How do you tell the of a catfish?

Question
Hi-
 I have recently noticed in my tank that the two catfish in there have become very buddy buddy and that one of them has become rather fat. I read the earlier post about laying egss is it possible for any species of catfish to give live birth? Also, what do I do to protect these eggs/babies?

Answer
Dear Amanda,
If your catfish happen to be Cories or corydoras catfish, then the fish that has become chubby is very likely a female. Most cory genders can be diffeentiaed by the plumpness of the females and the rather slim appearance of the males by comparison. If your fish are cories, and you have a pair, they may spawn. Female cories deposite their eggs on surfaces such as plant leaves and the glass walls. The eggs usually stick there. In order to have a sucessful spawn it would be best if you moved the catfish into their spawning tank. Which can be a simple 5-10gallon with a sponge filter and some plants. Sometimes a small water change with slightly cooler water can provoke cories into spawning. Once the eggs have been laid you can remove the pair and allow for the eggs to hatch in the spawning tank.

I currently do not know of any livebearing catfish. They may exist somewhere, but I know that all aquarium-kept catfish lay eggs.

Not knowing the species of your catfish makes it pretty difficult to provide info. But for more information on almost any kind of catfish, visit-

     Planetcatfish.com

I really hope this helps and best of luck!
Karen~