fishing and eating.

Have you considered adding brown trout or zander? Also you might consider adding some sort of baitfish, possibly the roach or common dace? I have no idea your access to these species, but noticed that your pond has room for diversity if you liked it. I don't recommend stocking these bullheads, as they are not beneficial to your pond.

Brown trout simply won't live there - no stream, warm and muddy water.
Zander has been introduced recently but I don't know how well was the introduction - too small fish to catch right now. I hope to catch some specimens this/next year.

OK, seems like most of you suggest not to deal with these bullheads. Thank you. I'll think about them in another pond.

EDIT: talked to my relative who basically lives near these ponds. We decided to postpone this thing till the next year or so.