Very fat mandarin

[eagerreefer]

Never thought I'd say this, but I think my female mandarin is getting too fat. She is very young, only been in my tank a few months and when I got her she was not much more than a few big eyeballs on a skinny blue body. She is looking like she is carrying eggs already. Any thoughts? If it is eggs, can they be reabsorbed or is it essential that she releases them? She is a solo female and there is no male in the tank at the moment, so I am especially concerned. Thanks

 

[G Santana]

It's Covid weight

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Never thought I'd say this, but I think my female mandarin is getting too fat. She is very young, only been in my tank a few months and when I got her she was not much more than a few big eyeballs on a skinny blue body. She is looking like she is carrying eggs already. Any thoughts? If it is eggs, can they be reabsorbed or is it essential that she releases them? She is a solo female and there is no male in the tank at the moment, so I am especially concerned. Thanks

Is she still feeding well?

It could well be eggs, mandarins are known for doing that. They don't always reabsorb though.

The other two causes of this are less common; kidney or liver failure can cause ascites, a build-up of fluid in the gut.
These can't be treated though.....

Jay

 

[eagerreefer]

Is she still feeding well?

It could well be eggs, mandarins are known for doing that. They don't always reabsorb though.

The other two causes of this are less common; kidney or liver failure can cause ascites, a build-up of fluid in the gut.
These can't be treated though.....

Jay

As far as I can tell - I haven't really seen her eat any pellet / frozen foods directly but I do dose cultured pods. She has grown a lot in the few months I've had her. Should I look into getting a male asap?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

As far as I can tell - I haven't really seen her eat any pellet / frozen foods directly but I do dose cultured pods. She has grown a lot in the few months I've had her. Should I look into getting a male asap?

I would not get a male - they may just fight.

Jay

 

[Paul B]

I can't see that picture to well but female mandarins get egg bound frequently, even with a male. I lost two of them like that and if it is that, you can try squeezing the belly carefully to expel eggs but I don't think yours needs that now.

The only other "cure" is a casearian, but I wouldn't do that unless you know what you are doing.

Actually from the video I can see she has eggs. All female fish produce eggs even in the absence of a good looking male. They normally absorb them or expel them.