What to feed catfish?

emmaS

AC Members
Nov 6, 2006
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Hi,

Kinda complicated story but I am now the (reluctant) owner of two catfish (about 4-5 inches long each right now)--these are the catfish that people eat.

I know nothing of catfish. What kind of water conditions should I keep? Also I bought shrimp pellets that sink to the bottom but the catfish don't seem to be eating. What should I feed them?
 
What catfish are these? What is the size of the tank they are in? Without knowing the proper identification, any data given will become useless.
 
You don't happen to mean the kind of catfish called Channel Cats that get to be as big as a child, do you?

Where did these fish come from - that would be a clue as to naming them.
 
Wait please. We are not here to attack this poor girl. We don't know what kind of catfish it is at all. We don't know if it came from a fish farm, or someone's tank, or anything. Even if it is a channel cat, turning it loose can be against the law because of spread of disease contained in plants and tanks and tankmates of these captive cats. So let's take it easy on this poor girl and not make her feel bad when we don't know anything!
 
No one is attacking. Asking for more details is hardly something that would make reasonable person "feel bad". It is impossible to give any advice if nothing is known other than it is a catfish.
 
Find a body of water and turn them loose. They don't belong in the aquarium.
dont release them back into the wild. now that theyve been in the tank, who knows what they have been exposed to. they could spread a tropical fish disease to the native population.

you can try frozen blood worms
 
Hi. They are the channel cats. Thanks for the id help! I'm not 100% certain the origin of the fish or where they are originally from. I think they are wild but the govt. caught them for a study. They have been in large scale tanks but I just have them in my tropical 26g tank.

These fish were left for me to care for. I didn't want them that's for sure but I can't just let them die. I am concerned because they are not eating as far as I can tell. I would release them if I knew where to do so, but it sounds like now I can't.

I will try the frozen bloodworms. Also will they eat cooked fish like salmon? tuna?
 
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