How to Breed & Farm Catfish. Smaller Plecos (Otocinclus Catfish) can survive in a 10 gallon tank whereas larger species such as a Bristlenose needs a minimum of 25 gallons. Breeding of this species begins during the monsoon season. Remove the catfish pair to the breeding tank when you see the female start to swell up with eggs. If you can imitate natural conditions for your aquarium, you have some hopes for breeding. Fry will emerge from the eggs after 4-5 days. I'll get the catfish fingerlings and put them in, feeding them some floating catfish food at first, ground up so they can get it in their mouths. However, the rule is still the same, you need adequate width and depth tanks and don’t overcrowd the tanks with fishes as this can hinder their growth. It has been known for corydoras catfish to breed in a tank as small as 5g, however they would need to only be in there for a short period of time whilst breeding occurs. To mimic this in a tank setting, you will need to reduce the water temperature to about 73°F, while daily adding small amounts of freshwater. Many have tried it, but it still has not been successful. These conditions, the lower temperature, and the daily freshwater mimic the rainy season, making the catfish believe it’s time to breed. Then, when ovulation happens, the pictus catfish eggs will be hand-stripped and taken to another container or tank with distilled water. At the same time, the pictus catfish milt from male fish is also hand-stripped and placed into the same tank as the female catfish eggs. So you should thoroughly research the needs of the specific breed you’re interested in keeping. This fish is an active, peaceful and social fish which never harms any species in their tank but it does not like to dwell with predators and aggressive fish which can fight and eat them up. When a school of 5-6 Glass Catfish swims in a tank, they look like a bunch of skeletons in an aquarium. I'll let the water sit before I put it in to help the chlorine dissipate. Either way, it is important to remove the pair to the breeding tank … The fry will still eat from their yolk-sac. I don't really think my tanks are big enough to breed the catfish but some people seem to think that if you make sure you have one male and one female of appropriate age in a meter cubed cage in the water, with an appropriate "cave", you could get breeding in that small a space when conditions are right. Then, every week, I'll drain off 10% of the water and replace it. The milt and the eggs are then mixed together in distilled water. Create the perfect environment for breeding. The water will be removed from the bottom drain on the tank. Glass Catfish Temperament. Breeding Your Glass Catfish. Catfish farming in tanks is not only easy but also great for you that do not have a large enough land to make a large-scale catfish farming. For many catfish species this swelling will be quite evident, while on others the signs my be a bit more subtle. An example of this being aquarium sizes. It isn’t easy to breed them in a tank. A tank so small would require a lot of water changes and maintenance to keep the nitrAtes down. Catfish farmers can sell their stock to processors for as much as $1 a pound. Stock the breeding pond, cage, or tank with enough males and females to provide for partner selection, at … According to the University of Florida, catfish have an “elaborate breeding behavior” and are most fertile at 2 to 3 years of age. The male Bristlenosed catfish is a very capable parent and you should never remove him from the eggs or try to raise catfish eggs in a breeding tank without the male present. 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