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Do they need regular 12 hours a day lights on in their tank to spawn? How neccessary it is to condition them to spawn? Once again Lee Finleys past column in TFH said that in some study Pimelodidae frys growed faster in dark than with lights on. I wondered if same goes with adults? Those who have spawned various catfishes do you have experienced benefits of lighning cycle or is it just better for human eye?

It depends on where your catfish comes from. The closer you get to the equator the less light has
to do with spawing, and it has a definite effect on fish in the northern and southern hemispheres.
as you move away from the equator.
But I find many fish (but not all) lose their seasonal spawning behavior under artifical condictions.

The logical reason for cat fish to grow faster in less light is they have more feeding time. And I
would think if you are feeding the proper foods there would be not need to extend the dark
time on breeder fish. How ever I do keep all my fry in darkened condictions , not only for the
extra feeding time ,but because of the damage caused by UV on hatching eggs and developing
young.

If you would tell us what type of fish you are talking about maybe you could get more info.

Heating & Lighting Adjustment

If you are breeding catfish, it's a good idea to look for the breeding temperature ranges. Moderate incriments in ambient water temperature can spark spawning behavior, and I know that there are many fish that will spawn continuosly when the tank light is always on. If catfish want a dark place to spawn, they can use a rock or artificial snag in the tank to hide under. I believe that lighting tends to change a fishes feeding behavior more than it would effect spawning. However, special catfish have special requirements. I would reccomend taking a look at an aquarium guide to catfish breeding that has a listing for your type of catfish.

Good luck with things, let me know how it goes.

Tim

Thanks for your answers
i´m giving serious thoughts to try spawn Synodontis brichardi. I don`t have any plants in my aquarium and so lightning is on and off how it suits for me. So you could say that lightining doesn`t play serious part or at all as a spawning trigger?

so lightning is on and off how it suits for me

that's how it suits the Gods also; on and off and a big fat rumble afterwards...

i presume you wouldn't attempt to lit the tank with a million volts?

best stick to lighting without the N in the middle then!

Couldn't resist myself

Sid

Yes, I would say that for many fish (the good majority), lighting is not very important for spawning. But keep in mind that probably most nocturnal fishes would need most of the time in the dark or a tank with no lighting at all. Some catfish can be very active with full lighting and would most likely be willing to spawn in the right temperatures. If there is no clear information on the what most active times for a certain type of catfish are, a good indicator is if the catfish is albino or has a glazed/frosty colored eye covering.

Hope this information helps, good luck.

Tim