Catfish eggs are small and hatch into very small larvae. Channel catfish larvae hatch with a very small yolks sac; the fry are reared in nursery troughs until the yolk sac is absorbed and the fry have started to feed. Nursery troughs are 3m long, 50cm wide and 30cm deep; the troughs are supplied with water at a rate 20l per minute. The fry are stocked at 10,000 per trough. The fry started to feed about for days after hatching. Fry ponds vary in size about 0.5ha and are stocked with feeding feeding fry at a density of 100,000 per ha. The fry are fed pelleted food and thair mortality during this stage is about 35 per. Pangasiidae fry are generally storcked directly into the fry ponds after hatching, although some
use is made of fry troughs. The fry feed on the result of the natural productivity of the pond.
Ground ponds
These ponds vary in size between 1/2 to 2ha. Because of low winter temperature which slow down growth rate, channel catfish are sometimes grown over two years to produce market size fish. During the first year the stocking desity is about 20,000 per ha which is reduced to 4,000 during second year.
Growout ponds for Clariidae and Pangasiidae vary in size between 0.1 to 2ha and have a depth of 1 to 3m. Fry are stocked at a rate of 250,000/ha. In Thailand and Cambodia catfish are also produced in floating netting cages which vary in size between 6m2.
Feed
In North America all catfish farms use pelleted manufactured rations formulated to meet the known dietary requirements of the fish. In the far East the catfish are fed by the productivity of the earth ponds in which they are kept which is stimulated by fertilization. The fish in floating cages are fed with trash fish and plants waste. North America production levels of 2,000kg/ha per year are obtained. In the far east local catfish have a higher growth rate; in cages the fish reach 1kg in ten months and in ponds 150g in a year. Production levels are high with production rates up to 97,000kg/ha per year, produced in three crops, being claimed.
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