How to Rear African Catfish in Tanks

African catfish are typically bred through artificial means. The breeder obtains milt or sperm from the male fish and mix it with eggs that have been stripped from the female catfish. Breeders can strip both male and female fish of either sperm or eggs by squeezing the male and drawing eggs from the female, using a syringe. This method guarantees the largest numbers of young fish. Keeping the aquarium water optimal will ensure that the fish remain healthy.

Things You'll Need

  • 200-gallon brood stock aquarium
  • Male and female African catfish
  • Syringe and soft canula pipe
  • Two small petri dishes
  • Clean pipette
  • Clean teaspoon
  • Hatching frame
  • 60-gallon fry aquarium
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Install a large canister filter on the aquarium. Catfish are messy feeders and require a filter that is correctly sized to the volume of water in which the fish are housed. You can feed your catfish brine shrimp, small worms or flake foods.

    • 2

      Include mechanical, chemical and biological filter material in the canister filter.

    • 3

      Rinse or replace the mechanical filter floss or mats on a weekly basis.

    • 4

      Replace the activated carbon in the chemical filter compartment on a monthly basis.

    • 5

      Set the thermostat on the aquarium heater to 77 degrees Fahrenheit and place into the aquarium.

    • 6

      Observe the female catfish from above. A gravid female will show that she is ripe with eggs.

    • 7

      Turn a female that is noticeably heavy with eggs onto her back.

    • 8

      Insert a soft canula tube that is attached to a syringe gently into the genital opening of the gravid female and carefully draw eggs from the fish by pulling slowly on the plunger of the syringe.

    • 9

      Place these eggs into a small petri dish and add clean water to the dish. Add just sufficient water to make up one third the volume of eggs.

    • 10

      Request an assistant to restrain a male fish and squeeze the fish gently on the body side of its vent. Apply sufficient pressure to strip milt or sperm from the vent. Catch this milt in a clean petri dish.

    • 11

      Carefully draw up the white drops of milt that appear on the surface of the dish with a clean pipette.

    • 12

      Use a pipette to squeeze the milt or sperm over the eggs at a rate of 7 to 10 drops for every 150 cc of eggs.

    • 13

      Gently shake the small petri dish to mix the milt and eggs and to bring about fertilization. Do not use instruments to mix the eggs and milt as eggs will be damaged during this process.

    • 14

      Pour an additional small volume of water into the dish after 15 to 20 seconds and gently shake the dish once again.

    • 15

      Use a clean teaspoon to spread the eggs on the surface of a hatching frame. Spread only a single layer of eggs onto each frame. Spread the eggs within 1 to 1.5 minutes after fertilization. Do not spread eggs after they have become sticky, as at this stage the development of these eggs is limited.

    • 16

      Observe hatching between 23 and 28 hours after fertilization at a temperature of 77 degrees F. The fry will leave the frame and swim actively down to the bottom of the tank in which the frame was placed.

    • 17

      Feed the catfish fry brine shrimp eggs (Artemia) every three hours on the first day of rearing. From days 2 to10, you can feed finely chopped small worms such as Tubifex. Introduce starter flake feed from day 11 on.