Fish Eating Turtle

[matija]

i have pond 7 meters by 5 meters by 1,5 meters deep and i put in there prussian carp, black bullhead catfish and mosquito fish . my proplem is that mosquito fish and black bullheads are breeding so much they have stunt problem. my question if i put put red eared slider in pond(of course i will fence the pond so sliders cant escape) will they eat bullhead catfish and mosquito fish(of course that wont be their only diet because i wil feed them worms and insects and vegetables not oly them but whole pond)
ps :here black bullhead is invasive species so nothing eats it i hope that red eared slider would eat them.

 

[Demeter]

I'd honestly shoot for a couple snapping turtles. Red eared sliders may eat the mosquito fish but I do not think the bullheads will get eaten, too many spines for a little turtle. How large is the average bullhead? It wouldn't be a terrible idea to catch a good number of them and cull them, and by cull I mean eat them. They are delicious when breaded and deep fried.

 

[matija]

i dont need them to eat full grown i will eat them .i need them to eat 3 -6 inches bullheads

 

[Demeter]

I’ve never known a red eared slider to eat larger healthy fish. Most the time they will go after dead/ill fish, plant matter, crayfish, tadpoles and frogs, all of which are easier to catch than a healthy bullhead. I wouldn't count on them controlling the population.

Cant think of any other critters/fish that will eat them either. Perhaps a bowfin, pike or other predatory fish might. Then again the spines are good at deterring predetory fish.

 

[matija]

If they can cacth two pound channel catfish then they can catch small slow juvenale bullhead i think

 

[Sarah73]

Why did you put in an invasive species?

 

[BReefer97]

Why did you put in an invasive species?

I agree. Owning invasive species is illegal for a reason, it’s really not good for the environment. Especially owning them and having them knowingly reproduce. I’m not trying to bag on you because I know you’re only 15, but invasive species out compete NATIVE species for food and disrupt natural ecosystems. I would honestly cull every last one of them, they’re a detriment to the state you live in. I know they’re in a pond and they’re not going anywhere, but that’s how they got to be invasive species in the first place.

 

[matija]

I put them in pond form which they cant escape so i dont see problem

 

[ValerieAdams]

I put them in pond form which they cant escape so i dont see problem

Well really the problem is that it's illegal lol. You can get in trouble for it

 

[matija]

Even so i decided not to do this long time ago

 

[BReefer97]

I put them in pond form which they cant escape so i dont see problem

It’s illegal for a reason. And people having them as pond fish is the exact reason why they’ve become invasive to begin with. Bad storms can transport fry, juveniles, and even adults to different water ways (streams, lakes, rivers, large ponds, etc) where they will eventually thrive and compete with native species for food and living space. I understand you don’t see it as a big deal, but that’s why places like Florida are absolutely overrun with invasive species and it’s a huge problem for them. We as aquarium hobbyists are responsible for making sure we don’t further contribute to these sorts of issues.

 

[matija]

Ok thats one reason why i scrapped idea

 

[ValerieAdams]

Ok thats one reason why i scrapped idea

I thought you already had the bullheads in the pond. Did you get rid of them all without the turtles?

 

[BReefer97]

Ok thats one reason why i scrapped idea

Again, I’m not trying to pick on you. I just want you to be aware of why these kinds of laws are in place haha.

 

[matija]

No it was an idea of pond.i want pond which i will use as decoration and as food income(fish) for my home.