Is my fish sick or pregnant?

[jibboo]

I have some dward neon rainbowfish (1 male and 2 females) ... i've been waiting a long time in hopes that they would breed. Well, finally my larger female started looking fat ... I was thinking, "GREAT!"

but its been over a week since she's been fat and I've noticed that she appears whiter than the other rainbows (which have a blueish irridescence to them) ... plus, she has some white on both of her eyes.

So, now I'm worried that something is wrong ... but she doesn't have ich, which is the only disease that I think i would recognize.

The fish appears ok ... it still swims around and acts normal (as far as I can tell). She is eating also when I put food in.

I'll try to get a picture to see if that is helpful at all ... but if anyone has any insight, it'd be much appreciated.

 

[Essayons89]

Dwarf Neon rainbows aren't livebearers so they can't become pregnant but they can become egg bound. However, I don't think that this is the problem based on your description of what she looks like.

Cloudy eyes and a washed out color are two signs of a fish being ill. Her being active and eating is a good sign but I do have some questions for you.

1. What are your water parameters (pH, ammonia , nitrite and nitrate)?
2. Frequency of water changes and amount of water changed?
3. Are the scales sticking out giving the fish a 'pine cone' appearance?
4. Are the eyes protruding out from the eye socket at all?
5. Have you seen the fish poo and if so is it white and stringy or is it "normal"?

My first thought is that the fish is just constipated. Feeding a frozen pea that has been thawed and skinned can help to alleviate this as will daphnia or veggie flakes.

The cloudy eye leads me to believe that there is also something wrong but I can't put my finger on what it is yet. Answering the above questions may help.

If you are able to I would quarantine this fish and monitor it's condition closely. In the meantime keep water conditons pristine and provide plenty of fresh clean water by doing small daily water changes. The addition of a bit of aquarium salt might not hurt either. If you can get a picture that would also help.

Thanks,
Bryan