Aphotic Phoenix
Fish Addict
I have one very round zebra danio which I believe to be female and egg-bound. It has always been "rounder" than the others, tends to be the most dominant, and has gotten fat and then slimmer after demonstrating some breeding courtship like behavior before. Now "she" is just fat...all the time for over a month (possibly 2). The only confusing factor is that "she" is more golden, where as the other slimmer (male shaped) danios are more silvery. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around. >< Of course, tank lighting and other household lights makes exact coloring difficult to compare.
Ever since the last "courtship" behavior stopped and "she" remained fat I've been trying to eliminate causes...
1 ) Dropsy - I haven't seen any pineconing, but it is a horribly active fish so it's hard to tell. Also, considering dropsy is actually a symptom of various problems it would be hard to rule out the exact cause if it is in fact dropsy.
2 ) Internal Parasites - Considering the fish did come from a box store I can't totally rule this out, but none of the other fish show any signs of illness, and that wouldn't explain the fat to slim thing from before. Also, fish still eats like a pig and has shown excellent growth.
3 ) Constipation - Entire tank gets a fast day at least once per week plus peas for digestive health. Condition has been present long enough that I think being "backed up" would have killed the poor thing by now.
4 ) The fish is just a fat greedy pig - The fish in my tank are fed lightly (about one TetraMin "crisp" per fish per feeding 2x a day which takes them < 30 seconds to wolf down...and one small treat of various types) None of the other fish are fat...but it's possible that she's stealing food from the others.
The fish has been active, eating, and is still the dominant schooling fish in the tank which is why I haven't rushed into anything yet, but it does concern me a little bit. Is egg-binding common in Zebra Danios? Are there any steps I should take right now to help ensure the health of my fish? I know that bound eggs are supposed to be reabsorbed by the body eventually, but how long should that take?
Ever since the last "courtship" behavior stopped and "she" remained fat I've been trying to eliminate causes...
1 ) Dropsy - I haven't seen any pineconing, but it is a horribly active fish so it's hard to tell. Also, considering dropsy is actually a symptom of various problems it would be hard to rule out the exact cause if it is in fact dropsy.
2 ) Internal Parasites - Considering the fish did come from a box store I can't totally rule this out, but none of the other fish show any signs of illness, and that wouldn't explain the fat to slim thing from before. Also, fish still eats like a pig and has shown excellent growth.
3 ) Constipation - Entire tank gets a fast day at least once per week plus peas for digestive health. Condition has been present long enough that I think being "backed up" would have killed the poor thing by now.
4 ) The fish is just a fat greedy pig - The fish in my tank are fed lightly (about one TetraMin "crisp" per fish per feeding 2x a day which takes them < 30 seconds to wolf down...and one small treat of various types) None of the other fish are fat...but it's possible that she's stealing food from the others.
The fish has been active, eating, and is still the dominant schooling fish in the tank which is why I haven't rushed into anything yet, but it does concern me a little bit. Is egg-binding common in Zebra Danios? Are there any steps I should take right now to help ensure the health of my fish? I know that bound eggs are supposed to be reabsorbed by the body eventually, but how long should that take?
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/www.peteducation.com/images/article...zebra_danio.jpg
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I was fairly certain that was the cause, but of course I did want to be sure.
