PlanetCatfish.com

Hi, I was just wondering, which catfish reaches sexual maturity fastest after birth/being laid?

I think you seek which catfish will be the fastest throguh the generations

I think the common ancistrus could be a good candidate - I had one eggs after 11 months, but one of the dwarf Corydoras species might be able to beat that

I'd expect some Corydoras species would reach sexual maturity in about 6 months, give or take. I know of Common Bristlenoses ( that have had fry after about 9-10 months, like Bas says. Not sure how long smaller Loricariidae such as Otocinclus take to mature given good conditions.

I'd expect Sturisoma can also breed in less than a year.

--
Mats

jdsworld8 wrote:Hi, I was just wondering, which catfish reaches sexual maturity fastest after birth/being laid?

An interesting question...with two possible types of answer. The first type of answer is that which we have experience of or astute guesstimation like ancistrus or cory sp. mentioned above.

The other type of answer would be (perhaps, & this is only theoretical)the very smallest species as these are generally not long lived & therefore reach maturity quickest - perhaps something like ???

It may depend on the species. Some mature quickly. Others, it can take 18-24 months to sexually mature. From personal experience, I'd almost given up on groups of fish several times, only to have them mature 12 months later. The latest was 16 months for S.barbatus and 18 months for the L-387. Just personal observations. I'm sure other folks have other estimations.
Amanda

Are there any catfish that live in desert pools that dry out, like many pupfish species? Or a similar vernal pool type situation... they would certainly be a candidate.

Thanks everyone. Shouldn't there be a kind of live bearing catfish that matures even faster than it's egg-laying cousins?

I would vote Yes, there should, and I would like to keep them too

However, nature is all but democratic

jimoo wrote:Are there any catfish that live in desert pools that dry out, like many pupfish species? Or a similar vernal pool type situation... they would certainly be a candidate.

Entomocorus gameroi, and likely other members of the genus, are annuals in the wild, although I don't recall if their habitats dry up annually.

What about catfish that are extremely greedy feeders. For example, how long would it take to raise a to maturity if you gave it as much food as it wanted?