Obese gold barbs....are they pregnant?

[Andos99]

I have 5 gold barbs total in my 50 gal community tank. Two of them, which I believe to be the only two females are HUGE! They look like they are going to pop at any moment. As a result, their breathing appears to be quite labored and when sitting still they tend to tilt forward and have a hard time staying straight. I'm a little worried and I don't know if they are just obese or full of eggs. They have always been larger then the rest of the gold barbs, but their weight appears to be a problem now.....any ideas??

 

[Guest]

are their scales sticking up? I don't know much about barbs breeding or if they get swollen with eggs :? Sometimes it could even be constipation.. have you tried feeding Peeled blanched peas?

 

[Zagz]

I'd be a bit concerned, I'd feed them the peas and cut back on the rest of the feedings. It could be swim bladder disease. My goldies got absolutely huge in the stomachs, then started falling over on their sides and then eventually belly up. I don't believe that barbs are livebearers. I think they lay eggs. Also check your parameters sometimes, swim bladder problems can be brought on by sudden parameter changes.

 

[Andos99]

I guess swim bladder disease could be a possibility, but I think it might be constipation so I'll give the peas a shot. It's just weird that only the two females seem to be effected and all of my other fish appear normal.

 

[Michael]

Frozen Daphnia will also help clean them out. I believe this is caused by a diet too rich in meaty food and not enough Spirulina and Veggies.