Fat Twig Catfish ?

[Dave Pauls]

Last week I purchased 2 twig catfish (Farowella sp.). I chose one with a very wide, shorter, snout and one with a slim long snout, in hopes that I would get a pair. I put them in a 8 gallon quarantine tank that had been set up for about 2 weeks, and started with filter media from one of my filters. I had 13 ottos in there before the twigs, and they all did fine, so I am sure the filter is working. I have also been doing a 50% water chainge every other day using water from my main tank to top up the quarantine tank. My water is relatively hard with a kh of around 6 and a gh of 11? if I remember corectly. I never checked the ph. I also have four CAEs in the tank. I have been feeding them algae wafers, and spinach, and have the tank in a location where it gets direct sunlight to promote algae growth. there is no substrate, and the only decorations are an anubius and a rock to hold it down.
ok, so I got the pair on thursday. it is now monday. the one I think is the female seems to be swollen. She has a very pronounced stomach on her. I didn't notice this at all when I bought them. I don't know much about these fish at all, and I was wondering if she is sick. I thought she might be full of eggs, but I don't remember seeing a belly on her at all when I bought her.... 4 days ago. so I was wondering if this is normal... if she is going to spawn... if she is sick? she is moving around and eating as far as I can tell, but yea.... she just looks fat. If she is doing to spawn, is ther anything else I should be doing? ie adding RO water, removing the CAEs? thanks
DAVE

oh yea, the water temp is like 23 - 24 C

 

[Dave Pauls]

so for an update, I did some research and found pictures of a female about to lay eggs, and she looks exactly like that, so I figure that the chainge from the crapy conditions of the pet store to the slightly better conditions I had her in... ie feeding them.... triggered them into breeding condition... soo now what do i do? hmm. I gues I will jsut leave them alone and see what happens.

 

[f1sh1275]

you could move them to a sepperat breeding tank with some caves and tubes etc. use water from the old tank and some mature medie. if you do have success then blanched brustle sprouts are good for growing on the fry