Bloated Sarasa Comet: Egg Impaction or Tumor

Bloated Sarasa Comet: Egg Impaction or Tumor

1000-liter pond (264 gal), 11 fish (3 koi, 3 shubunkins, 5 comets). One comet lethargic 2 weeks, growing fatter, not eating. Died after answer. Owner asked if pregnant.

Diagnosis: Not Pregnancy

• Goldfish don't get "pregnant" — they lay eggs.
• Swollen abdomen, no raised scales = egg impaction, cystic kidneys, or tumors.
• Egg binding rare with males present.
• Small fish = better surgical odds, but usually not worth it.

Post-Mortem Insight

11 fish in 264 gal = severely overstocked (1 inch/gallon rule: max ~26 inches total fish). Reduce population by half for health.

Prevention

• Proper stocking density.
• Quarantine new fish.
• Monitor for bullying, water quality.

Bloating with no pineconing = internal organ issue, not dropsy. Overcrowding likely contributed.