Fish are very delicate animals and it is necessary to remain attentive to every change that may occur in their health. Many times our fish may suddenly appear with a very prominent belly. In such cases the question we ask ourselves is, Is my fish pregnant? The first thing we have to be clear about is the sex of our fish. It may seem like a silly question, but it’s not easy to tell them apart if you’re not an expert on the subject.
Male or female?
In the case of tropical fish, the most common viviparous species are Guppies, Platys and Mollys. In the case of guppies, sex is more evident, as they have an elongated fin in the center of the belly that serves as a penis, while females only keep two fins to the sides to stay afloat. Another aspect that gives them away is their color and tail. Males have longer tails and bright colors. While in females, the tail is rounded and they have fewer colors.
Pregnancy or illness?
A pregnant female shows a dark spot on her belly that will become more visible as she gets closer to the birth, when she will be swollen like a balloon and shy away from the rest of the members of the aquarium.
However, a disease can also swell our fish. Observe that its scales are not raised, if it eats normally and if not, you must remove it from the aquarium so that it does not infect the rest of your fish. Treatments for sick fish are available on the market.
