Is my angelfish pregnant?

[Qazi]

I brought an angelfish almost 3 weeks back. Ever since i got it the abdomen has been swollen. There are no other issues with it, it is active, feeding well. I thought maybe it is is gravid but since they are supposed to lay eggs around every 2 weeks, i changed my mind that might be possible it is constipated. I have fed it peas but still no change. Bowel habits are also normal. I have 5 more angelfish in the tank totalling to 6 angelfish, along with 2 ghost fish, 2 iridescent sharks, a bushymouth catfish, and live plants.

[Andy Sager]

Angelfish do not automatically spawn every 2 weeks. In fact, I've had females that became gravid and never laid eggs, ever. So the fish needs to be in spawning mood and spawning mode to lay her eggs.
That said, if you see the fish have regular " movements", constipation is not the issue. Make sure you are feeding a diet that includes daily intake of roughage to keep the fish from getting constipated. Bloat IS an issue so you need to see if the swelling changes daily. The fish should get fatter after feeding then the swelling goes down after defecating. If this is not happening with your fish, Bloat or dropsy may be the issue. Take notice of the fish's behavior to see if it is under distress.
Sadly, there is no sure fire way to sex these fish anymore as their natural differentiating traits have crossed genders in domesticated strains. Only seeing their breeding tubes or watching them spawn gives you a 100% accurate answer. You may just have a fat male or you may just have a gravid female or you may have a fish with a condition. I wish I could be more definitive for you.

[Qazi]

Originally Posted by Andy Sager

Angelfish do not automatically spawn every 2 weeks. In fact, I've had females that became gravid and never laid eggs, ever. So the fish needs to be in spawning mood and spawning mode to lay her eggs.
That said, if you see the fish have regular " movements", constipation is not the issue. Make sure you are feeding a diet that includes daily intake of roughage to keep the fish from getting constipated. Bloat IS an issue so you need to see if the swelling changes daily. The fish should get fatter after feeding then the swelling goes down after defecating. If this is not happening with your fish, Bloat or dropsy may be the issue. Take notice of the fish's behavior to see if it is under distress.
Sadly, there is no sure fire way to sex these fish anymore as their natural differentiating traits have crossed genders in domesticated strains. Only seeing their breeding tubes or watching them spawn gives you a 100% accurate answer. You may just have a fat male or you may just have a gravid female or you may have a fish with a condition. I wish I could be more definitive for you.

Thanks for the reply Andy.
I will surely keep a more vigilant eye on her movements. As far as dropsy is concerned i doubt it since it has no issues swimming up until now.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Qazi

Thanks for the reply Andy.
I will surely keep a more vigilant eye on her movements. As far as dropsy is concerned i doubt it since it has no issues swimming up until now.

That's good but the problem with Dropsy is that once the symptoms really get noticed, it's usually too late to cure them. Dropsy is an internal condition where the fish can't regulate their fluids so it's important to see that the bloating goes up and down and not just up.