Is my Danio pregnant?

Question
QUESTION: I have a 5 gallon mini bow aquarium with a long-finned zebra danio, short finned pink danio (i think it was one of those dye injected ones), and a kisser fish (pink kissing gourami??). I have had them for awhile and they do wonderful together but all of a sudden today I noticed that the pink shortfinned zebra danio looks fatter than usual and I was wondering how I can tell if she is a she and is pregnant or a he who is just fat. I know there is something with a fin being long or something on a male but I have a long-finned and a short-finned zebra danio so I need some good specifics to be able to know for sure. Also, if the pink shortfinned danio is a female and is pregnant what should I do?

ANSWER: Hi Jennifer;

The 'pointy fin thing' in males is only for livebearing fish. Danios are egglayers and the fatter ones are usually females with eggs in them. They lay eggs with males chasing to fertilize as they are laid and let them scatter across the bottom of the tank. If you want babies to hatch and survive you would have to separate the parents and all other fish to another tank after they lay the eggs. Here is a web page about breeding danios;

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/danio.htm#bred

Good Luck!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Would I be able to see the eggs on the bottom if she lays them and I dont see her lay them?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Jennifer;

If the tank has a bare bottom and there is no gravel or rocks in it you might be able to see them. The trouble is, the fish will too and the eggs will be eaten. It's usually what happens in a community tank. If there is gravel on the bottom the eggs would be very hard to see because they would fall between them. That's why breeders use marbles or a suspended plastic mesh on the bottoms of their egg layer's spawning tanks. The eggs are safe from the parents and as long as you remove the adult fish after they spawn, the babies will be safe once they hatch in one or two days too. The females will also be thinner too. Read the info at the link I gave you for more...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins