Very fat loaches?

[IanES]

Can I ask for some advice please. Couple of my loaches are pretty fat Is it Dropsy? Eggs? or over-fed?

Sorry pictures are a little cloudy (It's not the water. The water is crystal clear.

There's 3 loaches in the tank. These two - the right hand one is normal sized.


and this one is the fattest. Sorry it's a dark picture but you do see the shape of its belly.


They're all around 5inches long.

They do eat but not as ravenously as usual. They also swim chasing each other round the tank but not as much as usual.

125 liter aquarium. Ammonia=0, Nitrite=0, Nitrate=50 (Due a change), ph=6.5

Thank you

[Bas Pels]

I would, tentatively, assume there could very well be eggs.

The bellyshape looks that way - fat would result in a round belly, not this edged one. Further, if one fish is overfed, why would the others not be a little over? Assumng eggs would answer this question nicely.

[NancyD]

I vote gravid female (holding eggs). They don't always lay them even with a ready & willing male. Sometimes they resorb them, expel them or just wait. Yours looks like she's been waiting a good long time, lol.

[IanES]

It's been a while. Maybe a month or more.

How long can this 'gravid' state last?

[NancyD]

Sometimes years IME, lol. You could try feeding hulled peas if she'll eat them. That might help if she's a bit constipated too.