Getting more eggs from injected female catfish broodstock

When a female catfish brood stock is injected, depending on the room and water temperature, it starts releasing eggs from the eight hour.

For the average fish breeder, fish is assumed to be available once eggs are seen trickling out. From my own experience, it is better to let the fish stay for not less than 11 hours after administering the pituitary or hormonal injection.

When the eggs start coming out from the eight hour, the first thing a farmer should do is to tactically immobilize the fish by putting it in a large sieve.

Secondly, the eyes of the fish should be covered. Most animals like falcons, eagles, giraffes and fishes usually calm down once their eyes are covered. It has been noted that even man sleeps better in a dark room than in a room with bright lights filtering through the windows or from electric lamps.

So instead of leaving the fishes in water where they can move and ‘waste’ the eggs, it is wise and advisable to adopt the method above in order to have more eggs.

Getting more ‘sperm egg’ available from male catfish broodstock during breeding.

There are times when a 3kg male catfish selected for breeding will not have the anticipated quantity of milt.

In fact, some males have been seen to possess just one single lobe of milt sac, instead of the required two. A big and well matured male catfish can fertilize eggs stripped from five to six females.

When this is to be done, it is advisable to increase the chances of every egg fertilized by the numerous eggs contained in the milt. The simple way a farmer can achieve this is to ‘multiply’ the medium that carries these SPERM eggs.

This can be achieved by emptying the SPERM from the sac into saline water. In pharmacy stores, it is referred to as normal saline. This milt sac is carefully lacerated using a small sharp scissors and the white, milk like fluid is emptied into the saline water.

This does not increase the quantity of eggs in the sperm sac, but increases the chance of an individual sperm egg, getting attached to an individual egg from the female, thereby increasing fertilization rate during the breeding process.

by

Lanre Ogunsina