Breeding Liver Catfish (Heteropneustes Fossilis) In The Aquarium

Location

This species lives in swamps, ditches, ponds, wetlands, slow-moving reservoirs with oxygen-poor water in Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Laos and Vietnam.

Body description

Body of the fish is elongated. The species has wide anal fin and rounded caudal fin. These 2 fins are not connected together. Other fins are short and have only 6-7 rays. The first rays of the pectoral fins are elongated and transformed into defensive spikes. These spikes have venom glands. You must be very careful during maintenance of the tank or when transporting the fish. You should not use net to catch this fish. If this fish bites you then you must immediately consult it with a doctor because there were fatal cases in the past. This species has 4 pairs of barbels, body doesn't have scales. Colour of the body is gray-brown. There are 2 light, horizontal stripes and a lot of dark spots along the sides of the fish. Colour of the fish depends on the water temperature and the fish mood. It has lighter stripes when it is stressed. The species has extra auxiliary organ which allows the fish to breathe air from the surface. This organ is known as pneumatic sac. There are long, cylindrical, tube-like, blindly finished air sacks that go from the upwardly enlarged gill chamber up to the tail. These sacks are on both sides of the spine. This species can also produce the appropriate amount of mucus which protects its skin from drying for several hours without water. This species can move on the ground to locate another water reservoir. Sex of the fish can be recognized when they are mature sexually. Female is thicker than male. Male has visible copulatory organ just before his anal fin.

Temperament and behaviour

This species is medium aggressive and territorial. Its temperament depends on size of the aquarium and other species - the fish is unbearable in too small tank. You shouldn't keep these fish with small, bottom feeding species. This is a shoal fish and they form social hierarchy in the group where female is usually a dominant. These fish are active at night and they hide during the day. They are bottom feeding species. This fish is very voracious and it emits a lot of excrement. You should keep these fish with similar size species e.g. big species of cyprinidae or characidae and big cichlids.

Aquarium decoration

You need very large aquarium for single fish. Tank should have dimmed light, floating plants, soft and fine substrate, hiding-places among smooth stones, roots, plastic pipes, a lot of hard plants because the fish can dig next to it or lay on it and damage it, space to swim at the bottom, sealed cover so the fish does not escape. You need a very effective filtration system, systematic partial water changes (once per two week) and regular cleaning of the substrate from organic compounds.

Breeding

This is an oviparous species. Female is mature sexually when it's length reaches around 12 cm length. For male it is 8 cm length. You can breed these fish in the general tank or a separate aquarium. You can stimulate the fish to spawn by simulating the rainy season - 2/3 partial water exchange on 5°C cooler water. The fish spawn in group – the dominant female and the strongest male will spawn in the evening or in the morning. Male bends his body and he presses into female's body. Female lays portion of eggs, male immediately fertilizes them. The process repeats up till female lied all the eggs. Female lays eggs on the substrate – usually in previously prepared hole. Single egg has around 1 mm diameter. Colour of the roe is green-brown. The eggs are very sensitive to lack of oxygen. They rot very fast and get covered in fungal infection, so parents intensively swim around them. Parents take care for the roe and fry for a period of time. The eggs hatch after 1 day. The larvae are transparent-light brown, size about 2.5 mm with visible yolk sac. The larvae remain at the bottom waving with their little tails intensively. The fry starts to swim and feed 5 days later. You should start to do daily partial water changes. You may move the offspring to general tank when it will have 5 cm length.