How To Identify Types Of Catfish Good For Breeding in Nigeria

Catfish is increasingly becoming the preferred choice over other types of fish. Virtually every family in Africa eats catfish not just because of its taste but because it is rich in protein and a good source of Omega3.

However, not every catfish is tasty like the others as stated by schooldrillers. Therefore, there is a need to know how to identify these types of catfish in Nigeria that can serve for consumption and the market around us.

Among the new farmers, identifying the types of catfish good for rearing has been an issue. In today’s post, we intend to address that because there are many benefits of catfish farming you need to tap into.

Understand that there are different species of catfish across the globe. That means you should make proper inquiries to know the ones that can be sold in and around the markets in your locality.

In this post, we will focus on the three most popular catfish in Nigeria as of today. The reason is that they are considered the fast-growing catfish species good for catfish farming.

How Many Catfish Species Do We Have?

There are over three thousand (3000) different types of catfish across the globe. Time will not permit us to write comprehensively on how to identify the difference between each of them.

For that reason, we have decided to focus our attention on Clarias, Hybrid, and Heterobranchus. These types of catfish are the most popular in Nigeria. This could be due to differences in their taste and market value.

Types of Catfish in Nigeria and How to Identify Them

If you have already stocked your pond without clearly knowing the names or types of catfish you have, this section of the post will help you.

Due to the overwhelming number of catfish species, we will narrow the identification to only the three most popular ones. Now let’s begin;

Heterobranchus Longifilis

This type of catfish is usually known by its dorsal fin which is almost divided by 60/40 on its back.

The portion of the fin that extends down to the tail and constitutes the remaining 40% is referred to as the adipose fin. This means that the species has both the dorsal and the adipose fin on its back.

Observing the adipose fin, one might mistake it for additional flesh in the body. Another distinguishing feature of heterobranchus is their flat head. Just have that in mind anytime you are looking out for this catfish type.

Clarias Gariepinus

In clarias species, the adipose fin is absent. It’s important to note that while the adipose fin is commonly found in heterobranchus, in clarias, the fin extends from the neck region straight down to the tail without division.

Identifying a catfish with a long fin stretching from the neck to the tail indicates it belongs to the clarias species. Additionally, clarias species typically have a spherical and slightly tall head.

Clarias X Heterobranchus (Hybrid)

One of the species derived from the cross-breeding of clarias gariepinus and heteroblanchus longifilis is the Hybrid.

That means that the species has the features of clarias gariepinus and heteroblanchus longifilis.

The easiest way to identify this catfish is through its 90/10 fin at the back. Looking at the back, you will notice that it has a fin that covers 90% of the back and 10% adipose fin. Just observe the picture above.

Wrap Up

The intending farmers were provided with a guide on how to identify different types of catfish that farmers in Nigeria serve to the local market.

It is one thing to venture into fish farming and another thing to start with the right species.

The best way to differentiate these catfish we’ve talked about is through their fin. The pictures will do the explanation better.  Heterobranchus has adipose fin, clarias has no adipose fin but hybrid has both the adipose and dorsal fin.