What to do with pregnant asian glass catfish?

Babylon-warpdrive · Post by **Babylon-warpdrive** » 08 Oct 2005, 21:01

Kryptopterus bicirrhis

apparently Asian glass catfish are nearly impossible to breed in captivity, and so there is virtually no information online about what to do.

I have two of six Asian glass catfish that are pregnant since a couple of days, and I don't know whether to install them in their own tank given the stress and difficulty in catching them, or whether to leave the egg laying to happen perilously and unseen in a giant community tank.

*** I would love to know how long the gestation takes and about fertilisation, how long from when they become plump until they lay?***

how small are the babies do you reckon? how long do they take to hatch etc?

Because there are zero accounts on breeding conditions on the net at all, here is the following as an awkward reference-
These are the conditions in which they became pregnant:

very soft rainwater at pH 7.2 in a 55 gallon tank with flowerpot and lots of plants, various harmless community fish, only seven glass catfish.

In the month before I didn't change the water once and the filter had slowed down because I injured my arm and couldn't change the tank. the water is not good enough and one of the class catfish got fin rot resulting in a white line on its back. was dispatched yesterday.

Since one week, before the Fish became ill, I have been trying to change the water in small amounts by pouring in about 10% of cold rain water every couple of days.

on a couple of occasions I have pressed the contents of the filter around a bit and sent loads of muck around the tank just like the catfish would have at home.

The cold rain water dates from over a month ago and comes from a dustbin under a drainpipe which wasn't getting any water lately , and into which I had put some water wood lice that live under a murky pond from nearby, the dustbin had a little bit of mud from the pond in it and oddly had a green marbly pellicle of algae on it.

Changed about 10% of the water of this every couple of days and added some easy balance tetra product about one week ago, and abit of mxasin p several days ago . perhaps it contributed.

I've forgotten salt lately so there is probably only about 3 1/2 tablespoons in all the 55 gallons of table salt which was probably added a couple of months back.

The temperature is about 27 in the daytime and 25 or under at night probably no less than 23 at night. Food is mostly flake, sunrise and sunset is gradual for them and they have about seven hours of nearly pitch black per night.

Also for some reason in the last month the catfish have been even less shy than they had been in the year before, swimming around in the open most of the day just as they do at night.

So now 2/7 are pregnant which is an achievement.

In total I haven't actually changed any of the water in the last month or so except by replacing evaporation, but thank God it rained at last so I can refresh all the water.

Post by **Silurus** » 08 Oct 2005, 23:58

Silurids are broadcast spawners (for most part), and will probably lay their eggs in vegetation.

I would probably not move the fish, but keep a very close watch on them, as they are likely to eat their own eggs after laying them.

Durlänger · Post by **Durlänger** » 09 Oct 2005, 10:28

search for the magazine "The Aquarist" from January 1980, the articel inside is from D. C. POWELL, may you find him.

Old but maybe helpfull

Babylon-warpdrive · Post by **Babylon-warpdrive** » 09 Oct 2005, 21:46

Hey thanks for that! It would be definitely nice to find someone who has raised some.

I am going to try to draw a partition across the aquarium using a mosquito net to hold the catfish and if I can get the eggs I will raise them on Cyclops and baby Daphnia . I will keep a diary of what happens here.

They became pregnant about two days ago- one of them is even fatter today, I think I can almost see the individual silver eggs.

Durlänger · Post by **Durlänger** » 10 Oct 2005, 20:01

What exact do you mean with "various harmless community fish"

I hope they are no Barbus, Puntius or Rasbora, becouse they like eggs even there own

Babylon-warpdrive · Post by **Babylon-warpdrive** » 11 Oct 2005, 22:04

Just normal community fish like cockatoos cichlids , Loach's, upside-down catfish, things that definitely eat eggs and fry when they have the chance. Fortunately I have found some plexiglas and have annexed all the glass catfish alone with a Loach and some nice plants so that everything should be safe.

debra · Post by **debra** » 26 Oct 2005, 08:29

How are your glass cats doing? Where are the eggs located? Besides the eggs, is there a way to tell female from male?

I've seen some evidence of spawning activity but have assumed that the eggs were eaten either by the parents or the ghost shrimp in the tank.

moochi · Post by **moochi** » 02 Nov 2005, 12:45

Is it possible for you to take a picture of your pregnant glass catfish so i can see what they look like?

I have 5 glass catfish, all purchased 2 weeks ago, within 1 week 2 appeared to be pregnant, now all 5 appear to be pregnant.

I am hoping that it isn't something else that they all have.

They seem fine in themselves, they're not sluggish at all.

At first their stomachs appear to be quite pink/red in colour, especially if you view the fish from the back of their body. Is this the same as yours??

All help is appreciated.