My tadpole madtoms have been biting at eachother's tails. It isn't causing damage, but they circle eachother and bite. Is this breeding behavior or dominance?

I just wanted to update, The person who is taking care of my madtoms while I am gone emailed me a picture of a fry! its like 1/4" TL and is CLEARLY madtom. This has me excited to get back home later this month.

I just wanted to update, The person who is taking care of my madtoms while I am gone emailed me a picture of a fry! its like 1/4" TL and is CLEARLY madtom. This has me excited to get back home later this month.

Ah, too bad all the fry will be dead. Probably half of your madtoms too

I just wanted to update, The person who is taking care of my madtoms while I am gone emailed me a picture of a fry! its like 1/4" TL and is CLEARLY madtom. This has me excited to get back home later this month.

Sweet! I have some MTs in a 55 and keep hoping they will breed, but I rarely ever see them. I am thinking that captive raised ones may be less shy.

Ah, too bad all the fry will be dead. Probably half of your madtoms too

Naw, my brother is taking care of my fish while we are in Florida. He was the one who got me hooked on fish and he has the strict feeding routine down.... the fry on the other hand, no clue what to be feeding him, I told my brother to fry black worms chopped up and baby brine shrimp.

Bad news, Irate is right and it doesn't sound like it matters who is caring for your fish. I was just reading that some Madtoms (the tadpole was mentioned) die after spawning. It sounds like they have a lifespan of about 2 years.

according to my brother, all 9 are doing well still. and with a fry about 1/4-3/8" long.. you would expect them to be dead already.

No probably not, it will probably take awhile for the spawned out adults to die. The fry will probably be fine. There are also mentions of a couple of people here catching them in a thread where they didn't live very long. I naturally assume (I know the alternative meaning of assume) that they are hardy long lived animals like most catfish are (I have had quite a few that hit the 10 year mark in my tanks) but we seem to know so little about these fish, please pay attention to yours and document what happens now as well as you can.

Bad news, Irate is right and it doesn't sound like it matters who is caring for your fish.

I am ALWAYS right about these things! Do not doubt me!!

I am ALWAYS right about these things! Do not doubt me!!

No I don't doubt you, but I didn't know much about madtom life spans until I did a little check. I was puzzled when I read your post, and it lit a fire under my XXX to find out why you wrote that. I understood the part about the fry and the fish sitter. I once lost a very desirable cichlid spawn because I was out of town and the person that was feeding them didn't know what to do. They never spawned again either. I have never kept any madtoms even though I have fished where they occur. I will be making an effort to catch some over the next couple of months. I really would like to breed some so I'll probably try to catch them closer to fall and over winter them on the enclosed back porch in tubs.

WHich brigs about a question! How what was the longest anyone has ever kept one in their aquarium? The next question if it was more than 2 years was it the only madtom present? FInally, if they don't spawn will they live longer? I am really intrigued now since they sound like they have a life span (although extended) like an annual killifish. They hatch, grow to maturity, spawn, and die. Help me Irate!

No I don't doubt you, but I didn't know much about madtom life spans until I did a little check. I was puzzled when I read your post, and it lit a fire under my XXX to find out why you wrote that. I understood the part about the fry and the fish sitter. I once lost a very desirable cichlid spawn because I was out of town and the person that was feeding them didn't know what to do. They never spawned again either. I have never kept any madtoms even though I have fished where they occur. I will be making an effort to catch some over the next couple of months. I really would like to breed some so I'll probably try to catch them closer to fall and over winter them on the enclosed back porch in tubs.

WHich brigs about a question! How what was the longest anyone has ever kept one in their aquarium? The next question if it was more than 2 years was it the only madtom present? FInally, if they don't spawn will they live longer? I am really intrigued now since they sound like they have a life span (although extended) like an annual killifish. They hatch, grow to maturity, spawn, and die. Help me Irate!

Irate always says your fish are going to die. And oddly enough, he's pretty much always right! Do not doubt him!! (but take him with a big grain of salt)

Dean

Irate always says your fish are going to die. And oddly enough, he's pretty much always right! Do not doubt him!! (but take him with a big grain of salt)

Dean

Well yes, everything that is alive will die sooner or later. He does offer a disclaimer. I just got the impression that he knew what he was talking about and went looking for answers. I don't think it was a coincidence that I found out what I did.

Well yes, everything that is alive will die sooner or later. He does offer a disclaimer. I just got the impression that he knew what he was talking about and went looking for answers. I don't think it was a coincidence that I found out what I did.

Well i have found out information that is different that what was stated above on PlanetCatfish. There is a member on there who has had his breed for three consecutive years, but none of the spawns ever hatched (eggs fungused.) So after spawning they do not always die, but it is possible that the ones that have been attempted on and have died may have been in the last year of life as it is..