SA catfish that can breed in home aquaria?

[Quandale]

I have had a deep interest in catfish ever since I was a child, and after gaining experience keeping fish, I want to breed some for fun. I know corydoras and certain plecos are easy/easy-ish to breed in captivity, but tbh they just don't do it for me, I know certain driftwood catfish breed if certain conditions are met and that it's not too hard, but I was curious if there were others options as well.

[Jools]

If you discount those familes, you're getting into the realms of species that have not been bred before. Or at best once or twice. Are you really sure none of them work for you?

Jools

African, but consider

Phyllonemus

?

[bekateen]

While still technically a loricariid, these aren't plecos: Try any of the otos (whether

Otocinclus

proper or others in the subfamily Hypoptopominae like

Hypoptopoma

) or a whiptail catfish (

Rineloricaria

,

Sturisomatichthys

,

Sturisoma

,

Farlowella

). Not too hard to breed, but not as easy as bronze corys or common Ancistrus. Alternatively, go with one of the bubble nesting Callichthyidae, like hoplos (

Megalechis

or

Hoplosternum

) or porthole cats (

Dianema

).

But as Jools said, if you're ruling out corys, plecos and woodcats, you're really getting into species that are rarely bred in the home aquarium.

Please share what you end up choosing, and share your progress.

Good luck,
Eric