How to Breed Aquarium Catfish

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By wcs40110
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Breed Aquarium Catfish

Catfish are sort of the underdogs of the tank. The are often treated as the bottom feeders getting little to no attention. Some though, appreciate their beauty and will take on the task of tempting to breed these wonderful fish. Here, I will go over the main ideas.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Setting up your tank: Use a 20 gallon tank. Line the bottom with fine gravel and decorate it with plenty of nesting grounds such as caves and hollow log or slate caves. Water temperate at about 78 degrees F. Most of the fish prefer soft water to spawn. A piece of untreated bogwood should also be placed in the tank for them to chew.
Step 2

Pairing your fish: It is recommended to keep a group of fish together or offer one male to a few females for optimal results. Each fish will choose a 'home' so be sure to have enough caves and nooks for every fish.
Step 3

Spawning: The female fish will lay her eggs. The eggs range from yellow in color to bright orange and are grouped much like a raspberry. The father will then guard and care for the eggs after fertilizing.
Step 4

Encouragement: It is believed that frequent partial water changes, increased aeration, and a nice gently water flow will encourage the fish to breed. Also a diet of small bloodworm may encourage breeding.
Step 5

After hatching: The male should guard the fry but if you are wary of other tank mates eating them they can be removed to their own tank. After they are free swimming they can be fed kelp flakes, algae and unshelled frozen peas.

Comments

tylamac said

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on 1/13/2009 I used to have catfish but I never knew how to get them to breed. Now that I know how easy it is I've got to get another aquarium. Great Article!