I am always looking at strange and weird fish on the internet wondering, how would they do in a pond? Realizing, even if they would do well they are most likely completely illegal to raise in an open pond...

I saw these for sale: Wels Catfish and thought... Wow! Now that would be cool to have an 8 foot long albino catfish pellet trained... Would Purina make fish pellets the size of basketballs for them?

In case you are not familiar with the Wels catfish. They commonly reach 100 pounds and 6 feet in length and max out at over 400 pounds and 13 feet. Yikes! No letting the kids in the pond to swim anymore...

Makes me extremely surprised they could be legally imported into the United States. Even albino fish can breed and all it would take is a handful of these buggers to get lose and boy what a mess they could cause. A few states have had populations of CC start from albino fish dumped as unwanted aquarium pets as evidence albinos can create wild populations. People think snakeheads are bad? Please! These guys make them look like guppies!

I think the tiger fish would be cool to have, ...

I also always thought about having Golden Dorado..

Not sure how they would do in a pond , but would be a novelty for sure and slightly illegal...

Unfortunately, I bet it's only a matter of time before they are introduced in North America. Someone somewhere saw the same for sale sign and also watched River Monsters. And is dumb enough to think it's a great idea.

I wonder if they are good eating. Do they eat these in Europe?

I think the only thing limiting the odds for now is the darn things cost between $250 and $300 a piece... Once you grew one out to 3 feet which wouldn't take but two or three years, if it was released into the wild even as an albino, survival would be almost guaranteed.

I mean any catfish that attacks pigeons is freaking awesome in my book! HAHA

Yes, Jakeroo, they are excellent eating and they are eaten in Europe. From what I have read, their meet is pure white and flaky. Even better than our native catfish.

Sounds like a good challenge for one of those 60 minute eating contests. It would take a heck of a fryer to cook one of those babies whole.

Some of the specialty aquarium stores have small 4"-5" tiger fish for sale pretty regularly. They are insanely expensive though. They are completely legal to keep here in VA. However, they are illegal in FL because they could most likely survive the winters in at least the southern 1/4 of the state.

The one fish I'd really like to catch down in FL is the clown knifefish. I had no idea they were even found there until I was fishing in Lake Ida and watched a guy hook and land about a 24" one. I was like WOW! That thing was insane looking. I see them for sale at one of my local aquariums. I have been tempted to keep one in one of my aquariums just because they are so cool looking.

CJ your post hits a sore spot for me although it has nothing to do with you. The aquarium trade is responsible for bringing in not only invasive fish that end up in our water ways but invasive plants. But yet the trade doesn't seem to have the regulations we have with native species. When you can't plant tilapia in some northern states where they wouldn't survive the winter or fish farmers have to spend thousands of dollars testing for pathogens that don't exist, well..

We just thought Flatheads were bad for our ponds.

Cecil, I am with you. There seems to be very little regulation for the aquarium trade. To me it is a bit scary it would be so easy to buy a wels catfish here in the US. It just take a few being released and a nightmare has begun. Seriously, who the heck has the room to house a fish that gets that large? You know when that thing outgrows its home the owner isn't gonna flush it down the toilet...

Years ago we visited a pet store in Kansas City. They had green anacondas for sale. Very small in their little aquarium, and obviously winter temps wouldn't allow them to survive year round if let loose, but I was still shocked that such an animal was so easy to purchase.

Seems odd to me that, at least in my state, there are plenty of species that you cannot transport alive anywhere (as bait or food), like snakeheads elsewhere, but there's fish like in this example that can be. Scary.

That Wels catfish is definitely bad a*s. I'm kind of a big fan of River Monsters. Love seeing all those different kinds of exotic fish.

I watched a show just recently about the pet traffic industry. WOW did that make me feel angry and uneasy. Not to come off too cynical but that industry will be the demise of all our indigenous animals and plants. Some dramatic changes in the laws need to be made now! Some of these guys haven't a care in the world other than money. And some of their clients have the intelligence of a wet paper bag.

Ambivalence and Ignorance now that's a combination for disaster!

Was this one of those Locked Up Abroad shows on NatGeo?

That very well could have been Omaha. If it was on National Geographic, History, Discovery, or Animal Planet, 90% of my viewing channels.

Speaking of River Monsters, I watched one the other day of him at Chernobyl. He was catching a "nuisance" fish called a zander that looked very much like walleye. I looked it up after thinking about this wels catfish discussion and I'm reading that restaurants had been substituting zander for walleye in Minnesota.

Reading up on an intentional stocking of zander in North Dakota back in 1987. 12 pound fish caught in '06.

close relatives, think zander walleye could hybrid?

That was one of the fears, but it's never been verified.

And while they look so similar to the walleye, I think I read, genetically, they are not that similar.

Omaha the nick name for zander is pike perch and they are very similar and from the perch family like walleye.

Catching a wels is on my bucket list and while I have hooked 2 I have yet to land one.Although my friend has caught quite a few in the 20-50lb range.They are a absolutely amazing fish that fight like being hooked onto a freight train.My knowledge of them is soley from having fished for them in Bulgaria but from what I've been told is that they are very territorial and cannibalistic.As far as eating them goes,they are better then CC when they are small but as they increase in size they are far less appealing to eat.

I bet Dr. Willis could add something to this if he saw this...

The government is one of the biggest screw ups when it comes to introducing exotic species. They are also the biggest polluter.

Yes, if you go to the USGS page and look at their introduced species section, thr USFWS spread many of our most hated fish around. Local state agencies have introduced many species outside their native range.

We've got them to thank for German Carp.

On a side note I heard that the bighead carp have been found in Lake Michigan (Dad heard it on the radio).

And the guy that that introduced the carp was probably one of my ancestors.

The latest reports seem to be of DNA nature.

Detroit News

Fish eDNA

On another side note, the Zander has been a thorn in the side of the YP industry in MI and surrounding states. They import the juveniles, process them and pass them off as Lake Perch in stores and restaurants. I brought this up to the manager at a local store a number of years ago who had a "Lake Perch" display and in tiny fine print on the package it clearly stated Zander. I told him this was illegal and he had the sign changed. He said that they ordered Lake Perch and this is what the distributor/processor sent them.

BTW, Lake Perch up here are Yellow Perch.

Another thing about the Zander that are imported is they are commercially netted in a few of the large eastern European lakes which are a who's who of chemicals and pollutants.

In case you get wels catfish in your pond, you don't need any pellets. This creature is a predator and it can easily eat fish, frogs and any other creatures.

Some basic facts about this fish:

1) grows fast (approx.):

1st year - 0,5 kg;
2nd year - 1kg;
3rd year - 2kg;
4th year - 4 kg;
5th year - 8 kg;
6th year - 16 kg;
12th year - 32 kg;
24th year - 64 kg;


This growth rate depends on forage base and different circumstances. Sure, there is difference between living in large river and small pond.

2) wels catfish can survive in water with low oxygen level;

3) it eats much, very much

4) very tasty fish with no scales and only one large fish bone (no small ones).

5) strong fish in case you like fishing.

6) they should be able to spawn in ponds too.

I've purchased some little ones last autumn and probably after some years I'll be able to get some big fish!