Hi, I am a newbie to this forum trying to learn from the pros. Can some one tell me how to tell if a female fish is pregnant or getting bloated as a disease? I have many guppy females and some swordtail & plattiies showing large abdomen, but some will die instead of giving babies. If I can spot the bloated condition faster, perhaps I can treat the fish. Any idea?
pregnant or bloated
- Thread starter fxbillie
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
mattrox
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you could post some pictures that would help.
How much do you feed your fish? What are the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH)? How long has the tank been set up? How often do you do partial water changes?
How much do you feed your fish? What are the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH)? How long has the tank been set up? How often do you do partial water changes?
dkpate
Aquarium Advice Addict
You will see a gravid spot if they are pregnant. If they are bloated, you can try feeding them boiled, de-shelled peas.
Is the gravid spot a darkend spot near the anal area?
By peas, do you mean frozen peas from a package and boil them? Great simple idea if this works instead of more medicine to the tank. By the way, dkpate, thanks for the great advice about eliminating ick with 86F temp. It works and my tank is now ick free. Do I lower the temperature now?
My 55 gal tank is about 3 months old but I move all the wet gravel plus 70% of the water from a 30 gal tank. So I hope it has good bacteria in there. I am not sure about the PH and nitrite reading. I change 25 - 30% water each week. The fish may be a bit over-fed. I may need to cut back on them. Thanks.
dkpate
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes, that is what the gravid spot is. 
Frozen peas are the best because they last a long time. I just stick a handful in a coffee cup of water, put in the microwave for 3 minutes, run under cold water when done, pop the middle out into a spoon, and much a little. Then I just pack the spoon from tank to tank and scoop a little on my finger and swish it in the tank.
I am glad to hear your tank is ich free! How long have you had the temp up now? After 10 days, you can start lowering it slowly.
Next time you want to seed a tank, no need to put the old water in there, because very little bacteria exists in the water column. The gravel should be good enough, and if possible, cut off a little piece of the filter media off of a filter you have had running, and stick that in next to the new media in the new filter.
Did you just use the heat method, or did you use salt? If you used salt, you will need to do water changes to get that out, because it does not evaporate.
Do you have a reading for nitrates? If you have nitrates, you shouldn't have too many nitrites, if any.
You only need to feed the fish as much as they will eat in about 5 minutes. I tend to overfeed my community tank, but I have trumpet snails in there who get rid of the excess food and waste.
Frozen peas are the best because they last a long time. I just stick a handful in a coffee cup of water, put in the microwave for 3 minutes, run under cold water when done, pop the middle out into a spoon, and much a little. Then I just pack the spoon from tank to tank and scoop a little on my finger and swish it in the tank.
I am glad to hear your tank is ich free! How long have you had the temp up now? After 10 days, you can start lowering it slowly.
Next time you want to seed a tank, no need to put the old water in there, because very little bacteria exists in the water column. The gravel should be good enough, and if possible, cut off a little piece of the filter media off of a filter you have had running, and stick that in next to the new media in the new filter.
Did you just use the heat method, or did you use salt? If you used salt, you will need to do water changes to get that out, because it does not evaporate.
Do you have a reading for nitrates? If you have nitrates, you shouldn't have too many nitrites, if any.
You only need to feed the fish as much as they will eat in about 5 minutes. I tend to overfeed my community tank, but I have trumpet snails in there who get rid of the excess food and waste.
Thanks for the good advice again, dkpate. A bit confused about the peas instruction (it will be nice to have a youtube video, hehe, but it is ok). I will figure it out. I will re-activate my 30 gal soon as the guppy babies in my 20 gal nursery tank need more space. So your advice will help greatly thanks. No I have no nitrite reading. Some friends with aquariums tell me if your plants are growing great, then the nitrates are great. My plants are growing wild now even without co2. And my fish are generally happy (chasing each other around playing all day) except the latest ick incident which I think was due to putting in two new head & tail light tetras from the store without a quar.tank. Sigh. No, my ick situation was taken care of purely by raising the temp. without salt (it has some left over ick medicine). So your advice will help me save $$$ in the future if ick comes back (Heaven forbids, hehe). Thanks a lot.
dkpate
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ok.
Grab some frozen peas, get about 10 of them out, fill a coffee cup 3/4 of the way, stick the peas in there. Put the cup in the microwave for 3 minutes to let them "boil." When they are done, take the cup out and run cold water over the peas in the cup to cool them off. Then grab a pea and squeeze one side until the middle (soft part) pops out onto a spoon, (I use the spoon because it's easier to carry around and get the peas off). When you have about 6 middles on the spoon, mush them with your finger into a little bit of a paste. Then go to your tank, and scoop a little of the "mush" on you finger, and just swirl your finger right above the water line. The pea mush will come off your finger and float down to the fish in your tank.
Grab some frozen peas, get about 10 of them out, fill a coffee cup 3/4 of the way, stick the peas in there. Put the cup in the microwave for 3 minutes to let them "boil." When they are done, take the cup out and run cold water over the peas in the cup to cool them off. Then grab a pea and squeeze one side until the middle (soft part) pops out onto a spoon, (I use the spoon because it's easier to carry around and get the peas off). When you have about 6 middles on the spoon, mush them with your finger into a little bit of a paste. Then go to your tank, and scoop a little of the "mush" on you finger, and just swirl your finger right above the water line. The pea mush will come off your finger and float down to the fish in your tank.
dkpate
Aquarium Advice Addict
No need to QT, all the fish can eat the peas. I feed mine peas every Thursday, and they LOVE them. Being bloated is not always something that is bad and contagious, it just happens.
I feed mine peas every Thursday, and they LOVE them. Being bloated is not always something that is bad and contagious, it just happens.Similar threads
