gravid girl not spawning, help appreciated.

hi guys, i'm new to your awesome site and would like to say a big hello to all.
i'm new to breeding and just wanted some tips for my Albino trio.
I've not long ago purchased a proven breeding trio and in that was one very fat gravid female.
I have them in a 2ft(approx 65L) tank by themselves with one cave for the big male and some drift wood to chew.
Filtration is via a hang-on and two large sponge filters.
Food is mainly algae on tank and wafers, also zucchini and the odd bit of cuccumber.
The fat female appeared ready when i got them but since i've had them she's held her bundle and has gotten even bigger, i'm starting to get worried about her. She isn't eating that i can see either.
The smaller female in the short time i've had them has spawned with the male and i've got approx 50+ fry free swimming around the parents tank.
Is there anything i can do to make the big girl Spawn to release her massive load.
I'm willing to try anything before she becomes egg bound.
Any help is greatly appreciated
cheers scott

firstly, if it is eggs then you have nothing to worry about as if she doesnt spawn then she will reabsorb the eggs and save the energy for later. so she wont get sick or anything from them.

However, I do suspect that she may have bloat rather than being gravid. Normally if conditions are ok one female spawning will trigger the other do do so giving a double spawn. the fact that she hasn't indicates she is not terribly happy in the tank. the setup you have seems perfect for breeding, similar to mine so i dont think thats the issue. the fact that she is not eating is not a good sign either. Does she hold her fins close to her sides? this is common with a bloated fish.

have a read of this

http://www.bristlenoseworld.com/t1592-bloat-desease

also a pic might be helpful

Thanks for your reply,
The bloke i bought them off is a big time breeder and knows the ropes and said that she had been fattening up for a couple of weeks prior getting ready to breed, when i got them home i didn't feed for two days giving time to settle into thier new home.
Since then only have been fed on Vegie matter only.
I've contacted the seller and he's also worried as to why she's isn't doing anything.
I'll get my wife to post a pic as soon as i can as i haven't an idea what to do.
Thanks again (ctrl+p)

Hi Doug,
Anymore thoughts on my ABN female, not sure if you can tell me anything from the pic i posted but i'd like some advise if you have any
Cheers Scott

It looks like a bad case of bloat to me.

If possible seperate the female as bloat can be passed on to your other fish.

The best cure is feeding de-shelled peas but if she has stopped eating then it may be to late. Garlic acts as a feeding stimulant, simply mix the peas with some grushed garlic and then feed just the peas. If she still will not eat then you could try a medicine that is for internal bacteria.

Thanks for the reply
I'll separate as soon as i can

Can they contract Bloat from another source other than protiens, as since i've had them its been a varied mix of ONLY
Zucchini, Cucumber, Algae Wafers, Lettuce and Vegie Flakes.

She seems to be in good spirits still as she cruises around the tank,shes often perched on the driftwood which she may be eating but its too hard to tell.
Her side fins don't appear to be clamped either as i've been informed that can be a tell tale sign of Bloat too.

Fingers crossed she's just about sneek into his cave and unload a monsterous amount of eggs

Anymore thoughts that come to mind, i'm eager to hear
Thanks again

Bloat can be brought on by poor water conditions but is usually protein related and older fish are more prone to it.

You mentioned that the breeeder had been conditioning them for breeding, normally this would mean adding a bit more protein to the diet than is norm. It may be that the conditioning and then the stress of the move has brought on the bloat. So despite your excellent diet it may be down to just bad luck.

White stringy faeces is usually the first sign of bloat then as the name suggests comes the bloating of the stomach and in the later stages the fish may be seen gasping, swimming problems and fins clammping.

Females can look quite large when gravid but the one in your photo just looks to big.

def bloat.

Yeah, bloat can come from other places, stress, poor water, an already infected fish etc.

Get onto treating her asap!!!

BUGGER!!!!!!

Ive been doing water changes often so water quality shouldn't have been bad, but obviously my big girl has freaked out about something.
With a fish as large as she is what approximate time might she have left if i can't rectify her problems?

I've fed the whole tank some peas today as i don't have any spare tanks at the moment.
I'm hoping to grab a spare tank from a mate tomorrow so i can separate her from the rest, i'll just do a water change into the new tank
and top up with fresh water and use a cycled sponge filter from one of my other tanks so her tank is basically cycled so she won't stress out more than necessary.

As soon as i get that going i'll get some peas to her straight away. Does all that sound fine to you guys?

I Appreciate your responses and advise
Cheers Scott

Just be careful, if you are changing the water too often you will send the tank into a cycle which will cause an ammonia spike which will stress the fish, which can cause bloat

Oh wow, I've never seen bloat before, that looks nasty.

My ABN was fat with eggs not too long ago, but I could see the eggs rolling around at certain angles on her sides when she attached herself to the front of the tank.
Having a look at your picture scott, I can't see any sign of eggs. I hope she gets well soon.

I wish you all the best in getting her back to health again.
~Tegan