Eggbinding possible in banjo cats?

[Taratron]

Bear with me, please, as I still have no access to a digital camera, and I also do not know for certain that the banjo in question is female.

Tank: 29 gallons, duckweed planted, leaf and sand substrate
Fauna: 6 banjo cats, 2 bamboo shrimp, 3 peppered cories

I obtained the banjos from two different pet stores; from one, the banjos were about two inches and are now three, but have not grown much in girth at all, and the other, starting at three inches, are now closer to five, and it is one of these that now has a literally enormous belly.

My first thought was that the fish was stealing a good deal of pellets and wafers, so I cut the feeding to once every other day, then to only twice a week to also cut back on the snail populous. Two weeks later, the fish was and is still large as before.

The idea of the fish being female and holding eggs took hold, and I tried to simulate the wet season by holding back on water changes, and then performing a 30% with RO water. Nothing happened. I tried this again a week later with no results.

The fish in question is still large, to the point where she is propped up on her stomach, and it is almost comical to watch her do the "banjo cat shuffle" on the substrate. However, if it is not eggs that she holds, I'm aware it could be a tumor, or a cyst...or she could well perhaps be eggbound. Do banjos get to that state? Is there a way to tell for certain that she is holding eggs and not something more ominous?

[racoll]

My banjos were exactly the same! I think it is due the amount of food they eat in the aquarium, compared to their almost zero energy expenditure.

They probably don't get anywhere near as much food in the wild as they do in the aquarium.

I think they're just fat. It never did mine any harm, but do try to spawn them just in case, as i'm probably wrong!

[PlecoCrazy]

I have had one with a belly like that for at least 5 years or so. You may have two different species of Banjo. They come in mixed up all of the time.