Still No Eggs, And getting bigger? Is My Fish Suffering? What Should I Do?

[Texas T]

Hi All,
So..... As I showed you before, my fish "Tank Girl" is getting a big girth and belly. The other fish were being aggressive with her, and we all were thinking Spawning. Well I haven't seen any eggs (unless of course they are gobbling them up as fast as she lays them) But if she was, wouldn't her belly be going down a bit? Now I'm concerned that she may be sick, and if she were, would the other fish know and that be a reason for the aggression? I mean, they were all kind of being aggressive with each other not just her But.... It did seem at one point that they had her isolated from the group but her massive appetite got her back out. Question is, what do I do, and how do I analyze her condition? Her chest area seems to be bubbling out, along with the belly area. That is what is concerning me.... I will try to get a picture of her after work today. I will use my skimmer net to get a better shot, unless you think that would be to stressful? Like I said, she has a massive appetite, so if she was sick, would she have such an appetite? Sorry so long, just don't want this fish to be suffering! Thank You all for any advice you can give me about this, and all you have given in the past.
Have a good day,

TT

 

[AlyssaFish]

A sick fish can still have a good appetite. I've had fish eat hours before they died. There are only certain issues that cause the fish to lose their appetite: water quality issues, some parasites. I tend to think of appetite issues as being analogous to a person being nauseous.

Bloating is definitely an important warning sign. It can be an early sign of dropsy. One thing to watch out for is the scales just behind the gill plate. These will be the first scales to begin pineconing if it's dropsy.

The other possible options:

Eggbinding: The goldfish is gravid with eggs, but unable to release them. This can be fatal, and is not easy to treat. Experienced fish breeders who hand breed their fish are actually your best friend at treating this, but most of us just don't know a hand fish breeder, and it can be dangerous to attempt the practice if you're not trained. Best to treat this condition like constipation/swim bladder issues: stop feeding, place the fish in a quarantine, and add pure Epsom salts to draw out fluids.

Obesity: If your goldfish is obese, you will see signs that the scales are being spread away from each other. Instead of the scales looking smooth and even, you'll be able to see small patches of skin between them. This is because the scales aren't large enough to cover the surface area of the fish. I had a fish once that had to be on a restricted diet because even when he was fed the same amount as the other fish, he just would gain weight like a crazy man. He did end up having something else wrong with him, however, and ended up passing.

Kidney Cysts: Goldfish can develop massive cysts in their kidney that cause them to get a rounded look. There's no treatment for these as far as I am aware, but they can develop over time from chemical build-up in the pond. Activated carbon can be used to remove these chemicals. This is only preventative, though.

Tumor: Obviously, having something growing inside of you is going to displace your mass somewhere and make you a chonker. I have heard that internal tumors are not necessarily fatal for a goldfish, but I am not really sure how that is supposed to work.


So, here's what I would do to analyze the fish:
1. Check the scales behind the gill plate for signs of lifting.
2. Check that the scales are smooth and overlap evenly.
3. Check for swelling/protruding in the fish's cloaca (where the poop comes from). This can be a sign of a clogging or hormones related to being gravid.
4. As usual, check your water quality. Consider adding activated carbon to the filter if you don't already use it.

 

[Texas T]

A sick fish can still have a good appetite. I've had fish eat hours before they died. There are only certain issues that cause the fish to lose their appetite: water quality issues, some parasites. I tend to think of appetite issues as being analogous to a person being nauseous.

Bloating is definitely an important warning sign. It can be an early sign of dropsy. One thing to watch out for is the scales just behind the gill plate. These will be the first scales to begin pineconing if it's dropsy.

The other possible options:

Eggbinding: The goldfish is gravid with eggs, but unable to release them. This can be fatal, and is not easy to treat. Experienced fish breeders who hand breed their fish are actually your best friend at treating this, but most of us just don't know a hand fish breeder, and it can be dangerous to attempt the practice if you're not trained. Best to treat this condition like constipation/swim bladder issues: stop feeding, place the fish in a quarantine, and add pure Epsom salts to draw out fluids.

Obesity: If your goldfish is obese, you will see signs that the scales are being spread away from each other. Instead of the scales looking smooth and even, you'll be able to see small patches of skin between them. This is because the scales aren't large enough to cover the surface area of the fish. I had a fish once that had to be on a restricted diet because even when he was fed the same amount as the other fish, he just would gain weight like a crazy man. He did end up having something else wrong with him, however, and ended up passing.

Kidney Cysts: Goldfish can develop massive cysts in their kidney that cause them to get a rounded look. There's no treatment for these as far as I am aware, but they can develop over time from chemical build-up in the pond. Activated carbon can be used to remove these chemicals. This is only preventative, though.

Tumor: Obviously, having something growing inside of you is going to displace your mass somewhere and make you a chonker. I have heard that internal tumors are not necessarily fatal for a goldfish, but I am not really sure how that is supposed to work.


So, here's what I would do to analyze the fish:
1. Check the scales behind the gill plate for signs of lifting.
2. Check that the scales are smooth and overlap evenly.
3. Check for swelling/protruding in the fish's cloaca (where the poop comes from). This can be a sign of a clogging or hormones related to being gravid.
4. As usual, check your water quality. Consider adding activated carbon to the filter if you don't already use it.

Ok Alyssa, I finally got a couple pics but they aren't the greatest, if you can tell anything from these that would be great, but you you want me to get her in a net laying on her side I will get you some like that but they really freak out when I do that and am always afraid of injuring them. But let me know. Thank you so much for all your advice.

 

[KDubU]

Alyssa has provided sage advice. Sorry you’re going through this but I would capture her and isolate and see if you can inspect her closer.

 

[AlyssaFish]

I'm sorry--the image is too grainy. All I can tell is that she's got quite the belly! Her behavior is still good, though?

 

[KimA.]

Do you have an aquatic vet near you?

 

[Usman]

Since when she is like this ? if other slim long tailed male fishes are chasing her that means she is going to lay eggs soon , usually when they lay eggs they will b like in group chasing her and wud look like they r pushing her out of water into leaves stones near surface mostly and she wud bump into things and spread eggs , even if shes not laying eggs , this chasing would start few days before but wont be near surface or as intense . When my gfishes spawned , i wud hear lots of splashes at earlymorning . If u have koi with them , they do good job eating eggs .

They dont lay eggs at once , it might be she has started and is laying daily few .The way ur telling , it looks like spawning to me . It can be you r not able to see eggs , they r tiny yellowish white sticking on things , usualy the ones that will survive will b ones that u cant see, they would be hidden in leaves or stones . and places where no fish can go . As i have experienced ... goldfishes are not aggressive to eachother , the only reason is they are mating .