Is my three spot gourami pregnant?

[Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics]

Hello! I have noticed that three but especially one of my three spot gouramis are looking much bigger than usual. I've only had baby dalmatian mollies before so I am not very experienced with baby fish. Does she look pregnant to you? Thanks!  

[Nirvanaquatics]

Gouramis are prone to constipation and egg binding, so unless you have mixed male and female (I can't tell from these photos what the sexes are) then I recommend keeping an eye on the bloated one. Epsom salt baths may help but definitely fast them for a few days and make sure your water parameters are spot on just in case you've spotted the beginning signs of dropsy. I don't mean to scare you, but gouramis are egg layers and won't get super big like that unless there's a problem. Notice how the bloating looks larger on one side in the front shot? That indicates swelling, rather than just an eggy female. Foods that can help move things along include mysis shrimp, daphnia, krill, seed shrimp, etc. You can also attempt to feed some seaweed, though your gourami will likely not eat it. Do not feed your gourami a deshelled pea, it's not recommend for carnivorous fish to consume terrestrial plant matter, it may make things worse. Carnivorous fish get their roughage through the stomachs and bones of the fish and crustaceans they consume, so the raw fiber in the form of a pea would not do their digestive tract any favors. Blood worms are the usual cause of constipation in carnivorous fish. They have undigestible exoskeletons and fibrous hairs that can clog a fish's digestive system. I actually never feed blood worms because of this, favoring black worms and grindal worms, instead (which you can culture yourself fairly easily). 

Source

[Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics]

3 hours ago, Nirvanaquatics said:

Gouramis are prone to constipation and egg binding, so unless you have mixed male and female (I can't tell from these photos what the sexes are) then I recommend keeping an eye on the bloated one. Epsom salt baths may help but definitely fast them for a few days and make sure your water parameters are spot on just in case you've spotted the beginning signs of dropsy. I don't mean to scare you, but gouramis are egg layers and won't get super big like that unless there's a problem. Notice how the bloating looks larger on one side in the front shot? That indicates swelling, rather than just an eggy female. Foods that can help move things along include mysis shrimp, daphnia, krill, seed shrimp, etc. You can also attempt to feed some seaweed, though your gourami will likely not eat it. Do not feed your gourami a deshelled pea, it's not recommend for carnivorous fish to consume terrestrial plant matter, it may make things worse. Carnivorous fish get their roughage through the stomachs and bones of the fish and crustaceans they consume, so the raw fiber in the form of a pea would not do their digestive tract any favors. Blood worms are the usual cause of constipation in carnivorous fish. They have undigestible exoskeletons and fibrous hairs that can clog a fish's digestive system. I actually never feed blood worms because of this, favoring black worms and grindal worms, instead (which you can culture yourself fairly easily). 

Source

I have one massive male. He's not in the photo though. I'll try some fasting and see how that goes. Thank you!

[Nirvanaquatics]

3 hours ago, Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics said:

I have one massive male. He's not in the photo though. I'll try some fasting and see how that goes. Thank you!

Yeah hopefully it's just eggs, but better safe than sorry, ya know? I hope it works out for the best.