Asian bumble bee catfish pregnant????

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Nsolis450

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I have two catfish..a red tail catfish and an Asian bumblebee catfish. When I first joined the two there were signs of fighting my RTC was all nipped up from it’s fins. Some time after I got a bigger tank and added more plants and fighting disappeared. Recently, I noticed my ABC hides all the time in a tiki head I have in there. A few times my RTC has been in there with it..no signs of fighting. But now I notice my ABC has a belly......could it be????? Can these two even mate?? Or is my fish bloated for some reason?

Yellow line added to show belly bulge
 

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No they cannot interbreed. Whatever is causing the bulge it is not because the fish is 'pregnant'.



Just to make sure - you are aware of how big the red tailed catfish grows, and the size of tank you will need?
 
Bumblebee catfish regularly get fat in aquariums. It could also be a female with eggs. Males have a penis in front of (I think) the anal fin.

Redtail catfish will grow to 2 to 5 feet long and will eat the bumblebee catfish. It will need a huge tank soon because they grow quickly and can reach 18inches long in 6 months.
 
No they cannot interbreed. Whatever is causing the bulge it is not because the fish is 'pregnant'.



Just to make sure - you are aware of how big the red tailed catfish grows, and the size of tank you will need?

Thanks for your response! To be honest, I feel bad I bought the fish from a fish store without researching how big it would grow. Now I’m looking for options for when it gets bigger because unfortunately I won’t be able to keep it I don’t have space for it :( BTW my catfish’s stomach grew even more...I hope it’s not ill
 

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Bumblebee catfish regularly get fat in aquariums. It could also be a female with eggs. Males have a penis in front of (I think) the anal fin.

Redtail catfish will grow to 2 to 5 feet long and will eat the bumblebee catfish. It will need a huge tank soon because they grow quickly and can reach 18inches long in 6 months.
Thank you! This might be a stupid question, but what will happen if it’s just eggs? Will it eventually release the eggs? What would happen?
yes! I know it’s going to grow :( I won’t be able to keep it once it grows bigger. I’m looking for options to find it a new home soon.
 

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That kind of looks like bloat. @Deanasue, @Colin_T? I have heard red tails can be kind of aggressive as well......
Thank you. I wonder what I could do to fix that. It’s always hiding. You know, it says they are really aggressive...it might be because mines still a baby, but I literally have it with tiny goldfish and he doesn’t even nip at their fins!
 
Thank you. I wonder what I could do to fix that. It’s always hiding. You know, it says they are really aggressive...it might be because mines still a baby, but I literally have it with tiny goldfish and he doesn’t even nip at their fins!
There always are outliers, but with maturity comes with aggression. Just keep an eye on it. Never had bloat, so I'm not sure.
 
I used to have a bumblebee catfish and it always had a big belly. Sadly it died when my cycle crashed and I disected it, and it turned out it had a buch of eggs in it.
 
Is the bumblebee catfish eating well?
If the fish is eating well it's less of an issue.

What does it's poop look like?
If it's poop is white and stringy, then it's a problem.
 
Thanks for your response! To be honest, I feel bad I bought the fish from a fish store without researching how big it would grow. Now I’m looking for options for when it gets bigger because unfortunately I won’t be able to keep it I don’t have space for it :( BTW my catfish’s stomach grew even more...I hope it’s not ill
Unfortunately, there are not any options for what to do with it when it gets larger, because there are very few places or people that are able and willing to house a fish that gets this large:
red tailed catfish.jpg

We're not kidding, this fish is a river monster. Most public aquariums have more of these than they want already, since so many people buy these when they're small and cute, not giving a thought to what they'll do when it gets bigger.

The absolute best thing you can do is return it to the store you bought it from. You were trying to buy aquarium fish, he sold you a river monster that no reasonable person can house. Make it the stores problem for passing these fish into the hobby and not caring about the impact this has. You can make a solid argument that they didn't fully inform you of what this fish entails, and that it isn't fit for purpose - it certainly isn't fit for purpose as an aquarium fish, as you can see.

It's very possible that if you wait until the fish is larger, you're going to be stuck with it and not find anyone or anywhere willing to take it. It was probably in a tank with a bunch of other baby red tailed cats when you bought it, right? Don't forget that everyone who bought one of those babies is going to be doing the same thing, looking for someone, anyone, who will take it. Or keeping them in tanks that are far too small until they die from stunting, after eating every other fish you own.

If you're in the US, I'd suggest contacting Ohio Fish Rescue. They're the only fish rescue I know of that takes giant monster fish like RTCs, and might be able to give you advice. Always, always research a fish before you buy it. Adult size, tank requirements at adult size, water parameters and temperature etc, what other fish it can live with...

But whatever you do, please never, ever, release anything from your tanks into the wild. Hobbyists have devastated natural ecosystems by releasing fish like these into the wild. They introduce disease pathogens that the wild fish have no immunity to, eat and out compete native fish, and cause a massive impact that can't be fixed.

Just take a look at this video of how plecos (non-native) have been dumped in a state park in Florida, utterly taking over and destroying the ecosystem. Seeing it for yourself brings it home:

Better to euthanise a fish than to release it into the wild, and ignoring all the native fish it will kill.

If you decide to build an outdoor pond for it, make sure it's built in a way that it can't be flooded out and thereby release the fish into local river systems.
 
More info on The Big Fish Campaign, for anyone interested
.
 
Is the bumblebee catfish eating well?
If the fish is eating well it's less of an issue.

What does it's poop look like?
If it's poop is white and stringy, then it's a problem.
I feed it sinking shrimp pellets and bloodworms. I’ll need to focus on the poop I haven’t really taken a look at it
 

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