How Can You Tell If Zebra Danio's Are Pregnant?

[bonbon735]

I have got a tank of about 30 fish, 4 of those are zebra danios. I noticed that one has gradually got fatter and now its scales have 'fluffed' up and look like a pine cone. Does this mean that it is pregnant or ill? and should i put it into a breeding tank so that it is seperate from the other fish? I eill be very grateful if anyone can help.

 

[Nevernormalalwayscrazy]

I don't know about the fluffed up part but I have danios and the females are bigger some times much bigger that the males. I thought mine was pregnant but it has been several months with no fry. It may help to post a pic.

 

[Liam]

I am no expert on fish health, but a female danio full of eggs would not have the pine cone effect they just look fuller than males. I don’t know that much about it but it might be dropsy, which I believe is very infectious. If you have a separate tank then I would move the fish asap. There may be other reasons for the fluffed up pine cone look ,I don’t know, but for now I would isolate the fish. I think its bacterial so antibiotics would propably be the treatment, I haven’t seen this disease myself Hope someone comes along soon who knows more.

 

[tankkeeper]

Liam is right, they get bigger than males but if you ever see one get really fat or turn into a pinecone as you describe, it is a disease or internal problem causing her to bloat. quarantine her immediately in another tank.

They lay eggs all the time. The reason you never see fry is they will eat their own eggs & any fry that hatch out will be instant food for them or other fish.

 

[demonmagus]

that is dropsy. Not ssure how to cure it (change your title to something like: dropsy, how to cure') and you'll probably get help

 

[dwarfgourami]

Pineconing is the classic sign of dropsy. This is not so much a disease in itself as the last stage in a number of diseases and other health problems, including bacterial infections, swimbladder problems etc. The swelling is a sign of internal organ failure. It's not the dropsy itself that is catching so much as the disease that brought it on. Isolate if you can, try to identify any other symptoms, if you can't see anything be prepared to treat for bacterial infection, be prepared to euthanise if the fish appears to be in a great deal of distress.