Egg Binding

[equinom]

I have searched this bb for egg binding, and looked in the disease database (even though it's not a disease) and come up empty.  Would someone please provide info on egg binding?

Reason for the question:  Have several Tiger Barbs.  About a month ago one got a real belly, but only a belly.  Scales were not proud, fish ate and swam fine - so dropsey wasn't the reason for the belly. The tb is still doing fine, and belly seems a little smaller - or I could just be getting used to it.

Egg binding supposedly happens if the fish can't, don't want to, choose not to, or the conditions are not right, for spawning.  Is this correct?  I can understand this, being that there are multiplt tb's, so I would expect that there is at least 1 female and 1 male in the bunch.

But what if there is only 1 of a given species in a tank?  Can egg binding still occur?  Could the fish be a female and ready to spawn but because she is a solo act, doesn't release her eggs and gets a belly?

Ooohhh - the drama of it all.   I don't want to breed fish, but I also don't want the little fishies to swell up and get stretch marks cause their not making time...

 

[ronrca]

I have not heard of it before but 2 of my dwarf neon rainbowfish had similar symptons, swollen belly but nothing else. Well, after a couple of weeks, both died. A male and a female. Never did know what it was. No other fish were affected, just those 2. There are 2 more rainbows but both are fine.

 

[JWright]

I've never heard of it either... I thought egg-biding was a snake thing.

Josh

 

[colesea]

Hmm, I've never heard of egg binding in fish. I have heard of it in reptiles and birds, but not fish.

Usually if the female cannot find a mate, I believe they are either released unfertilized or simply reabsorbed into the body.  I bought three emerald green cories from three seperate shipments, and as luck of the draw would have it, it does appear I have three females because they'll go through a swollen, gravid look for a bit, then it will go away. I can't tell if they're truely gravid, or simply very well fed<G>. Danios and gourmis also seem to do this frequently.

Most of the time you can tell the differance between a gravid bloat from a dropsy or a feeding. A gravid egglaying female is usually plump directly behind the pectoral fins, while one that has a full belly is swollen more on the ventral surface slightly behind the pectoral fins. Of course, the usually sign of dropsy are sticking out proud scales, but this isn't always the case. Dropsy is an overall bloat of the entire fish body while feeding and gravid are localized bloats.

As they get larger, about inch to inch and a half in length, I've noticed, tiger barbs will show a swelling of their visceral area. This isn't bloated, but it looks like the fish has a thin caudal peduncle, thin spine area, thin looking head from gills forward, but the entire lateral and ventral area of the fish looks fat.  This is normal, that's where all the body organs and major muscle groups are, so it should appear thicker than the rest of the fish. In the young specimen it doesn't show up so pronounced because the fish is small.

Hope this helps.
~~Colesea

 

[colesea]

Oh, I forgot to add. There is a method of removing the eggs (or sperm) from a fish, called stripping.  It is a highly delicate proceedure that if not done correctly at the right time could end up with the entire reproductive system squished out. I would consult a book on barb breeding if I were you.
~~Colesea

 

[equinom]

I have this book,
"The Complete Aquarium Problem Solver"
by Kevin W. Boyd  Tetra Press (1993)
In it he discusses egg binding.  This is what he had to say:

"Egg binding can occur in freshwater fish during their spawning cycles.  In their natural element, a fish releases its eggs during the spawning cycle.  However, if the fish can not find a suitable mate, has been fed a poor diet, or if the tank or water conditions are not ideal for spawning, a fish may not be able to release its eggs.  The result is a build up of eggs, causing the fish to look bloated in the belly.  The best prevention for egg binding is to maintain optimal water conditions and make sure the fish is getting a proper diet for it’s species.

When making a diagnosis of egg binding be careful not to confuse with dropsy.  The main difference is that dropsy bloats the entire body, causing the scales to protrude from the fish’s body, while egg bound fish are bloated in the belly only.  Also, egg binding is usually seen only in freshwater fish.

In some cases, the eggs may bind the internal organs to the point of rupture.  If this occurs, the fish will die.

SYMPTOMS:  The fish is severely bloated in the belly only (not the whole body).  The fish may also be lethargic, exhibit rapid breathing and have a loss of appetite.

TREATMENT:  No medication is available for the treatment of egg binding.  Attempts to squeeze the eggs from the body will usually damage the fish’s internal organs.  Therefore, the only treatment is to let the eggs be naturally absorbed into the fish’s body.  This process can be aided with magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) soaks.
Siphon tank water into a bucket and mix in one slightly       rounded tablespoon of Epsom salts for every gallon.  Add an airstone, place the fish in the water, cover the bucket and soak for 15 minutes.  Repeat daily until fish begins to recover."


OK
Most of this I can believe - the part about the soaking in Epsom salts is "iffy".  Colesea - what say you?

He go into some detail about the "squeezing" thing - and said it was a last resort.  I don't think the average hobbiest should try something like this, so I didn't include it here.
(Let's just say I'm holding back that gruesome information because I wouldn't want someone sqeezing me 'cause I can't find a good man or my house is dirty.   )

Actually - these symptoms remind me of some of my friends in college:  If they couldn't find a suitable mate in during their "spawning" cycle - they would swell up and get lazy because they thought their eggs were going to go to waste....  I don't think baths helped them, either.  

 

[clothahump]

Epsom salts used to be quite popular for curing bloated fish, and it does work.
Not sure about it working on egg bound fish though.
Egg binding does occur in fish and if you ever see it you will know what it is beleive me.
I think I have read a book by Kevin before, I thought him to be a little strange with his wording.

 

[colesea]

Salts can definately be a help during bloats, simply because it helps the fish with the osmotic balance. Water is drawn out of the body into the surrounding salter environment, thus reducing the bloat.

I don't know if it will work on egg binding. The only thing I'll have to say on that is try it and let us know how it turns out.
~~Colesea

 

[koolkatzfish]

I wonder if it is a barb thing, or if they are more prone to it.  I lost my female gold barb about a year ago.  I work at a vet hospital and took advantage of available equipment and did a necropsy.  Bellyfull of eggs!!  One of the vets almost went into fish and helped me.  We found no other cause of death.  I bought some cherry barbs and had the same thing happen.   ???  I haven't had any problems with my other fish.