I have two bullhead babies i just caught and am getting a bigger aquarium. If i didn't get a filter but had a pump and cleaned the tank once a week or more would that be ok?
bullheads!
- Thread starter mudskipper10
- Start date
I doubt it. They are scavengers and will need the water to be well-oxygenated. You will need a filter to help manage the detritus or you will likely have a huge ammonia problem. You probably will anyhow and will need to move up to at least 125.
Filtration isn't necessary on any tank if you're willing to change enough water. But enough water will mean large daily changes without fail. As far as oxygenation requirements some of the places I've caught Bullheads were stagnant holes covered with green scum.Some of the Madtoms require highly oxygenated water but Bullheads need nothing beyond what a normal aquarium will provide. Given that they should be over a foot long in 2 years a 125 gal tank would be a bare minimum. A pond would have to be at least that big as well, but while 125 gals is a fairly big tank it's a postage stamp of a pond. Go 4' across and as deep as you need to to avoid freezing in your area.
Just out of curiosity, where do you live? I believe bullhead catfish are illegal in some places...
One died but the other is about 3 to 3.5 inches now and is in a 30 gallon pond im going to release him and catch a smaller one or two
I hope you're wearing Nomex today! Releasing fish back into the wild is frowned upon, even if they're native.
So an office I work with has a couple bullheads we caught while doing some juvenile salmonid surveys three years ago, they keep them in a 50 gallon tank with about 6 inches of water. They are not filtered and there is no aeration...they seem to be doing quite well...they gladly accept the brook trout fry we feed them :evil_lol:. (And don't worry all you legal folks, we've got holding permits for just about anything you can think of, and a kill or keep-to-kill order on non-natives. 
