mystery

[lmul]

i have 2 parrot fish a clown loach and a cat fish (not sure what kind) i noticed last night that my cat fish has a swollen belly can anyone tell me if any of the other three fish can impregnate the cat fish if not can anyone tell me why it would have a swollen belly

 

[RazorbacksFan]

What size tank are they in? Do you a mean a parrot cichlid? The swollen belly could be bloat from overfeeding catfish are egg layers so it couldn't be pregnant but it's possible that its swollen with eggs.

 

[lmul]

i have a 60 litre tank i just found out my cat fish is a pictus catfish

 

[RazorbacksFan]

That tank is way too small for the amount of fish, the clown loach alone can grow to over 14inches and like to be in groups of at least 3 or 4. The parrot cichlids can grow to around 8inches and are very fat making there bioload even higher. The pictus catfish grows to about 5inches and also likes to be in groups of at least 3 to 4. Do you know the ammonia levels of the tank?

 

[lmul]

i have heard all this before i have had the fish for over a year now with no problems i get my fish from a very good store and have asked in that store and others about the size and all have said the fish grow to their surroundings so what you are saying is for the size of my tank i should have one fish is it

 

[RazorbacksFan]

i have heard all this before i have had the fish for over a year now with no problems i get my fish from a very good store and have asked in that store and others about the size and all have said the fish grow to their surroundings so what you are saying is for the size of my tank i should have one fish is it

It's not a matter of what they can "live" in, they may survive being that cramped but there quality of life will be greatly reduced. If forced to live in such cramped conditions it will actually stunt the growth of the fish permanently. Also ignoring the extreme overstocking you have fish improperly stocked as far as the amount they feel comfortable with as I said before both the clown loaches and the pictus cats need to be in groups of 3 or 4 more. I suggest you reconsider the tank. I would suggest selling some of the fish back to the fish store or get a much larger tank.

 

[spoonman]

My pictus cats do that quite often. If I put any pellets or anything like that in, they run around and hog it all up. He may have done that. I would give him a couple days and see if it goes away. If not it could be constipation. Try feeding him peas if you can. I have never done it but it is supposed to work. Pictus are really pigs. I would tend to think that he just ate himself that way, but I could be wrong. Like I said, mine do it all the time.

 

[lmul]

ya it has gone thanks

 

[spoonman]

No problem. Glad to help.