# Female Angelfish with swollen belly



## SVB3290 (Apr 10, 2018)

Ok. I see this topic a lot. This is a female Blushing Koi Angelfish I've had for several months (quarantined for about 3 weeks with a male Angelfish). She laid eggs (I have 2 healthy surviving fry still in quarantine tank) and I separated the two adults and each is now in a larger planted tank (55 & 50 gallon). The only medication they've had is a 1 week course of Paraguard for damaged fins.
Both tanks heavily planted, spray bars on canister outputs, temp 78-80° F, Nitrate runs 20-30 ppm with weekly 25% water changes. PH 6.6-6.8, ammonia and nitrites 0 ppm. I feed Cobalt cichlid flakes in morning and brine/mysis shrimp or Omega One frozen community cubes in evening. Tank mates are Columbian teyras, corydoras, Amano Shrimp,and the 55 has a 6 inch EBA. 
The female has a good appetite, active in tank, and good color. The male is the same but weight is normal. 
Question. Could the female just be holding eggs and since she is separate from the male, is not laying? She has been in the 50 gallon tank for about a month.
I have not seen stringy white poop. So far, I've held off treating her. If I was going to do anything, it would be with medicated food (thinking Metroplex). Both tanks are well established and no new fish for past few years.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

She looks full of eggs to me. Since active breeders spawn every 7 to 14 days, a month is a long time. If your nitrates are in the 20 to 30 range, I would increase the size of the water change to 50%. In my experience, water can not be too clean for angels, especially during grow out. So, no real help here, but, the fish looks healthy. 
As an aside, I bought some angels like that, sold as Koi, that I would actually call sunset blushers. Koi angels originated from combining marble and sunset blusher if memory serves.


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