A "Not-Breeding" Question

[Alesha]

I have no desire to breed the white clouds we just added to our community tank. However, I have some females who are so full of eggs that I am feeling sympathetic. 

Is there something I can do to get them to drop/scatter their eggs? Will they keep holding onto them if conditions are not right for their survival? I know guppies can do that. (Although they certainly don't hold onto anything in my tanks - babies everywhere all. the. time.) Should I be concerned?

Thanks,

Alesha

 

[Daniel]

White Clouds are deaf to the 'Just Say No' slogan. I don't think there is anyway to stop them from laying eggs. But unlike guppies, their numbers will not get out of hand. Mostly the eggs and fry get eaten pretty quickly.

[Alesha]

1 minute ago, Daniel said:

... unlike guppies, their numbers will not get out of hand. Mostly the eggs and fry get eaten pretty quickly.

Ok. Good to know! So, they will just drop them when they are ready? Nothing I need to do to help? I researched...saw mops and java moss mentioned. I've got tons of java moss in multiple places. 

Thanks, Daniel.

[Daniel]

Just now, Alesha said:

Ok. Good to know! So, they will just drop them when they are ready? Nothing I need to do to help? I researched...saw mops and java moss mentioned. I've got tons of java moss in multiple places. 

Thanks, Daniel.

Yes, they drop them when they are ready.

It was the first egg layer I ever bred when I was a kid, although I had nothing to do with it. It was confusing at first. I was holding some white clouds in a trash can outdoors and I kept see these super tiny fish in among the hornwort. It didn't make sense until I realized they were baby white clouds. I was so proud! I bred an egg laying fish! I thought I was hot stuff for a while.

[tolstoy21]

I have a few zebra danio glow fish (kid really wanted glow fish in the community tank) that are so huge right now I’m afraid they are going to pop. They are like 9 months pregnant with triplets.  I keep thinking they have dropsy, but I feel it’s unlikely that all the females got dropsy at the same time suddenly, and only the zebra danio females and nothing else in the tank.

I did start dumping the remainder of my baby brine hatches into the tank daily some days back and I wonder if that encouraged them to fill with eggs.

This is the smallest one  

Edited December 10, 2020 by tolstoy21

[Alesha]

Wow, @tolstoy21! Yes,  that's what I mean.  They are so big their spine is bending to accommodate their belly. Glad to know it's not just my tank! 

[tolstoy21]

@AleshaI also somehow wound up with half a dozen female cherry barbs (and no males) in this tank, and they do the same. Swell up immensely with eggs from time to time and get that hunched/bent look. It sometimes look painful for them to swim.