Are wide fish a health concern or just overfed?

[Tough]

One of my cherry barbs looks a bit off - it's fine from the side, but from the top, it's noticeably wider. I'm wondering if this could be a swimbladder issue I should be concerned about, or if it's possibly carrying eggs. Maybe it's just a bit on the heavier side?

[bereb]

To give you a better idea of what's going on with your cherry barb, it'd be super helpful if you could share some pictures or a video. If you suspect a swimbladder issue, a video would be especially useful in diagnosing the problem.

To share a video, you can upload it to YouTube and set it to public or unlisted, then share the link here. It's the way most people do it on the forum.

How's the fish behaving, by the way?

[TwinTankman]

Also, a female being full of eggs does make her appear fatter, as you've noted. However, that doesn't necessarily mean this is the case with your cherry barb.

As bereb mentioned, observing the fish's behavior can provide a good clue. If it's experiencing swim bladder problems, you'd likely notice erratic swimming and/or balance issues. On the other hand, if the fish is simply overweight due to overeating, I'd expect to see more than one fish with the same issue, as this usually occurs when we're overfeeding the entire tank.

Another possibility to consider is constipation, which can be challenging to diagnose. One way to determine this is by isolating the fish in a net trap within the tank. If it poops while in the trap, you should be able to see the waste. Most fish have regular bowel movements, so it shouldn't need to be in the trap for an extended period. A more advanced sign of constipation is when the fish stops eating. To test this, you can offer some flake food while it's in the trap. If it's still eating, that's a good sign, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's pooping normally. Constipation can take some time to progress to the point where the fish stops feeding altogether.

[graye]

I've dealt with egg binding in my cherry barb females before - they'd balloon up and look absolutely miserable. Separating the sexes for a week or so usually did the trick. I'd keep them apart until the females dropped their eggs, then recombine them and the eggs would get devoured by the other fish. The females would slim back down and seem much more comfortable.

I've since stopped keeping cherry barbs, and egg binding was a major reason why. They always seemed to be carrying eggs, and it looked incredibly uncomfortable for them. I've noticed similar issues with some Danio species - they can be prone to egg binding as well.

[Tough]

Are these pics alright? My phone is pretty old so the quality isn't great. It seems to be swimming fine, so I don't think it's a swimbladder issue. No sinking or floating, just normal swimming.

[coltin]

I'd love to get a better look at your cherry barb, but based on the photos, I'm going to take a guess that it's a male given its red coloration - female cherry barbs tend to be brown.

A couple of things to check: are the scales protruding from the sides of its body? Is it eating as usual? What about its poop - is it looking normal?

If it's stopped eating and its scales are sticking out, that's a bad sign - it might have an internal bacterial infection, also known as dropsy, and unfortunately, that's usually fatal.

[graye]

It seems like this cherry barb is a female that's carrying a lot of eggs. I've noticed this with females of this species before - they get quite large when they're full of eggs and can look pretty uncomfortable.

[Tough]

I've dealt with egg binding in my cherry barb females before - they'd balloon up and look absolutely miserable. Separating the sexes for a week or so usually did the trick. I'd keep them apart until the females dropped their eggs, then recombine them and the eggs would get devoured by the other fish. The females would slim back down and seem much more comfortable.

I've since stopped keeping cherry barbs, and egg binding was a major reason why. They always seemed to be carrying eggs, and it looked incredibly uncomfortable for them. I've noticed similar issues with some Danio species - they can be prone to egg binding as well.

Could it be that my cherry barb has just eaten too much? I'm not sure if I'm ready to care for any potential fry, but I do have a large basin that I could use. I'm a bit surprised by this development, as I've had them for about 2 years and they've never shown any signs of eggs before.

[graye]

If I'm correct, and that's a big if given the photo quality, she's got eggs because she's thriving under your care. She's mature now, and by nature, that's what happens. I shared my experience with this issue in post #3 - separating the sexes for a bit usually does the trick.

Some species need a trigger to spawn, and cherry barbs are definitely one of them. I've also had issues with zebra danios and glowlight tetras. You can encourage her to lay eggs, but you don't have to worry about raising the fry - they'll just get eaten by the other fish.

When a fish gets fat, it's not like us - the fat accumulates inside, around the organs. If it gets too much, the fish will likely just pass away. I've heard some folks use epsom salt baths to help females release eggs, but I've never tried it myself. You'd need to research the proper dosage and all that.

[coltin]

I'd like to know, how quickly did this cherry barb's body change? Was it sudden or did you notice it over a period of time?

Also, is the fish eating as it normally would? If it is, that's a good sign, and I'd say we can rule out some of the more severe issues.

What's the water condition like in the tank? Is it cloudy or milky? If so, I'd recommend testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. If the levels are off, you should do a 75% water change and clean the gravel daily for a week. And don't forget to dechlorinate any new water before adding it to the tank.

Can you tell me about your filtration system? What type of filter do you have, and how often do you clean it?