▷ Breeding armored catfish in the aquarium | All information & details

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Armored catfish are placed in breeding tanks for targeted breeding. Aquariums with a volume of approx. 60 liters are suitable. The laid eggs are placed in bowls etc. where the young hatch. In the first few months, the water level must not be too high so that the young can come to the surface of the water if necessary. Bowls with 10 x 10 x 3 centimeters are well suited.

Sterile glass tanks without «everything» are not suitable for armored catfish. Without substrate, this does not work well for any bottom dweller, because a bacterial and fungal lawn forms quickly, which is dangerous for young animals. The larvae of armored catfish are only on the ground. On bare ground they are quickly attacked by fungi on the pelvic fins and abdomen. They get what is known as brushtails, which almost always result in death.

Bare floor must be cleaned daily with a brush or brush. Watercolor brushes are well suited. The floor must then be carefully brushed off. This is very time-consuming, especially when there are several breeding tanks.

Therefore sand, however small, should be present in the rearing tank or rearing pan. Very fine quartz sand is suitable, eg joint sand from the hardware store with a grain size of 0.1 – 0.4 millimeters. The sand is briefly washed before use.
The bottom of a pool can consist of a 1 to 2 centimeter thin layer of sand. If no plants are used or in bowls, a 2 to 3 millimeter thick layer of sand is sufficient. A thin layer of sand is easier to clean with young fish during daily water changes.

Alternatively, approx. 3 mm gravel can be used.

Top4 for armored catfish breeding:

The side windows or side walls should also be kept clean. For this purpose, Sturisoma species can be placed in the rearing tank. A Sturisoma keeps all side windows of a 40 liter aquarium free of algae. Eggs and larvae are not eaten.

Small snails are useful for keeping bowls clean. Tiny tower snails eat leftover food, keep the substrate moving and clean the panes if necessary. Other small snails are also suitable for removing leftover food. If it is unclear whether the snail species used eats the eggs and larvae, the snails are only used when the young armored catfish can swim well and escape. Apple snails, for example, are suspected of eating eggs and larvae.

3 bright eggs of marbled armored catfish Photo: Viola (Forum)

The tank can be loosely planted with stem plants, such as Rotala and Limnophilia, and floating plants. However, the armored catfish are actually indifferent to plants. For the older armored catfish, plants are only a hindrance. The young also do not care for plants. Basically, only fodder remains on the plants. When planting, it should be noted that the plants can be easily removed from the tank and put back in to clean the tank. Java moss and dwarf spear leaves, for example, are suitable for this.

Microorganisms settle in fine-fibrous plants such as java moss and jagged roots, which serve as the first food for the young. The moss can be easily attached to the root by wrapping it around the root, wedging and hooking it.

Because armored catfish like a stronger current, more powerful filters are suitable than those normally used in such aquariums. Eheim external filters with a flow rate of 200 litres/hour are suitable, for example.

Internal filters made of foam can also be used, in which microorganisms also settle as the first food.

The water for the breeding tank is taken from the normal aquarium. The temperature for breeding can be around 25°C.

Dennerle S7 and TR7 should increase the willingness to spawn. In the holding tank, 1/5 of the specified dose is sufficient. In the breeding tank, the recommended dose is used.

Notes on Breeding

Wild-caught armored catfish only begin to lay eggs in September. German offspring, which have been propagated in tap water for many generations, spawn regardless of the season.

Breeding success depends on the age of the animals. The older the armored catfish are, the smaller the number of young. Breeding success is best with young animals between 9 and 18 months. However, this varies slightly from species to species.

Matschke, E, KH: Armored and calloused catfish, Urania Verlag 1991, p.46 f.:
“As a breeding group, the approach of one-year-old females with older males has worked best. Older animals that have not yet spawned or have spawned years ago are becoming increasingly unwilling and demanding. … Older females unexpectedly spawn once or twice with large numbers of eggs and then suddenly die for inexplicable reasons.”

The conditions in the breeding tank must be adjusted differently for the different species. Many species require a certain stimulation factor to spawn, which must vary in duration and intensity depending on the species.

For example, Corydoras schwartzii and similar armored catfish from the same genus are animals that are difficult to breed. The water must be warm and soft. Good filtration and varied feed are required. Corydoras aeneus, Corydoras paleatus and Corydoras trilineatus, for example, are easier to propagate. Corydoras sterbai can also be stimulated to spawn with many water changes.

For breeding there should be more males than females. Otherwise the females are not driven enough and correspondingly few eggs are laid. There should be 2 to 4 males for every female. Details depend on the species. In the case of metal armored catfish, for example, one pair can suffice.

1 week old marbled armored catfish Photo: Viola (Forum)

It is fed live food or frozen food until the females are nice and round. Red mosquito larvae, for example, have proven themselves. Freeze-dried Tubifex cubes that have been softened in vitamin solution with a syringe are also eaten with pleasure. When the animals have been in the breeding tank for 3 to 4 days, a water change is carried out with cold water. With some species, eg Corydoras paleatus, this is often sufficient to initiate spawning.

Otherwise, about 20% of the water is changed daily with cold water. The temperature should drop by about 3 degrees during the water change. At night the heating is switched off so that the temperature is lower in the morning. Live food or frozen food is given every 2 to 3 days. With the cooler water and possibly a simultaneous reduction in the conductance, the rainy season is simulated, in which armored catfish spawn in nature. Both can easily be achieved by adding cold osmosis water. In addition, the water flow can be increased.

If you know your armored catfish well and notice small changes, you may be able to tell from the increasing body size of the females whether they will soon spawn. Shortly before spawning, there is usually a lot of activity in the group or a pair at one of the panes.

In the typical courtship behavior of armored catfish, small groups initially chase wildly through the tank, as if panic had broken out. Breathing is noticeably faster than normal. The males regularly touch the females with their barbels.

After all, females and males swim side by side or head to head together all the time. They swim freely, not necessarily always close to the bottom. They appear to be kissing. These are attempts to assume the so-called T-position. The male pushes the female in the flank, or at least tries to.

When the animals are ready, after some time they will spawn. A thumb value is about 10 days after the start of feeding. However, some armored catfish stubbornly refuse to have offspring.

During mating, the female stands upright and sniffs the male. In the so-called T-position, the female is pinched by the male’s pelvic fins at the mouth. The male releases sperm in this position. It is unclear exactly how fertilization takes place. Depending on the species, the female pushes out one or more eggs and holds them with her pelvic fins. Then the female darts through the tank and sticks the eggs somewhere. The eggs are often glued to the aquarium pane, to plants or to other places with strong currents.

The females of many species lay a large number of eggs. Under good conditions, Corydoras panda, for example, lay 15 to 25 eggs per spawning session. Good females have one spawning round per week. If there are several females, hundreds of eggs can quickly accumulate.

The eggs of Corydoras paleatus, sterbai and panda are spherical and cream-colored.

ATTENTION – armored catfish eat their eggs!

After spawning, the parents are removed from the spawning tank because they sometimes eat the eggs. The larvae may also be sucked in.

Mailed catfish are fish that like to move, and in the wild they can wander quite a few kilometers. In the wild, armored catfish move on after spawning. If they find a clutch of armored catfish, they will gladly eat it up and thus prevent excessive reproduction. It can hardly be their own clutch, because they are constantly migrating.

In the aquarium, the hiking trails are quite short. That is why they also eat their own clutches in the aquarium. In community tanks, armored catfish come through at most by chance. This usually only happens in large tanks that are densely planted and sparsely stocked.

Transfer armored catfish eggs

Mailed catfish often spawn in community tanks without warning. Because both the mailed catfish and other fish eat the eggs, the eggs must be taken from the community tank to a breeding tank or other suitable container. It is best to stick them to a wall or plant there. Approximately 30 minutes after the spawning process, the eggs can be transferred easily. If you wait longer, the eggs will no longer stick and will sink to the bottom of the breeding tank, where they will easily fungus. If the eggs stick to the inner wall of the breeding container individually or in small groups, usually only unfertilized eggs will fungus.

It is important to wash your hands before transferring the eggs and then rinse off the soap well. It is better to wash your hands with alcohol. Otherwise, under certain circumstances, germs on the hands can infect the eggs.

If the eggs stick to a plant leaf, the leaf can simply be cut off. Mailed catfish often spawn on discs. Because the eggs are quite firm, you can roll them out with your fingers at first. The eggs then usually stick to the fingers. Older eggs can be scraped off with a razor blade.

If the eggs stick too much to your fingers after unrolling and…