Dan. My husband and I recently purchased a piece of ground with a small farm pond on it. We were excited about the pond and decided to buy some channel cats from a local paylake. After about two weeks, the existing “yellow” cats in the pond are starting to die. Are the two species not compatable, or is there something else to look for? I dont think temps have been high enough for oxygen depletion, and we have only found one dead channel. (Had a big hole in his side, I think injured in transport). Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

“Yellow” catfish are the fish that eat only other fish. They were normally found in the Gulf States, but have been transplanted in many lakes because many anglers enjoy fishing for them. Therefore, you need to have baitfish in your pond to feed the catfish. They are hardy eaters and need to have baitfish to survive. If you are relying on these fish to live on insects, it is not going to sustain them. They are going to die. You should transplant some baitfish for feeding. These could include blue gills, large goldfish, shad or even leeches. Keep in mine that if the environment is right, these fish are going to reproduce very fast. You need to have enough food for all the catfish in the pond. They will grow to be large fish if no one is catching them. The two species should live together. You say you bought them from a pay lake. Might I suggest asking them about the problem? It might be the transport that has stunned the catfish. I recently read about a trophy catfish that was in transport to a place for display and it died in route. Fish are funny when you try to transport them from one home to another. The oxygen level should be all right, but maybe you should have it checked. You say the other catfish are fine, so maybe the “yellow” cats are dying off because of another reason. I would be willing to bet it is the lack of food.