What's Up w/ My Banjo Cat? Just fat? Sick? Preggers???

Darter02 · Post by **Darter02** » 18 Oct 2007, 15:48

Hello all, there is something up with my only banjo catfish. I introduced it to my 75-gallon, planted discus tank about 2 months ago. It was pretty small, maybe around 2” in length. It always seems to be doing the banjo cat thing, you know; laying around the bottom, moving little and eating well. I see it eat a lot of the frozen bloodworms my wild, brown discus enjoy, as well as a variety of other tidbits I feed the other tank mates.

This week, I noticed it’s gotten a LOT bigger, as if over night. It’s now almost 4” long and has a HUGE belly!! I’m not kidding, it’s belly is so big, it no longer can lay flat.

Any idea what is wrong here? Is it just overfed, or is it sick, or Lord know how, pregnant?

Here is a close up of it sort of leaning against the glass and some moss-covered driftwood.

I coaxed him/her onto the bottom, so I could get a side shot. Sorry it’s sort of blurred, the aquarium glass distorts at the distance it was from the side.

As it swam for the cave.

For more photos of the aquarium as a whole, as well as specific tank parameters see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darter02/s ... 552201878/

apistomaster · Post by **apistomaster** » 18 Oct 2007, 17:44

I recently grew up a group of banjo Cats from very small specimens of no more than 1-1/2 inch TL and after one year some of the very largest specimens developed the same full belly your banjo has. I believe these are females and they are full of ripe eggs. What I don't understand is why they never spawn. There is no cause for alarm because this is what the females do. I have kept many Banjo Cats over the past four decades and none have ever died from this condition.

Darter02 · Post by **Darter02** » 18 Oct 2007, 18:12

Cool beans! My intial reaction was, "it's full of eggs!" but I wanted to be sure.

Thanks!

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 25 Oct 2007, 20:52

Yep. That would be a nice female. They look like they've swallowed golf balls:

Larry, would Banjos be overwhelmed with Discus? They're scared of their own shadows.

Amanda

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 25 Oct 2007, 21:09

Mine did the same.

Nothing to worry about I'm sure. You soon notice if the fish is in distress.

FANTASTIC discus by the way

. Its nice that other people appreciate the wild types as being aesthetically far superior to the mass produced strains.

How anyone thought they could improve on discus like yours I don't know

.

Mine are coming along slowly...

Do you know what local variety yours are?

Darter02 · Post by **Darter02** » 26 Oct 2007, 16:29

racoll wrote:Do you know what local variety yours are?

Actually, I do not. They were given to me at the beginning of the year. I had been taking care of them as part of a traveling exhibit we had on display at the museum where I work. When the show was over, they simply gave me the fish.

I wish I had more history on where they came from. I’m also setting up a breeding tank this weekend. They’ve already had two hatches of fry in the community tank.

As for my Banjo being afraid, nope, she’s good. There are lots of hiding places, and I have seen the Discus and her feed off the bottom at the same location a few times.

apistomaster · Post by **apistomaster** » 26 Oct 2007, 17:37

Darter, Are you saying your Banjo Cats have bred in the community tank and you have some fry? That's pretty cool if you did.

I have tried off and on for 30 years and have never been able to turn my "golf balls" into fry.

My compliments on the discus, too. I have a strong preference for wild type discus. I have ten Heckels I've grown up from 3 inch juvies and want some good RSG's.

Darter02 · Post by **Darter02** » 26 Oct 2007, 18:01

apistomaster wrote:Darter, Are you saying your Banjo Cats have bred in the community tank and you have some fry? That's pretty cool if you did.

I have tried off and on for 30 years and have never been able to turn my "golf balls" into fry.

My compliments on the discus, too. I have a strong preference for wild type discus. I have ten Heckels I've grown up from 3 inch juvies and want some good RSG's.

Oh, no, I was talking to Racoll about my wild discus! LOL

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 26 Oct 2007, 18:22

I had been taking care of them as part of a traveling exhibit we had on display at the museum where I work. When the show was over, they simply gave me the fish.

I wish people gave me discus like that!

Darter02 · Post by **Darter02** » 26 Oct 2007, 18:25

When I got them, they were still young and very skinny!

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 27 Oct 2007, 18:05

Very good photography too....

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 03 Nov 2007, 15:22

Wow! Nice photography, indeed!

I recently placed some Endler's Livebearers in with the Banjos. I now feed the Banjos every 3 or 4 days as long as the (5)female Endler's(1 male) are giving off fry.(they were quarantined for 2 weeks). It's fun to watch. The Banjos have actually become more active, now that others are in the tank. They're coming up from the substrate in anticipation of their meal.

Amanda