Halfbeak Questions

bittyboy82 · Jan 21, 2012

Hello, I am new to this forum and had a few questions about my Halfbeak. I am fairly new with fish like halfbeaks but I noticed mine is getting an extremely large stomach lately. My initial thought was that it ate to much and got bloated but it has been getting larger. I am beginning to get the impression it is pregnant. It doesn't seem to be affected by it's enlarging stomach and continues to eat like usual and swim like usual.

I added pictures of the halbeak, I was wondering if maybe someone who knows a bit more could help me out. My first question is, is it pregnant. The next is if so HOW??? I don't have another halfbeak in the tank...

I am aware that there are many kinds of halfbeaks to saltwater, freshwater, brackish... mine is freshwater but there are still about 3 types of freshwater halfbeaks I think. I am wondering this because the different kinds have there offspring differently some are live bearers some lay eggs. I did have a chiclid a while ago that laid infertile egg and I am wondering if maybe the halfbeak is doing that as well. However to find out if it even lays eggs I need to identify it. If anybody who knows more about them could help me identify the type of halfbeak I would appreciate it. If you need anymore details let me know. I have not confirmed that it is even a female either so if you could tell the difference let me know.

Thanks, any help will be greatly appreciated!

Pictures (They are on Facebook but it's a public link you don't have to sign in to see the):
http

/www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.312059275498083.65319.100000820386189&type=1&l=c22953fd24

minnnt · Jan 22, 2012

Hiya mate, welcome to the forum.

I have saved your pictures and uploaded them to my photobucket account. Photobucket and Flickr are both websites that enable you to upload yourpictures to then you can copy the IMG code and paste it into your reply here and the picture will show in the thread.

I am unsure on what the bloated belly is about, how long has it been like it? May just be pregnancy, i am unfamiliar with Halfbeaks, maybe OldMan47 could help you out or N0body Of The Goat.

N0body Of The Goat · Jan 22, 2012

"Nmonks" is going to be one of your best bets for Halfbeaks, all I can tell you is the upper half of its beak looks as if it has bashed into the tank wall or something else hard in the tank. How long is this fish excluding its tail fin?

http

/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/Halfbeaks/halfbeaks.html

bittyboy82 · Jan 22, 2012

@minnnt: Thanks, I was going to do something like that but I didn't really want to make another account.

@N0body Of The Goat:It probably has bashed against something... when it eats it lunges for the pellets and it is very well possible it could have missed and hit the glass. As I said though it doesn't seems to affect it's eating.

It was fairly hard to measure it because it got scared of the tape measure but the little time it stayed still it looked a little over 5 inches.

N0body Of The Goat · Jan 22, 2012

As soon as you said its size, I started googling Rocket Gar Characin (Ctenolucius hujeta), I was struggling to think what species of Halfbeak this was when reading the thread this morning...

Have any of your smaller fish "gone missing" recently, by any chance?

bittyboy82 · Jan 22, 2012

So you think it's a Rocket Gar?

There are no fish small enough for it to eat in the tank and none have gone missing. When i first got it I learned that lesson the hard way... It is in with a blue gourami, a synadonis catfish, and 2 bala sharks (or tri colored sharks). It doesn't bother any of the fish in the tank either it keeps to itself.