is my goby pregnant?

Question

I had a goby living in my tank for a while and added a new one in about a month ago, not long after she got a fat belly and has been getting ever-so-slightly fatter ever since. here's a pic of her.

http://usera.imagecave.com/croc_hunter_penny/Random/goby-preg2.jpg
and
http://usera.imagecave.com/croc_hunter_penny/Random/goby-preg1.jpg

If she is pregnant, what should I do with her, and does she need to be separated from the main tank?

Answer 1

It looks like she is just eating well.I noticed you have a great amount of algae and plant growth for her to eat.If she is preg.leave her be it may be to stressful for her if she is moved. The 125 display where I work has a really fat goby in it i think this is normal when there is alot of growth on LR.She is awesome keep up the good work.

Answer 2

First, these fish are egglayers! She may be getting ready to lay some eggs, though. Have you noticed the two of them digging a little "cave" together? If she's got eggs, that's where she'll lay them.

Do you have any other fish/animals in the tank? They may try to eat the eggs or fry, but moving the goby may be stressful for her and she may abort any eggs too early.

Alternatively, she may have an infection , either by vibrosis or intestinal parasites. Dropsy is NOT a saltwater disease! http://www.versaquatics.com/saltwaterdiseasecharts.htm
http://www.save1004.com/articles/diseases.htm

If this is an infection, be careful using any treatment that involves copper - it's toxic to any invertebrates!

Answer 3

She looks distended so she could be pregnant, but she could also have dropsy. Dropsy is an illness that can cause swollen bellies. You can look up dropsy on Google and see if the other symptoms apply, then treat accordingly.

I'd check her stomach closely and maybe you can see the little black eyes of the fry. Until you can see the eyes, meaning she's close to giving birth, there's no need to move her.