Bass will eat smaller rodents if they are moving when they hit the water. I
have even heard of them leaving the water to nab a bird out of an
overhanging tree branch.

JOhn


"Sam Hopkins" wrote in message
.. .
A bass will take care of the goldfish in no time flat but bass won't eat
something that isn't moving. A catfish would eat the dead carcass.
However,
a carcass would just decompose/be eating by bugs all by itself.

"Monty Burns" wrote in message
...
Enter the stereotypical question : I want a big fish for a big pond,
that will eat small mammal carcasses / meat scraps / other fish.
(I've searched via Google, but can't find the answer)

--

I've got a pond full of goldfish, and although they're pretty, they're
not terribly entertaining.

I've also got an excess population of eastern grey squirrels (the
non-endangered type) that I routinely dispose of. Opossums, too.

I live in Washington state, where a layer of ice forms over the pond
in the winter. So tropical fish are out.

The pond is 13,000 gallons - a 35'x15' swimming pool, 6' deep in the
deep end. It's also a concrete pond, with a high pH. At present, it
doesn't have a lot of aeration, but I plan on changing that this
coming summer (adding a waterfall and 700 gallon biofilter)

So here's my question: what kind of fish could I get that would eat
dead squirrels and grow to be 2-3 feet long? Would a big catfish do
this? In my hollywood-addled mind, I'd love to see some vicious
pirhana action. (Of course, having owned a red-bellied pirhana
before, I know them to be rather boring in practice)

After reading all the stories about the giant chinese snakehead, it
sounds like what I would want (sans the on-land movement). Of course,
that fish is now quite illegal to import into my state. So an
alternate fish is required.

I realize this is probably not what most ponders are looking to raise.
But it's a serious question.

Thanks in advance.

PS: No, I don't have a wife. :