A couple of fish with bloated stomachs

[chriznat20@msn.]

I just noticed last nite that my striped rafael has a *huge* stomach. I went on the internet and looked up his symptoms and of course dropsy came up. However, he (or she!) doesnt meet the criteria for dropsy, he is eating fine, swimming all over the place, breathing perfectly fine. So I considered he might be plugged up with poop. How am I to be sure? what if he just gained some weight? I dont want to lose him, hes very cool. Also one of my tiger barbs ( i have 3 total) kind of has a bigger belly. How do I know if its pregnant? How do I know if its dropsy or constipated? Please write back, before i start flushing (just kidding) hehe
thanks

 

[Zic]

Could be pregnant. Is there a male and a female in the same tank? The only way to tell if it's pregnant is to wait and see if it has babies. If you notice over the next week or so that it goes back to normal, it probably had it's fry. The other fish in the tank will eat the small fishies, so you probably won't even see them. If this happens, get a fish breeder and put the fish in it when it gets bloated again.

My black mollies just bred and it's a neat thing to have little, itty bitty fish to watch.

 

[Chrismac]

He or she could just be liking the idea of food, if your fish seems healthy other than a big stomach.

 

[targaboy78]

Since your striped rafael is not lethargic and is still swimming around, it doesn't sound like constipation, however IMHO, there is no harm in treating it for the possible constipation.

Peel the skin off some frozen peas and throw the peeled peas into the tank. If nothing else, it's a nice treat. If they aren't eaten in 12 to 24 hours, remember to take them out so they don't rot in the tank.

I hope this helps.

 

[i3k]

Cut back on the feeding and see if the stomach gets smaller. I have read somewhere that its recommended not to feed your fish one day out of the week not even a tiny bit.

 

[ashesofyou]

targaboy78 is right on target with the peas. Many fish need a few vegies to stay regular. Flake and live foods will "clog" them up faster than anything. Every now and again, quarter a zuchini (sp?) and put it in there to see if any do some nibbling. Squash, lettuce, and as mentioned earlier, peas are a great occasional treat. I second the advice to taking the veggies out at the end of the day if not eaten. Any longer than that and they'll foul the water