I know that they are egg laying fish, and so do not actually get pregnant, but mine has a very swollen belly. I am not feeding them any more than usual, and that is the only fish in the tank that looks fat. So what's going on? I had thought it was a male before this happened because sometimes it's black stripes have a metallic green color to them. That only happens in males, right? I am a first time fish owner so I really don't know much about them. Please help!
2007-09-20 08:20:38 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Actually, it sounds like your fish might have dropsy. Dropsy is a symptom of disease in fish. It could have several causes-bacterial infection and poor water quality are some common causes. A fish that has noticeable dropsy is often too sick to be saved, however, you should definitely try to get to the root of the problem.
The first thing you should do is get a test kit. Ideally, your water readings should be ammonia: 0, nitrite: 0, nitrate: 20 or below. If your readings are any higher than this, it is a sign that you are either overstocked or need to do more frequent water changes.
If you don't do weekly water changes, starting to do so will help your tank a lot!! Poor water quality can cause a lot of problems in your tanks, and you can never do too many partial water changes. 50% weekly is an ideal schedule. However, if you don't do water changes regularly, you can shock your fish if you replace too much water at once. Start by removing about 10% of the water with a gravel vacuum and replacing it with fresh, dechlorinated water. The next day, remove about 20%, and continue increasing the amount of water you replace until you are up to 50%. Once you are there, continue to do a 50% water change weekly! You will be surprised at how healthy your fish are!
Another thing you can try is feeding your fish medicated food. If the cause of the dropsy is an internal infection, this should help. Feed according to the directions (usually 3 days a week for a month) and it should wipe out any internal parasites in your tank.
Here is a link about dropsy that might help you: http://www.fishjunkies.com/Diseases/dropsy.php
2007-09-20 14:01:12 · answer #1 · answered by Liz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my new tiger barb is small and i have had it for two days. its belly is getting a little fat and it is a girl. is this pregnancy or dropsy
2016-01-16 13:57:20 · answer #2 · answered by William 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sure sounds like it's pregnant
If so you will see soon eggs around your tank, most likely on plant's if you have any
Here is a site on how to breed them
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile20.html
Hope that helps
Good luck
EB
2007-09-24 07:40:52 · answer #3 · answered by Kribensis lover 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fishy Fishy Fishy!!!
2007-09-20 10:43:53 · answer #4 · answered by mirageswow 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋