Abdominal bulge--Help!

jfinn-irwin

AC Members
Nov 30, 2007
53
0
0
73
Elizabeth, NJ
I have two marble angelfish. I noticed one's abdomen seemed swollen yesterday and today it is bigger. The fish has always been aloof, so I can't determine that it is acting any differently. Could it be ready to lay eggs, or is it a swim bladder or intestinal problem? I have no idea of their sexes.

I am going away in two days and a family member will be caring for my fish. Should I prepare her for the worst, or for eggs?
 
If she is cleaning a spot it could be a plant leaf or the filter tube or even a spot on the tank itself then she is getting ready to spawn.

you don't say that the fish is swimming erratically so I dont think its a swim bladder problem.

pic's and water parameters will help us help you.
 
It definitely looks fat! My first thought when I read your original post was probably eggs. But mine have never looked that fat when full of eggs, they look bigger, but never that big.

Have you been feeding them a good varied diet? noticed if it has been pooping Ok?
 
I had 2 small Angels; had to take them back to the lfs because the tank was going to be to small for them. (10 gallon)

I had them for a couple of weeks. They ate the flakes I dropped in for them and the guppies, but they also found and ate the algae wafers I dropped for the bottom feeders and the ADFs. :confused:

They ate constantly, and I kept trying to feed the other occupants, but they would hone in on anything edilble in the tank and gobble it up.:shakehead:

At one point, one of them had such a huge belly, with a sharpish but roundish bulge, the size of a BB, on the lower left side side of the belly. I was worrying that it had swallowed a piece of gravel. Or maybe that it's liver was being shoved to one side by its stomach, lol.:eek:

I held off on food for a couple of days, after feeding a nuked pea in case they were constipated. Their tummys went down in size somewhat, but they were still greedy pigs and fat. They would find the algae wafers and pellets before the brochis, otos, and snail could. I worried that the others would starve.:headshake2:

They were also harassing the lone guppy, and nipping at my snails antennae, so I wasn't sad to see them go back to the lfs.:)

I'm not very experienced with angels, do they always eat like that?

I don't know if this could be the problem you're having, but I don't know how anyone can have angels and keep them from eating everyone's food in the tank.
 
I'm not very experienced with angels, do they always eat like that?

Yes, they do always eat like that. They are complete pigs. It is funny watching them eating an algae wafer though, I was surprised when mine first started eating them.

I remember dropping an algae wafer in once that went into a cave about half the size of my angel, thinking to myself he would not get in there, next thing I know he is on his side squeezing into the cave and managed to get the wafer out. I am still trying to get a decent picture of an angel and a cory that's about half its size splitting an algae wafer between them.
 
AquariaCentral.com