Guppy Swollen Belly?!

[Draagyn84]

My guppy's belly seems swollen and I'm worried. I'm brand new at keeping fish and don't really know what to do!

I was told it was a male, but could it be pregnant?? Or is there something wrong with it?

Please help x

 

[SarahMarie]

Hi, is there any chance you could upload a pic? That would be a great help

 

[Draagyn84]

Here is a pic

 

[SarahMarie]

I can't tell properly from the pic but it looks like a female to me? I've got a male platy though and his belly was once huge due to him eating too much. It went down a few hours later though.
Has it been like that for long or did it happen after feeding?

 

[Draagyn84]

I only just got the 3 guppies on Friday so I'm not sure. I noticed it yesterday but today it's bigger. Seems fine other than the swelling. Are you sure it's a female?
Here is from another angle

 

[SarahMarie]

I'm not 100%. Is there any way you can get a clearer pic of the fish's bottom fin. It'll be pointy if its male and rounded if its female
I'd definitely say it's a male from that pic. Like I said, the same thing happened to my platy and he was back to normal the next day.
I'd cut back on feeding for a couple of days. You could also try him with a deshelled pea slightly squished as I've heard this helps too

 

[Draagyn84]

Think this is the best I can do

 

[the_lock_man]

All 3 look male to me.
 
As it is there, I would say he's constipated, so as SarahMarie says, don't feed him at all for 3 or 4 days, or you could try feeding peas to the tank, and see how that works.

 

[SarahMarie]

Yeah. I can definitely see it's a male on that last pic! Let us know how he is tomorrow

 

[SarahMarie]

How is he this morning?

 

[Draagyn84]

I didn't feed them yesterday and not fed them today and his tummy seems to have gone down! I must have over done it with the food.. Like I say I'm new to this so I guess it comes down to: you live and learn!

Thanks everyone for your help

 

[the_lock_man]

That's good news. Obviously, keep a close eye on it over the next 2/3 days, and make sure the improvement continues.
 
Two nuggets of info for you to bear in mind First, fish in the wild often go several days without food - they can easily go for a week and longer in the aquarium without being fed. Second, their stomachs are only roughly as big as their eyeball, but they don't have the same "I'm full" sensation that we humans have - they see food, so they eat it, with no regard for whether they need to or not.

 

[SarahMarie]

That's good to hear. Don't worry, I made the same mistake at first! I've learned so much from this forum as well as just learning as I go
Good luck with your guppies!!