Help! Is my Danio pregnant?

[:o)rosie:o)]

About 2 weeks ago I bought a spotted & zebra Danio. Since the first day I brought the zebra home it has always looked fat & bulgy. This morning when I went to feed them the zebra looked like it had gotten fatter by a considerable amount. This is the first time I've been able to have a close look at them for a while so I was pretty shocked at it's size. My spotted danio doesn't look like this. Could it be pregnant or could it be getting a disease? Or maybe it's just really fat.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/images/products/large/p_89793.jpg
It looks just like this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[grnlemonade]

sounds like it may be, but im no expert on danios....wait a little while and see, danios from what i have read are egg scatterers.

[t_chelle16]

Are its scales sticking out (like a pinecone)?
Is it pooping normally?
Is it eating?
What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte?

-Chelle

[:o)rosie:o)]

It's scales arn't sticking out & it's pooping normally not sure about the water readings yet. We're going away for the weekend & I dont want it to have any babies while Im gone incas they get eaten, but I suppose I cant stop their birth.

[:o)rosie:o)]

Oh & it is eating well.

[:o)rosie:o)]

All Ic an do is wait as I wasn't ready for any babys. There is some foxtail & one plastic plant in the tank so hopefully they will hide in that.

[t_chelle16]

Actually, my main concerns are dropsy & constipation. Since (s)he's pooping normally, it's not constipation. Dropsy is still a possibility, but since (s)he's still eating that's a good sign. At this point since I haven't seen a pic and don't know what the test results are, I won't recommend doing any kind of treatment just yet. For the time being, keep an eye on him/her and watch for more bloating or a change in apetite or behavior.

Also, just a couple more questions to try to rule out dropsy. Does the fish look bloated all over its body or just in the belly? Are the eyes protruding any? It is still nice & active, right?

-Chelle

[:o)rosie:o)]

Ok, we just got home & the Danio is looking ok. It's only bloated around the stomach area, it's eyes are fine & it's flying around the tank like normal. Just before we left on Friday though it seemed to have like a little pink lump on it's rear end, then a few minutes later it pooped. The little pink lump is still there but its really small & not obvious. I have no idea what the eggs look like but I still checked the tank for anything out of the ordinary. What colour are the eggs & what do they look like? Does it sound like he/she has a disease or just pregnant? Thaks for all your help.

[BeatrixMom]

I have zebras and my females are just about always pregnant (little hussies). About the only thing you can do to prevent the babies from getting eaten is put the feamle in a separate tank or breeding box that keeps the fry safe from the other fish and the mother (who will eat them too).

[:o)rosie:o)]

So do you think shes pregnant? Where will she lay her eggs? e.g in the plants or in the rocks?

[Shineillusion]

Unless you have a male to fertilize the eggs, it doesn't matter where she lays them. You won't get any babies.

Female zebra danios are usually wider bodied, with wider stripes, than males. The stripes on females tend to be silver, while the males will usually have a yellowish cast to the stripes. When the female is full of eggs and ready to spawn, she can look realy fat. The zebra in the link you provided looks a lot like a female.

If you want to try your hand at breeding, zebras are pretty easy. It's best to put a pair in a seperate tank with a layer of marbles on the bottom. The eggs will drop down between the marbles, and the parents won't be able to get to them to eat them. Spawning occurs at first light...it doesn't make any difference if it's natural sunlight or you turn the light on first thing in the morning. Spawning can look pretty violent, but it's really not. Remove the parents once they spawn, so they won't eat the babies that hatch.

The eggs hatch in a day or two. The best way I can describe the babies is they look like little slivers of glass in the water. Feed them fry food, infusoria, or freshly hatched brine shrimp.

Before you attempt breeding, have a plan on how you're going to handle the resulting babies. You'll either end up with more zebras than you know what to do with, or you'll have to sell them.

[:o)rosie:o)]

Thanks heaps ShineIllusion. I didn't think once that for the eggs to hatch there needed to be a male to fertilise them. Is this the case for all egg-laying fish? In that case if she does lay eggs they aren't going to hatch. I wasn't actually planning on breeding Zebra Danios it just hit me a few days ago that when I bought my fish it could be pregnant because of how fat it is.

[Shineillusion]

I'm no expert on all egg laying species, but I think it's fairly safe to say you have to have a male and female if you want babies.

[:o)rosie:o)]

Now I'm wondering b/c I have a spotted Danio in the tank with the Zebra could the spotted Danio (if it was male) fertilise the eggs, or does it have to be a ebra to do it?

[Petz8888]

It doesnt need to wven be a danio!!


YA if theres a male and a female and theyre both ready theyll have babys
firtile and everything.

[grnlemonade]