Help .... Pregnant Or Bloated Swordtail

[Lauryn]

Can you you tell me if my swordtail is pregnant or bloated ........

She is very piggy so I now fast 2 days a week and give peas as a meal once a week.

She seems to be getting fatter, and her gravid spot is dark sometimes and light other times.

She is still very active but does like to hang out by the heater and filter.

I currently do not have a male in the tank, he died a fortnight ago. When I purchased the her she was in a tank with many males.

Thanks in advance

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• Lauryn
• Aug 20, 2019

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• Lauryn
• Aug 20, 2019

20190820_123925[1]

• Lauryn
• Aug 20, 2019

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• Lauryn
• Aug 20, 2019

 

[chromedome52]

yes, she is pregnant. Maybe a couple of weeks away from dropping, maybe less.

 

[Bucolic Buffalo]

She looks pregnant. What water temperature is the tank currently? Depending on the temperature, she should drop fry in about 30 days. If this condition has been going on longer than that, you may want to try a limited time salt (sodium chloride) bath to your tank. Keep in mind that your live plants have different tolerances to salt and is not recommended for a long term treatment. Also salt will kill snails quickly. As I understand how salt works, (I am not a scientist, an expert on fish disease and/or treatment of disease) the salt will cause a disruption to the osmotic regulation of all living organisms in your tank, including the fish. Essentially what happens is that live organisms will start to become dehydrated, with smaller (bad) ones dying before the fish. It's counter-intuitive to think that something living in water can become dehydrated, but that is my laymen's understanding of the process. If I've made a hash of this explanation, be kind for I am a simple country gentleman without an axe to grind. As your fish is still active and eating well, I would do nothing for at least a few weeks before you consider treatment.

 

[Lauryn]

She looks pregnant. What water temperature is the tank currently? Depending on the temperature, she should drop fry in about 30 days. If this condition has been going on longer than that, you may want to try a limited time salt (sodium chloride) bath to your tank. Keep in mind that your live plants have different tolerances to salt and is not recommended for a long term treatment. Also salt will kill snails quickly. As I understand how salt works, (I am not a scientist, an expert on fish disease and/or treatment of disease) the salt will cause a disruption to the osmotic regulation of all living organisms in your tank, including the fish. Essentially what happens is that live organisms will start to become dehydrated, with smaller (bad) ones dying before the fish. It's counter-intuitive to think that something living in water can become dehydrated, but that is my laymen's understanding of the process. If I've made a hash of this explanation, be kind for I am a simple country gentleman without an axe to grind. As your fish is still active and eating well, I would do nothing for at least a few weeks before you consider treatment.

Thanks, tempreature is at a constant 25 degrees celsius.
I'm not sure how long she has been like this possibly 2-3 weeks.
I'll try the salt bath if nothing changes over the next 2 weeks; do I need to get a new tank to treat separately or treat the whole tank?

 

[CheshireKat]

I had a Molly who liked to give birth within a day of a water change, usually within 12 hours. Something about the fresh water prompted her to give birth. My platy doesn't care, she just pops 'em out and goes about her day

 

[Lauryn]

I arrived home this evening to 1 fry, not sure if the others are hiding or if they have been eaten.
Mummy Swordtail swam straight to me begging for food, she really is a little piggy!