Amazonian Catfish Kids Are So Cool

[crunch7]

I saw some amazonian catfishes today and i am ecstatic. Can i keep them in 20 g tank ..they are 3 inches now when they go ten i will set them free in my nearby pond where fishing is prohibited. What sayy ??

 

[Myuu]

First off, you need to be more specific about the species of fish, there are probably thousands of catfish from the Amazon. I did some googling and the only fish that comes up as an 'amazonian catfish' that is common in the pet trade is the Tiger Shovelnose Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum). If that is the fish you are asking about then you absolutely not keep that fish in a 20 gallon as it grows to over three feet long. And you should never ever release non-native fish into native waters. Depending on the climate they can become an invasive species and damage the local ecosystem. Doing that will make it harder for hobbyists to import fish they want to keep. It's stuff like that is the reason I will never be able to keep any species of snakehead while I live in the US.


In short, don't.

 

[creeker]

Noooooo! I agree with Myuu. Just another bad idea, from top to bottom.

 

[crunch7]

First off, you need to be more specific about the species of fish, there are probably thousands of catfish from the Amazon. I did some googling and the only fish that comes up as an 'amazonian catfish' that is common in the pet trade is the Tiger Shovelnose Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum). If that is the fish you are asking about then you absolutely not keep that fish in a 20 gallon as it grows to over three feet long. And you should never ever release non-native fish into native waters. Depending on the climate they can become an invasive species and damage the local ecosystem. Doing that will make it harder for hobbyists to import fish they want to keep. It's stuff like that is the reason I will never be able to keep any species of snakehead while I live in the US.


In short, don't.

Ok won`t keep them. but this pond i am talking about ...its natural and no fishing allowed there. I just wanted to know how does setting it free in the pond become a threat to the local eco system

 

[crunch7]

Phractocephalus hemiliopterus...thats what i liked and they need 36 inches tank for a start . Too bad i have 24 inches...Ahhhh

 

[fluttermoth]

There maybe endangered or vulnerable species in that pond that the catfish would eat.

The catfish might be carrying a virus or a bacterial infection that it, itself, is immune to but that the local wildlife has no immunity to which could kill them off.

Run off from that pond in heavy rain, or birds or other predators could then carry that infection to other bodies of water and infect them too.

As just one example, where I live, in the UK, we have had exactly that problem with people releasing American crayfish into our rivers; they carry a bacterial infection that has almost completely wiped out our native crayfish; they also outcompete them for food and have no natural predators here to keep their numbers down

Non native animals must never, ever be released; the risk to local wildlife is just too great.

 

[crunch7]

There maybe endangered or vulnerable species in that pond that the catfish would eat.

The catfish might be carrying a virus or a bacterial infection that it, itself, is immune to but that the local wildlife has no immunity to which could kill them off.

Run off from that pond in heavy rain, or birds or other predators could then carry that infection to other bodies of water and infect them too.

As just one example, where I live, in the UK, we have had exactly that problem with people releasing American crayfish into our rivers; they carry a bacterial infection that has almost completely wiped out our native crayfish; they also outcompete them for food and have no natural predators here to keep their numbers down

Non native animals must never, ever be released; the risk to local wildlife is just too great.

Sounds Drastic.

 

[fluttermoth]

It can indeed be drastic; think of the pigs and rats that contributed to the exticntion of dodos and the near extinction of the Hawaiian goose, rabbits in Australia, cats and island rails; there are loads of examples.

 

[creeker]

The problem is bad here in California as well, because of our mild climate. I have personally caught an African Clawed Frog, a huge Common Snapping Turtle, Red-eared Sliders, Red Crayfish, Bullfrogs, and other invasives out of the streams here. They do displace the native fish and wildlife. I would imagine India has an even more favorable habitat for invasives than here.

 

[crunch7]

i don`t want to try. No one will care until the problem gets too big and people feel something missing on their plate.

 

[Louiseness]

Phractocephalus hemiliopterus...thats what i liked and they need 36 inches tank for a start . Too bad i have 24 inches...Ahhhh

Just really, don't. They will put on an inch a month, easy. Total monster fish, check google images if you don't believe me

 

[crunch7]

i saw them... they are huge and so cuteeeee...#41####