Can a fish become eggbound?

Question

I know reptiles and birds can become eggbound and die but can a fish if the female won't lay her eggs?

Answer 1

Most fish and all aquarium fish I'm aware of will drop their eggs on their own (presuming they don't drop them independently for their normal breeding methods anyway), so no, they won't become egg bound.

In case it's not just an idle question- many fish will become very fat if they're preparing to breed (I'm saying this as someone who bred bettas) but they'll be fine even if they never do so. However, if your fish is seeming sickly, swimming upside-down or floating irregularly, etc, there may be more wrong, such as bacterial or digestive disorders. Depending on the breed of fish and the problem, you may need to treat it with a change in diet or with an aquarium fish medication (which you can find at most pet stores- check smaller aquarium-specialty stores first, as they tend to know what they're talking about more than a WalMart or PetCo when it comes to fish illnesses).

Answer 2

It's possible, but quite rare.

MM