Flathead catfish
Pylodictis olivaris
Water parameters
Minimum tank: 1500 L per individual at harvest size.
Feed and growth
- Feed protein
- 40% target
- Daily feed (warm)
- 2.00% of body weight
- Daily feed (cool)
- 0.80% of body weight
- Max density
- 30 g per litre
A 8000 g adult eats about 160.0 g of feed per day at optimum. 10 fish at adult size: ~1600 g daily.
Legality
Rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Verify with your local fisheries or wildlife authority before stocking.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| us-general | check local regulations | Native range: legal. Outside native range: several Atlantic-coast states restrict or prohibit live transport to prevent further spread verified 2026-05-14 |
Unlisted jurisdictions default to "check local regulations".
Origin and habitat
Native to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basins and Gulf Coast drainages across the central and southeastern United States. The species (Pylodictis olivaris) is the second-largest catfish in North America after the blue catfish, reaching over 50 kg. Flathead catfish are solitary ambush predators that inhabit deep pools, undercut banks, and log jams in large rivers. Unlike channel catfish and blue catfish (which are omnivorous scavengers), flathead catfish are almost exclusively piscivorous: they eat live fish and crayfish, and have difficulty transitioning to dead or pelleted food. The flesh is white, firm, and widely considered the best-tasting of any North American catfish species. Flathead catfish are invasive in several eastern US river systems where they've been introduced for sport fishing.
Climate and outdoor ponds
- Climate
- temperate (handles seasonal swings)
- USDA zones
- 5–11 (winter low around -29°C or warmer)
- Heating needed
- no
- Cooling needed
- no
Care notes
A challenging aquaculture species not recommended for most aquaponics setups. The core problem is feeding: flathead catfish are live-food predators that strongly prefer to catch and eat live fish. Training them to accept pelleted feed is extremely difficult; most individuals refuse pellets even after extended conditioning. This means growing flathead catfish typically requires a supply of live feeder fish, which is expensive, labor-intensive, and defeats the efficiency advantages of pellet-based aquaponics. Growth on live feed is moderate: 500–1 g in 18-24 months. FCR data on pelleted diets is sparse because so few fish accept pellets. Temperature range: 10–32°C, optimal at 24–28°C. For operators determined to try, small fingerlings (under 5 cm) have the best chance of pellet training; larger fish are nearly hopeless. Stocking must be single-size cohorts in separate compartments because flathead catfish are aggressively cannibalistic. Low density (5-10 g/L) is necessary because they're solitary and territorial. Fingerlings are available from a few southern US hatcheries. The flesh quality is exceptional, but the culture difficulty makes this species impractical for aquaponics.