Although most fishes extract oxygen from the water, a small number of species rely on air-breathing to meet some or all of their oxygen requirements. These species, almost exclusively found in tropical freshwater systems, are of major importance to human nutrition, particularly in South East Asia, where more than 90% of the global production resides, largely in delta areas. Air-breathing fishes are capable of growing in deeply hypoxic water as is the case with the most produced Pangasiid catfishes, and many species are capable of very high growth rates. Here, we briefly present the current culture types and associated water quality. We discuss how the ability to breathe in both air and water dramatically influences their tolerance to the variables used to monitor and control water quality in water-breathing fish aquaculture, and how improvements in water quality might increase productivity in the culture of air-breathing fishes.