Huh. Interesting idea. I have a 1,000 gallon above ground pond for about 16 pet goldfish and shebunkins. I also have a 150 gallon horse trough set up for fish--including biological filter--in case I have to quarantine new ones or have to treat a sick one. I was thinking of using it to put any baby fish that survive in the big pond so I can give them away. Once they get to a certain size catching them in the big pond is crazy hard. I bet that horse trough would be nice for catfish as there is a lot more surface and bottom space than a 55 gallon barrel. Personally, I don't like to eat catfish but can they be sold?
Do they have any specific temperature needs?