Breeding Stripes In Sorority.

[372xp]

Any one who read my last post about ferts and females will know that I suspected flourish excell was causing problems with my females. Thanks folks I now no its not. However one female is displaying odd behaviour. She is still very lethargic, spending most of her time resting on leaves. Tonight at feeding time I noticed she wasnt about, I located her and noticed she is displaying vertical stripes showing she is ready to breed. This girl has never even seen a male.
What could cause this behavour. i have given it a lot of thought and come up wth nothing. The best I could come up with is the filter is causing a small nest of bubbles in the tops of a java fern, she has become confused and is become egg bound.
Your theorys please.

 

[ncguppy830]

have you been showing here the male suitor, thats maybe a sign that shes ready to breed?

 

[372xp]

She has never seen or been in the same water as a male. She is only 18 months old and not ready.

 

[ncguppy830]

wow idk thats strange im sure wildbetta would know though

 

[Essjay]

Are you absolutely, 100% sure that all your females are actually females? It is not unknown for plakat males to be in with females in a shop tank.

 

[Wildbetta]

Vertical striping can occur for other reasons other than breeding. It is a sign of submission when in the company of the same sex. Example:  I had a smaller male that showed the vertical stripes when put near a much bigger male.  Unless one of your "females" is a male in hiding, then this female who is exhibiting the problems is being picked on by the other females to the point that she is stressed enough to start showing issues.  I would suggest separating her and seeing if she improves.

 

[372xp]

No they are all definately female. I have had at least 2 male interlopers in the past but these are all females. They have also been together for a while. This female is the smallest of the group but is not picked on any more than the others. She has taken to hiding away a lot but is not showing any signs of stress. I am wandering if it is worth adding a hm female to the group to see if this might change things. Any signs of distress and she will be moved. Its a mystery to me but at the moment I will go with wildbettas submissive theory.

 

[Wildbetta]

How many females share this tank and are there any other tankmates?  Just because they have been together for a while doesn't really mean that they won't change their attitude toward each other suddenly.  The fact that she is hiding away and lethargic is a big sign that something is not quite right with her.  For females in a sorority, this needs to be taken very seriously because if for some reason she has something that will spread -- it can spread quickly.  I do not suggest adding another female to the tank with one of them acting "off" in any way.  The added stress of a new female and the resulting dominance displays could push the one to the point of developing something serious like columnaris (cotton mouth disease) which could kill your whole sorority in a day.  If you want to add more girls, make sure you get this one better before attempting something like that.
 
Oh and I meant to add earlier -- her being 18 months is actually "old" compared to most breeders.  So she is definitely old enough to breed.   Just thought I would share some info.  

 

[372xp]

Problem diagnosed. I dont know if I can fix it. She has dropsy (95% sure). So I am about to put her in a large trug with 120mm water in it, (9.5 ltrs) this will be heated to 26 (79) and treated with a broad spectrum anti bacterial/fungal treatment (eSHa 2000).
I tend to wait a little longer than most with females, mainly to do with in my experience they are more laid back and produce a better spawn. This seems to work for me, also when fully grown it is easier to select the characteristics I am looking for.
Wish me luck with this one.

 

[Wildbetta]

So sorry to hear that.    Along with the medicine, I recommend some epsom salt which might help take some of the fluid build up off her body which should help her if she can fight off whatever caused the dropsy.    I am sure I don't need to tell you this but for the benefit of everyone else that will read this that could have this situation come up -- make sure you really watch your other girls especially since you do not know what exactly caused the dropsy.  That way if it is something that is both contagious and treatable -- you can get a good jump on it if it shows signs in your other girls.  

 

[372xp]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't dropsy a viral infection caused by an internal parasite or fungal problem?
The other females are imports, she is UK bred. And to be honest I have had nowt but trouble with them,particularly with fungus. In fact I have only had one die of old age. And I have no idea why this should be,( this is my experience I am not slating UK breeders it is just an observation).

 

[Wildbetta]

Dropsy is only a symptom and can be caused by all kinds of different things,  Dropsy occurs when the fish's kidneys start shutting down which causes them to retain fluid - hence the puffed up pineconing.  There are many reasons why this may happen.  Sometimes it could be bacterial, viral, damage from ammonia or fighting, parasites, or even a bad blockage from constipation.  Since there are so many reasons dropsy can occur - it makes it hard to treat and cure.

 

[372xp]

This also makes it hard to do a pre-emptive strike. I will have to keep a close eye on the rest of them.
Thanks.