Aquaponics FL

Fish · Catfish

Channel catfish in Florida aquaponics

Ictalurus punctatus

Channel catfish are a native Florida fish and the leading farm-raised fish in the United States, so fingerlings, feed and know-how are easy to find. They grow fastest in warm water in the mid-80s F and eat less as the water cools. The thing to watch most closely is oxygen: growth slows below about 4 ppm and fish die near 1 ppm, and do not confuse them with blue catfish, which FWC lists as Conditional.1, 2, 3, 5

Where in Florida it works1, 2, 3

RegionReading
North Floridasuited with care
Central Floridawell suited
South Floridawell suited

Our reading, not a source statement: FWC says channel catfish are found throughout Florida, and the temperature figures in SRAC 180 and CIR1052 (best growth in the low-to-mid 80s F, appetite halving with each 18 F drop) fit warm Central and tropical South Florida for most of the year. In North Florida, where it freezes most winters, expect feeding and growth to slow sharply in the cold months; CIR1052 still gives a northern Florida grow-out of 7 to 9 months from fingerling to about 1 lb.

Our reading of the temperature facts below against UF/IFAS's three regions (North Florida north of State Road 40, Central between 40 and 70, South below 70). A tank with a heater, a greenhouse or a shaded sump changes the answer.

Temperature1, 2

Optimal water temperature (°F)about 85

SRAC 180 puts best growth at about 85 F; CIR1052 gives 28 to 30 C (converted: 82 to 86 F). SRAC 180 adds that metabolism, and so appetite, roughly halves with each 18 F drop in water temperature and doubles with each 18 F rise, within limits. Spawning water: 75 to 85 F with about 80 F best (SRAC 180); CIR1052 says females start laying above 21 C (70 F). Hatching success falls below 65 F and above 85 F (SRAC 180). Neither source gives a temperature at which growth stops or fish die.

Florida rules3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11

FWC statusFWC's species profile lists channel catfish as "Species Status Native" and says they are "found throughout Florida". Channel catfish do not appear on FWC's Conditional Nonnative Species List or Prohibited Nonnative Species List as fetched. Do not confuse them with blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus): FWC's blue catfish profile reads "Species Status Nonnative", and the Conditional list names "Ictalurus furcatus (Blue catfish)" with the "Exception: I. furcatus may be possessed in the Suwannee River and its tributaries and north and west of the Suwannee River". FWC pages show no revision date; read 2026-11-02.
Permit or certificateFWC's Aquaponics Licenses & Permits page (no revision date; read 2026-11-02), under the heading for personal use only (no sales of aquatic animals), says "No permit needed if aquatic species are produced for personal use only (not sold) and acquired in Florida" and lists a "Resident Fish Dealer's license if purchasing fish from sellers outside Florida". The page does not name catfish; these lines are general. For a business, FDACS says anyone running an aquaponic facility "as a commercial business producing and selling aquatic animals must apply for an Aquaculture Certificate of Registration" (FDACS-P-01770 Rev. 12/25). The statute printed in the FDACS BMP manual (FDACS-02034 Rev. 11/2023) sets the certificate's annual registration fee at $100.
Selling fish or fingerlingsFWC's aquaponics page lists a "Resident fish dealer's license (RFD) issued by FWC if selling live fish to the public" and a "Food permit (if selling products for human consumption) issued by FDACS Division of Food Safety". FDACS-P-01770 says those who process and sell their products for human consumption need a Food Processing Permit from the Division of Food Safety, and certified facilities must follow the Best Management Practices. Section 597.004(6)(a), Florida Statutes, as printed in the BMP manual: aquaculture products other than shellfish and prohibited or restricted nonnative species "may be sold by an aquaculture producer certified pursuant to this section or by a dealer licensed pursuant to part VII of chapter 379 without restriction so long as the product origin can be identified." FDACS's Food Fish page lists catfish among Florida's 2023 food-fish sales.
AlsoFWC's aquaponics page: "Aquatic species that are left over from aquaponics projects may not be released into Florida waters." For certified farms, the BMP manual requires land-based holding and culture systems to be built and run so cultured animals cannot escape into waters of the state.

Rules change and this is a summary; the agency page in the sources is the authority. Check it before you buy, breed or sell.

Growing1, 2, 10, 12

Harvest size0.75 to 1.5 lb (340 to 680 g)
Months to harvest7 to 9 from a 4 to 8 inch fingerling to about 1 lb in northern Florida; 15 to 18 from egg
StockingNo catfish-specific aquaponic density was found. CIR1052's figures come from ponds and cages: grow-out ponds average 8,500 to 10,000 fingerlings (10 to 50 g) per hectare (3,743 per acre), and cages hold 212 to 424 fingerlings of 6 to 8 inches per cubic meter (6 to 12 per cubic foot). For any small aquaponic system, SRAC 5007's general guide for new growers is a final density of about 1 pound of fish per 10 gallons, varying with experience, design and solids removal.
FeedCIR1052: grow-out feeds range from 25 to 36 percent crude protein, and fry starter feeds 36 to 40 percent; feed lipid is usually kept below 6 percent. Feed newly hatched fry several times a day at 6 to 10 percent of body weight, fingerlings 2 to 5 percent a day split into two or more meals, and broodfish 1 to 2 percent. Expect 1.5 to 2.2 lb of feed per lb of gain.
Water qualityCIR1052: dissolved oxygen above 4.0 mg/l; pH 6.5 to 9.0; total ammonia nitrogen below 0.5 to 1 mg/l; carbon dioxide below 15 mg/l; total alkalinity and hardness 50 to 100 mg/l; salinity below 5 ppt; gas supersaturation below 115 percent. SRAC 180: oxygen near 1.0 ppm is lethal and growth drops below 4 ppm. SRAC 722 gives a 96-hour nitrite LC50 of 24.8 mg/L for channel catfish, far lower than for largemouth bass.

SRAC 180: in the wild, channel catfish feed mostly at night and around dusk and dawn, mainly near the bottom but also at the surface. The dorsal and pectoral fins carry sharp spines that can cause painful wounds, so handle fish with care. CIR1052 reports pond survival from fingerling to market of 75 to 90 percent.

Breeding and stock1, 2, 6

How it breedsChannel catfish can be sexed at about 6 months and usually breed first in their second or third year (CIR1052); SRAC 180 says most mature at 3 years, some at 2. Females spawn once a year, usually April to June (CIR1052), laying a sticky egg mass of about 3,000 to 4,000 eggs per pound of body weight (SRAC 180). They spawn only in dark, secluded cavities, which is why farms set out spawning containers; the male guards and fans the eggs. At 78 F eggs hatch in about 8 days; add a day for every 2 F cooler and take one off for every 2 F warmer (SRAC 180). Fry live on the yolk for 2 to 5 days, then swim up and readily take prepared feed. CIR1052 gives a brood stocking ratio of 4 females to 1 male and 6,000 to 8,000 eggs per kg of broodfish.
Getting fingerlings or stockCIR1052 says commercial growers often buy eyed eggs, yolk-sac larvae or stocker fingerlings; grow-out fingerlings are 10 to 50 g, or 4 to 8 inches. For a home system, FWC's aquaponics page says no permit is needed if the fish are acquired in Florida and not sold, while buying from sellers outside Florida needs a Resident Fish Dealer's license.

Florida sellers of fingerlings, breeders and stock

In an aquaponics system1, 9, 10

suited with care

SRAC 454 lists channel catfish among species some aquaponic systems have used, while noting that most commercial systems raise tilapia and that most freshwater fish that tolerate crowding do well. SRAC 5007 names channel catfish among the food fish that can be grown in aquaponic systems in the southern region. Neither gives catfish-specific aquaponic production figures, and CIR1052's numbers come from ponds, raceways and cages, so treat its stocking and growth figures as starting points rather than system targets. The FAO aquaponics manual could not be fetched.

On the table1, 3

CIR1052: most farmed catfish are sold for food at 0.75 to 1.5 lb, and dressed yield (headed, gutted, skinned) is about 60 to 65 percent of live weight. A 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of raw meat has about 116 to 128 kcal, 15 to 18 g protein and 0.7 to 11 g fat. FWC's profile calls catfish a staple for anglers who eat their catch.

What this page doesn't cover yet

  • No fetched source gives a temperature at which channel catfish stop growing or die, cold or hot; those fields are null.
  • No catfish-specific aquaponic stocking density, feeding-rate ratio or harvest data was found; growing figures come from pond, raceway and cage culture.
  • The FAO 'Small-scale aquaponic food production' manual returned HTTP 403 on every FAO URL tried, so it was not used.
  • The EDIS HTML page for CIR1052 (ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FA010) failed with too many redirects; the PDF at /publication/FA010/pdf was read instead.
  • Sources differ slightly on first spawning: CIR1052 says usually the second or third year, SRAC 180 says usually 3 years and sometimes 2. On spawning water, CIR1052 says above 70 F, SRAC 180 says 75 to 85 F.
  • FWC's aquaponics page does not name catfish; its personal-use and dealer-license lines are general.
  • No fetched page covers bag limits or rules for taking wild channel catfish to stock a system.

Sources

  1. Farm-Raised Channel Catfish. UF/IFAS Extension, EDIS, CIR1052. Read 2026-11-02.
  2. Channel Catfish: Life History and Biology. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC), SRAC 180. Read 2026-11-02.
  3. Channel Catfish (species profile). Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Read 2026-11-02.
  4. Blue Catfish (species profile). Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Read 2026-11-02.
  5. Conditional Nonnative Species List. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Read 2026-11-02.
  6. Aquaponics Licenses & Permits. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Read 2026-11-02.
  7. Commercial Aquaponics: Rules and Regulations. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture, FDACS-P-01770 Rev. 12/25. Read 2026-11-02.
  8. Aquaculture Best Management Practices Manual (incorporated into Rule 5L-3.004, F.A.C.). Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture, FDACS-02034 Rev. 11/2023. Read 2026-11-02.
  9. Recirculating Aquaculture Tank Production Systems: Aquaponics—Integrating Fish and Plant Culture. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC), SRAC 454. Read 2026-11-02.
  10. Principles of Small-Scale Aquaponics. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC), SRAC 5007. Read 2026-11-02.
  11. Food Fish. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture. Read 2026-11-02.
  12. Species Profile: Largemouth Bass. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC), SRAC 722. Read 2026-11-02.

Every fact above is restated in our own words from these documents, written 2026-11-02. Independent of the University of Florida and of every agency named.

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