Striped Raphael Catfish

[Gilliannii]

How can i know if its pregnant or just bloated?

 

[Khazmachi]

Its bloated not pregnant. I had one of these guys when I was a kid, and loved it, but I had some compatibility issues. At night my smaller fish (tetras and zebra danios) would disappear and my catfish's belly would get huge. It will eat way more than you would expect it to be able to, and then it will have a huge belly for a few days. I was new to fish keeping at the time so I'm not sure what the best solution is, but I'd say this is normal from my experience with this fish.
A few tips for ya. They are nocturnal so feed them at night. Also make sure you have some caves and hiding places for them in the day. You can get one of those moonlights or a red light to watch them at night when they are active. Keep an eye on your numbers of small fish if you have any. I'm guessing the bloated belly if from late night snacking on tank mates.

 

[bshenanagins]

Its bloated not pregnant. I had one of these guys when I was a kid, and loved it, but I had some compatibility issues. At night my smaller fish (tetras and zebra danios) would disappear and my catfish's belly would get huge. It will eat way more than you would expect it to be able to, and then it will have a huge belly for a few days. I was new to fish keeping at the time so I'm not sure what the best solution is, but I'd say this is normal from my experience with this fish.
A few tips for ya. They are nocturnal so feed them at night. Also make sure you have some caves and hiding places for them in the day. You can get one of those moonlights or a red light to watch them at night when they are active. Keep an eye on your numbers of small fish if you have any. I'm guessing the bloated belly if from late night snacking on tank mates.

Yeah I'd agree, not sure about Raphael cat breeding behavior but most cats don't spawn in the aquarium because they require deep substrate to burrow and drop eggs