I have two tiger barbs... one is larger than the other. When I brought them home I realized one seemed to have a growth on it's belly. The other one is a lot bigger and seems to have a very big belly... not sure if they are male or female and whether I have a pregnant one..... I have taken photos of them but have been having issues with the camera/computer uploading the photos.

whether I have a pregnant one.....

I can guarantee you don't. :an!gry

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/Abbysmum/Fish%20stuff/

tiger barbs don't get pregnant they lay eggs :an!gry

Ok geez sorry! My mistake! :an!gry There's no need to be rude/nasty.

For those that actually want to be helpful instead of being nasty .... so then is the larger one a female and full of eggs, or bloated or something else? I know the photos are not great, but they just move all the time lol

I'd call it bloated, but it's hard to tell. As long as it doesn't look pineconey then I'd say just wait and see if it lays eggs or dies.

So if it is a female and she doesn't release the eggs, do they get absorbed by her or will she die?

So if it is a female and she doesn't release the eggs, do they get absorbed by her or will she die?

They'll be absorbed.

Don't look on it as being rude or nasty, it is an ongoing effort to encourage hobbyists to use the correct terminology and you are just one of many in a long line of people referring to egg laying fish as "pregnant" so the answers have got shorter over time

Ok but without the :an!gry emoticons would have been better.

time for a

pregnant pause

stirrer :digH: :rotf: mark :sage: :rotf:

some people take the hobby to far...its a hobby and we learn as we go..if you want to be a fish greek,,

learn about your fish before you get it,,,internet very helpfull..

also when you go into a fish shop ask for a book on [ textbook of fish diseases & treatments..]]or may be one of the pickers on here have a spare..

they may sell you one and learn..so you got a far idear whats up...before it happens...

that book help me out alot,,its my bible..when first starting.also helps with treatments as well...

must mite rigth food and good water helps out alot... :cofn:

it looks to me its intestine has come out of the rectum..it could be enteritis...or a tumor of sorts..

not a stirrer, a pregnant pause is a delay in speech used to give one time to consider a statement that has been made.

It was a blonde moment. I know that Tiger Barbs are not livebearers.... forgive me for being tired and using the wrong words. Everyone makes mistakes ... no one is perfect! Obviously some people think they are.....

Anthony - I can't see anything coming out of it's rectum or anything. It just looks fat/bloated. I've looked at other photos online of female tiger barbs and not seen any as big as mine is. I do have a neon tetra that seems to have a prolapsed rectum though... but getting a photo of it is impossible. My camera is not good enough.

I do a 80-90% water change weekly, because I do tend to overfeed... can't help it! :oops: and I feed my fish a good variety of food... fruit, veges, flakes, bloodworms, fish dinners.

I do have one book I got from my LFS recently called 500 Ways To Be A Better Tropical Fishkeeper.

I don't think I haven't done my research. I had previously looked up information on Tiger Barb breeding and did know they are egg layers. I was just tired. I know all my fish by name. I'm forever looking up information on my fish online. And know many of the diseases/illnesses and their signs/symptoms. Maybe one of two that some of the people on here may not have even heard of! Like whirling disease. If you asked my hubby he'd tell you I spend more time looking at and taking care of my fish than I spend time with him, and I'm obsessed with them!

As said, it could just be full of eggs at the moment. If she does not expel them (nice caviar for the fish) they should get absorbed. If she is otherwise behaving and eating normally I would not worry yet.

Yes she is eating and behaving normally. The two are constantly darting around together.

Yes she is eating and behaving normally. The two are constantly darting around together.

I always thought tiger barbs where a schooling fish? They may never feel comfortable with two. If your tank is big enough get another 3 or 4.

Apparently but the LFS didn't bother to tell me when I asked for two. They seem fine. They dart around all the time and look well and feed well and are behaving normally and haven't been picking on the other fish. I don't have a big tank - it's only 64L.

I think I have two females.

What do you describe normal behavior as? An what else is in the tank?

Well I mean they're not hanging out by the filter or on the gravel and acting lethargic and they look fine... don't have bleeding gills or anything else and they are swimming around energetically and eating well.

I have guppies, tetras, platys, mollies, dwarf gourami and the tiger barbs.

As said, I wouldn't worry at this stage and suspect she is full of eggs.

Yeah I decided to do no breakfast this morning and peas for dinner and she seems a little less fat lol We'll just wait and see how we go..... I was thinking of getting some epsom salts tomorrow and see if that helps....