Channel Catfish in 2000g pond?

Gerbo

I currently have a baby channel cat in a 75g tank and I know this is far too small for even a few year old one. I live in Colorado and I have a Koi pond that's roughly 2000g and I was hoping to put him there. My main concern is him eating the fish or dying in winter. Are either of those things to worry about? He won't be put in for probably 6-12 months if I move him. If this wouldn't work, I am gonna need to find a home so I was hoping to decide a plan months in advance. Thanks!

thekoimaiden

How many Koi are currently in the pond, and what size are they? I'm not familiar with the Colorado weather. Do you know if channel cats live in the wild there? Chances are if they can survive in your neighbor's pond than they could live in yours. What I'm most worried about is overstocking and predation. Overstocking a pond leads to fish disease and death.

Gerbo

Yeah where I go fishing has very large channel cats. The one I have is from Colorado and it's captive bred so I'm assuming it can survive cold weather as they are bottom feeders and ponds here in the summer don't get above 50-60F at the bottom where they are. In the pond, there is actually 10-12 Koi, a smallmouth bass that was given to us and a green sunfish that was given to us (both juvies). So the tank has 15 fish max and it's a fairly large pond.

Oh and I wrote 200g in the title, but I meant 2000g, just forgot a zero.

lorax84

If the Koi survive through the winter, the channel cat should have no problem. My biggest concern would be the size of the pond. If you consider the adult size of 10 Koi and a channel cat 2000 gallons really isn't a lot. Also, the channel cat will eat anything that fits in its mouth.

thekoimaiden

The good news is it should be able to survive if they are found locally.

The bad news is your pond is overstocked. Ten Koi won't grow to their full potential in a 2000 gallon pond; there is just not enough room or volume of water to dilute the wastes and hormones. If things have been going okay, then great; you're dodging a bullet. But adding another fish to the pond could tip the balance and cause disease to start culling you stock.

Tazman

Changed the title for you.

Gerbo

Yeah going good for few years, but I think I'll find different arrangements for this guy and maybe a few Koi. Thanks!

thekoimaiden

You could put him, the bass, and the sunfish in a pond and make a natives pond. That seems like a really neat idea. It certainly won't be your everyday backyard pond! Unique Pond Fish I found this article a few days ago while playing around on Fishchannel.com. Maybe this could give you some ideas.

Gerbo

Yeah exactly! I'm disappointed I went with Koi, but I have a neighbor that's doing a pond in June so maybe he can take my Koi for free to save him money and I can make mine a bit more interesting. Thanks!

thekoimaiden

Definitely offer them to him! Koi are expensive; the bigger they are, the more expensive they are. If I had someone offer me free Koi as I was starting my pond I would have taken them up in a heartbeat. It would have saved me close to $100. A natives pond would be amazing to see! I hope you can get it going.