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| FAQs on Freshwater
Dropsical Conditions
Related Articles: Dropsy, Environmental Disease,
FW Disease Troubleshooting,
Freshwater Diseases, Choose
Your Weapon: Freshwater Fish Disease Treatment Options
by Neale Monks,
Related FAQs: Infectious FW Diseases 1,
Environmental Disease 1,
Environmental Disease 2,
Popeye/Exophthalmia,
Nutritional Disease,
Aquarium
Maintenance, Establishing Nutrient Cycling, African Cichlid Disease 1,
Cichlid
Disease,
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Typical "pinecone" appearance... from intracellular fluid
increasing the intercellular fluid pressure... usually related to bacterial
involvement which in turn is related to "poor" and/or changeable water
quality.
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Betta Fish With "dropsy-type
symptoms", Please Help!!! 4/5/08
Hi Crew,
<Jeff>
I have a female Betta, has always seemed healthy, active, eats well, for the
past year.
<Mmm, may be getting old...>
Has seemed to gain weight over past month, cut back feedings a bit thinking she
was overfeeding, now after a month she has lump protruding on side toward
middle, and belly is enlarged on lower area,
<Perhaps egg-bound>
also seems to have some trouble swimming, looks like she is bobbing around
sometimes. No pineconeing?
<Good point>
of scales, eyes normal, still has good appetite, seems to not be passing as much
stool, could this be bloat for so long a period?
<Mmm, depending on what one consider as such... but of what determinate cause is
the issue>
She gets partial tank change midweek, full change end of week, use tap water
treated with stress coat by API, MelaFix,
<Not a fan>
and aquarium salt by API added to a 1 1/2 gallon tank kept in warm area between
75-80 degrees, tank has undergravel filter and airstone, tank is acrylic
material. She is still very active, eating as well as before, Any suggestions
are appreciated. Should I try course of Maracyn-2,and Epsom salts, or would this
be an incorrect course of treatment? I've been searching the archives for
similar situations.
<I would try the Mardel product and Epsom... this is the best approach. Bob
Fenner>
Thanks, CJ
Re: Betta Fish With
"dropsy-type symptoms", Please Help!!! 4/6/08
Dear Bob,
??????????????? Thank you so much for your prompt response to my email. Started
on the course of treatment you suggested and so far my friend seems to be holing
her own. I wonder (as you said) if she is egg-bound. As I said before she
remains alert and takes food nicely.
<Good signs>
I will let your crew know if her condition changes, but I want to let you know
how much I appreciate your advice.
All The Best,
CJ and Jeff Warren
<Thank you, BobF>
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My Oscar looks like he
swallowed a ball.
Bloated Oscars 3-24-08
Hi, I recently had to euthanise on of my three Oscars has he had gotten so
swollen it looked like a tennis was inside him. Unfortunately now one of my
other Oscars has started to swell as well. In the last week he has gone off his
food and is panting in the water-he cant close his mouth. I have tried peas, but
as he isn't eating that hasn't worked if it was constipation. I've tried the
Epsom salts treatment- full dose than half dose after three days...I did this
for a fortnight with a 25% water change before the half dose...was this ok and
is it possible to overdose a fish from to much Epsom salt put into a tank. I
have done a treatment of antibiotics but it doesn't appear to be helping. Water
test are all perfect-pH 7 ammonia-0, hardness 180-190. We do weekly water
changes of 25%. We recently did a 50% water change which the Oscars appear to
love as the livened up but unfortunately it didn't last. We usually keep our
water at around 26-27 degrees, but have had it higher by 2 degrees in accordance
with anti-biotics. I'm really worried for my Oscar who sick but also about the
one who is 'ok', I don't want him to develop the same problem is there anything
I can do to prevent it from happening again. Sorry to be a bother but I care
about them greatly. Thank you. Kylie
<This bloat or dropsy is usually caused by stress. Sometimes it can be poor
water quality but often it is the wrong food or just old food that has lost some
of its nutrients. I would recommend a combined treatment of Nitrofuranace and
Metronidazole. They can be obtained at DrsFosterSmith.com. The key to a complete
recovery is to treat early. Once they start to eat I would try some medicated
food with the Metronidazole in it. After treatment I would recommend a new
diet.-Chuck>
Re: My Oscar looks like he
swallowed a ball. -03/27/08
Oscar Bloated Follow Up
Thanks very much for getting back to me Chuck. We give them a pretty good diet-
I think?. They have pellets we purchase from a Oscar breeder and we also give
them cockroaches, crickets and mealworms, as well as any bugs we find in the
house...is that ok or should we change it? Thank you.
< I actually really like that diet. I would probably change the pellets to
something with a little less protein. Breeding Oscars require a very rich diet
that may not be required for non breeding fish. Something to keep in mind is the
amount that you feed them. Never feed them more than they can eat in a few
minutes. I know these little beggars can train their owners into feeding them
all the time which is not good. Check the water quality and keep the nitrates
under 20 ppm.-Chuck>
|
Fallow tank, Dropsy, FW,
Infectious Dis. 11/25/2007
Hi Crew,
<Hello Rachel,>
Here I am writing in yet again! About a month ago I lost both the Betta and the
African Dwarf frog in my freshwater tank to bacterial infection. The frog had
mildly injured its nose and one of its hands, probably by diving into the gravel
at high speed the way he was fond of doing. I'm guessing one or both wounds got
infected. He developed dropsy, and he died despite quarantine and treatment with
hydrogen peroxide, Neosporin on the wounds, and even a needle aspiration to help
take the pressure off his internal organs (all of which I researched before
trying, of course--and the needle aspiration, while a little drastic, did seem
to help him perk up and fight a few days longer). I did my best to keep the tank
extra-clean to keep the Betta healthy, but I suspect he'd already been infected
internally for awhile--he got dropsy too, and by that time I'd gotten my hands
on some antibiotics (the local pet store closed, and as I'm a university student
with no car, it took awhile to get any from further away). But, despite those in
combination with aquarium salt, he died too.
<Oh dear.>
It's my understanding that it's pretty hard to nurse a creature back to health
once it's developed dropsy, so although I'm sad they didn't make it, I tried my
best.
<With small animals, yes, this does tend to be true. By the time dropsy is
apparent in them, the internal organs have been damaged beyond repair.>
(The Betta was two and a half years old, too, which I hear is not too shabby a
lifespan.)
<In the wild they are basically annuals. In captivity, some people get the odd
Betta to last 3 or 4 years even.>
If you see anywhere that I went wrong with in trying, please let me know!
My end point in writing is to ask about the tank now. It's been fallow for three
or four weeks, just live plants and probably some limpets still left in there.
Would this have been a bacteria that would've died with no host, or is it still
floating around in the water?
<To some extent the bacteria will still be there. Secondary infection-causing
bacteria are largely bacteria that potter about harmlessly at all times, and
only become a problem when wounds allow them to enter the fish. Think about
things like E. coli in humans: absolutely harmless and indeed essential where
they live in the lower intestine. But if they happen to get somewhere else, like
the urinary tract, they cause potentially harmful infections. It's the same with
the Finrot bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila (which causes Red-leg in amphibians
and stomach upsets in humans). Normally it does its thing in the water, feeding
on whatever organic matter it finds. On a healthy animal, the immune system has
no problems killing it off. But when an animal is weakened, e.g., by the damage
caused by ammonia in the water, the immune system cannot function 100%, and the
Aeromonas hydrophila overwhelm exposed tissues where they feed on proteins,
particularly haemoglobin. In other words, assuming your new livestock are happy
and healthy, then the bacteria likely won't cause any major problems.
Disinfecting the tank is certainly one option, but you would have to cycle the
biological filter again. Even in this case, bacteria will get in eventually
anyway. They just do, and trying to fight against bacteria is usually a waste of
time because they run this planet, not us, whatever we might like to think. So
far better to accept the bacteria for what they are -- opportunists that will
take advantage of any situation they can -- and simply focus on keeping healthy
livestock that can deal with the bacteria naturally.>
I'd gladly scrub the tank down, but haven't yet as I was hoping to keep the
beneficial bacteria going. I didn't want to put anything else in there if
there's a chance of a latent bacterial population lurking around.
<The bacteria will certainly be laying around in the water and substrate and
filter media. Running a course of anti-Finrot/anti-Fungus medication won't do
any harm, and might be worth a shot in this instance. Do also bear in mind the
filter bacteria will have died back in the interim because of the reduction in
ammonia for them to "eat". So before adding new livestock, you may want to add
an ammonia source for a week or two first, to get them back into fighting
fettle. Adding a pinch of flake per day, or leaving a bit of seafood to decay at
the bottom of the tank, should do the trick. The bacteria don't care where the
ammonia comes from, and if its from bacterial decay of uneaten food, that's fine
with them. Obviously test for ammonia or nitrite afterwards to make sure
everything is working before you add new fish.>
Thanks for being there as always,
Rachel
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
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Unusual case of
Pearlscale dropsy? 11/4/07
Hi,
<Hello,>
I was wondering if you've seen this condition before. I'm assuming it is
dropsy. Depending on the cause I might be able to treat my Pearlscale.
<Difficult to tell on a Pearlscale goldfish I admit!>
I'm in Australia so antibiotics aren't readily available due to
restrictions; I might be able to get something through a vet though.
<Indeed. Here in the UK the laws are similar. Antibiotics for fish can
be usually obtained from a vet at about £20. Antibacterials can work
well as an alternative, but usually only if the problem is caught early
on. Prevention is, of course, even better than cure.>
Water conditions seem to be very good, readings are almost all normal,
although temperature has been very high for a few weeks now (averaging
24c) There has been a change in alkalinity from acid to the alkaline
side of neutral (7.2). This is due to both a change of tank from one far
too small to one the right size for three fish (slightly over 120
litres), also we're now receiving are water from a reservoir in a
limestone area (teabags are fizzing now).
<Goldfish prefer hard, alkaline water. The harder and more alkaline, the
better really. What Goldfish don't like is soft and acidic water.
Ideally, aim for pH 7.5, moderate to high hardness.>
At the moment I'm lowering the salt level in the tank from a very high
level (probably about 2.75 micro Siemens, to 2.25 last week and now its
down to 1.5). I've read that high salinity can cause fancy goldfish to
retain water as they can't easily get rid of excess salts.
<Goldfish are basically salt-tolerant fish. Wild fish can be found in
areas up to about 50% normal seawater salinity (15 ppt to be precise).
So I can't imagine the "teaspoon per gallon" salt doses people use with
Goldfish cause any serious harm. That said, the addition of salt to the
Goldfish aquarium isn't necessary and I don't recommend it.>
The bubbles on his skin (around a dozen) aren't growing fast but have
been there for a week and a half now. I'm currently treating with
Melafix to help prevent a secondary infection.
<Melafix is a complete waste of time for treating established
infections, which would seem to be what's going on here. Get into gear
and use some sort of anti-Fungus, anti-Finrot medication to help with
the external infections.>
The Pearlscale also seems to be constipated so I'm going to replace some
of those salts with Epsom salts, I'm hoping that may also help with the
fluid retention.
<Wouldn't bank on it. Epsom salt is primarily for helping with
constipation, because it is a muscle relaxant. If it has any effect on
fluid retention, the effect will be modest, particularly if the
underlying problem is a bacterial infection.>
I'm going to set up a hospital tank as well but as I'm not sure what
medications I should be using, let alone what will be available. For the
time being I'm trying to keep him as unstressed as possible in the hope
he comes right himself.
<Moving him to a hospital tank may make some sense, especially if the
fish has trouble moving about and feeding properly. Dropsy doesn't tend
to be infectious, but there's no point taking chances.>
Anyway any thoughts you have on causes and treatments would be greatly
appreciated.
<Hmm... Dropsy is generally caused by environmental issues that provoke
bacterial infections of the internal organs. Metronidazole and
Nitrofuranace make the standard cocktail for treating Dropsy. But you
also have to figure out what environmental issues might have been at
work.>
I've been getting some great help through Koko'sGoldfishWorld. There's a
full description of symptoms, treatments applied and general thoughts
online at
http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=63659&st=0&gopid=704024&#entry704024
I've a good idea of the general treatments for bacteria induced dropsy
but thought this might still possibly be something else. Because of the
change in tank there's been new plants, gravel and a log so there's been
plenty of opportunity for parasitic infection. The recent changes in
conditions (alkalinity and temp) also might be playing a role.
<Agreed. Goldfish appreciate stable water chemistry, which is why high
levels of hardness and carbonate hardness are so important.>
There's pictures online at
http://www.mu.edu/~buxtoni/puregold/disease/dropsy.html that look
similar. If I do move the fish to a hospital tank with no salt is there
a likelihood of inducing osmotic shock?
<If you're concerned, then put water from the main aquarium into a large
bucket. Add the goldfish. Over the next few hours, slowly remove
portions of water and replace with fresh, dechlorinated water.
Afterwards you can lift the fish out and safely move it to the hospital
tank which will be filled with more fresh, dechlorinated water.>
I'm guessing this might be minimised if its offset by having Epsom salts
in the water. Also would you be aware of any appropriate meds available
in Australia, even if only to Vet's (this is bit of a long shot I know).
Many thanks,
Best wishes,
Iain
<Hope this helps, Neale>
Re Neale: unusual
case of perarlscale dropsy? 11/5/07
Hi Neale, Thanks for the reply. I'll get my girlfriend to phone
around some of the local vets and see if they carry either or both of
those
anti-biotics. We'll get him into a hospital tank for the treatment. Once
I get that going I'll see if I can find out what's wrong with the main
tank. That could take some working out; at least we're learning a lot
from all this.
Thanks again,
Best wishes, Iain (& Helen)
<Hello Iain. Sounds like you have a plan. Vets are often quite happy to
help you treat your fish. Tell the vet the symptoms, and see what he or
she suggests. In the meantime, good luck! Neale> |
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Betta fish, and a rather old
email you replied to... dis., Dropsy... nonsense 10/12/07
Hi, I assume this is the right Bob Fenner... your> email address was pretty
hard to track down, you> didn't put it up on your FAQ pages!
<Ah, no... we have been forced to change ISPs, lost our old WWM email addies...>
Anyways, you answered a question entitled "Bettas keep dying> 8/25/05" on the
page> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/betdisfaq7.htm> I know it was an
old question, but I thought I should> share something I've read before
concerning Dropsy... on more than one website, I've read that Dropsy is>
actually a very tough disease that does not go away> even with bleaching and
drying of tanks.
<... Dropsy, dropsical conditions are symptoms... with a few etiologies... NOT a
specific disease/causative mechanism>
It may or may not be true, but if you can, you should let the person who wrote
the email that they need to throw that tank away and not allow healthy Betta
fish into that tank ever, nor allow a Betta that has been into that tank into a
new tank (unless they can afford to get a new tank after that Betta dies). If
you can no longer email the person, you should definitely mention this on
another of your websites, and if you've already addressed this problem (since it
was over two years ago, haha), I'm sorry to have taken up your time. Thank you
for reading this anyways! -Ryan
<What? BobF>
Betta/any fish question; relating to tanks and the 'dropsy' disease
- 11/13/06
Hello!
I really enjoy your site and have learned quite a bit by reading through it. I
have a question that I hope you will be able to answer for me. I don't own any
Betta (though I'm interested in getting one of two soon) but my friend has owned
them. She has had 2 Betta at one time for a while now. One of them is named
"Donnie" who has been with her for about 2 years. Over the span of those 2
years, she has had another male in a tank next to Donnie's. The first one was
named "Frank". He somehow got the disease called Dropsy and died. Later, she got
another (using the same tank) that she named "Remy". She cleaned the tank very
well before getting him but he, too, contracted Dropsy and died after seeming
being fine for over a year. This time however, she purchased a new tank and is
hoping the best for her newest family member "Clay". We were wondering if it was
possible that there was something in the tank's plastic material or fake plant
or gravel or anything, that caused this
disease, or if it was just a random coincidence that they both got it in the
same tank?
<Good question... "Dropsical Conditions" are "brought on" through a few
plausible influences... the bloating, scales appearing at odd angles are due to
fluid leaving cells, increasing pressure in the intercellular spaces... some
folks believe the root cause here to be bacterial... this in turn
allowed/triggered by such factors as "poor water quality" (mostly unfiltered,
high bacteria count situations, not pathogens per se), and/with a nutritional
component... avitaminoses likely... there are other theories, possible
epidemiologies>
Thanks for any help or advise you can give!
~Miranda
<Mmm... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettadiseases.htm
and here
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dropsyfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Community Tank With Bloat/Pop-Eye Issues 5/27/06
Hi there, You guys have been an awesome resource! And, it's time for
another question from me. I have a 35g that's been set up since February with a
Penguin 300 bio filter.
I have 1 White Tetra, 2 Pristella Tetras, 10 Harlequin Rasboras, 10 Neon Tetras,
3 Black Mollies (1M,2F), 3 Platies (1M,2F), 1 Pleco and 1 Gold Snail.
I do water changes every 2nd week of about 25-30%, but my last couple changes
have been closer to 50% to try and combat my problem. Ammonia is 0, Nitrites
are 0. I don't know the pH or Nitrates (no test kits yet...just ordered them).
1 female platy seems to have dropsy or some type of bacterial infection. Her
scales are sticking out a bit on one side, she doesn't seem to "poop" often, and
I can see a white spot at her vent (constipated?).
1 female molly appears to have the same condition, but has a much larger belly.
1 rasbora has a little (white?) bump on his bottom lip and has been this way
since Feb.
1 rasbora has a slightly bulging right eye.
With these different conditions, I don't know how I should treat the tank.
Any ideas/suggestions are welcome! Please help a novice trying to get this
right. Thanks. Donna
< Sounds like bloat on the livebearers and pop-eye on the rasboras. The white
lower lip thing is probably a benign growth. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the
gravel and clean the filter. As few ways to go here. The bloat/pop-eye may be
caused by the same organism. If it is bacterial then it may respond to a double
dose of Nitrofuranace. This will affect the biological filtration and you may
need to get it restarted. If it is a protozoan infection then either Clout or
Metronidazole may work. The trouble with small fish like this is you probably
only get one guess. If you guess wrong the fish is rarely around long enough for
a second try. If it was me I would place the infected fish in a hospital tank
and treat them with he double dose of Nitrofurazone and with the Metronidazole.
Add a teaspoon of salt per 5 gallons to help get the medication into the
fish.-Chuck>
Green Terror With Bloat 03/9/06
I have a 3 ½ year old Green Terror in a 40 gallon tank. His stomach is
bloated and he has a white bubble that sometimes comes out of his "area" which
is enlarged. I don't know what he has and I don't know how to treat him. This
has been going on for about a week and a half and now he just stays at the top
of the tank and he only moves around when we go to check up on him. Do you have
any suggestions? Jenny Van Tubbergen
<You green terror has an intestinal bacterial infection. As the infection swells
and grows it actually may push out some of the intestines. Do a 50% water change
, clean the filter and vacuum the gravel. Treat with Metronidazole and
Nitrofuranace. The key to a successful treatment is to catch it early.-Chuck>
My poor tetra... dropsy 1/17/06
Hello
I have a question regarding my tetra. For the last 5 days or so my fish
has been in the bottom corner of our 10 gal tank. It can swim for a second
then falls right back to the bottom of the tank. I have two other tetras in
the same tank and they are fine. I don't know what a pregnant tetra looks like
but this one is very fat and the scales are sticking out,
<... Ascites... in pet-fishing called dropsy, or a dropsical condition... aptly
called "pinecone disease" in Japanese>
the side looks red.
I have read about the different diseases and it seems like the fish might
have a disease but the others ones don't. I had my water tested when I took it
into the pet shop and it is OK so I am stumped. Would a fish not be able to
swim if it had a disease and Say the fish is pregnant how long does it take to
lay the eggs?
<Depends on species... days to a few weeks>
Should I take the fish out of the tank? IF so what is the best
way? I am not to sure on fish stuff but I don't like to see fish suffer.
<If you sense this fish should be sacrificed, placing it in a plastic bag with a
little water and putting this in the freezer will painlessly euthanize it.
Likely the "cause" of the dropsy here is not "catching"... Bob Fenner>
Pleco With Bloat 1/14/06
Hello, I have a pleco that isn't well. He(?) is about 7 years old & about
8-10
inches long. The other day he started to swim to the top of the tank more
often than usual. Now (3 days later) he is violently swimming up and down. I
noticed he can't stay down. He struggles and fights and gets comfortable on
the glass then his tail slides up to the surface. He has been holding
himself down with the heater and return from the filter to just keep under
the water. I am very concerned, I don't want him to die, but I'm not sure how to
help
him. I've read all of the Q&A's on your website, which are very helpful! The
water tests fine, no major changes recently. The other fish are all fine.
Water quality appears normal. I have recently (3 weeks ago) added a Cory
catfish to the tank? I feed them discs regularly and cucumber every now and
then. Note from reading your Q&A's, I do not have any live plants or
driftwood in the tank? I've never had any? Is that a big issue?
Besides the buoyancy problem, I believe he is slightly bloated. Also I have
noticed he always had waste hanging from him, but none at all this week. I
believe his anus is enlarged/swollen and pinkish in color.
I have added some additional stress coat and stress zyme hoping that might
help him. I'm trying not to disturb him too much. Any suggestions?
Thanks Nicole
< You pleco is suffering from an internal bacterial infection. Probably found an
algae wafer in some form of decomposition and the long intestines of the pleco
just could not pass it through in time. Do a 50% water change vacuum the gravel
and clean the filter. Try treating with Metronidazole. When they are this
bloated it is difficult for them to recover.-Chuck>
Old Oscar With Bloat 1/14/06
I have a 13 year old albino Oscar that about 5 days ago started hanging on
his side in the tank. Now I notice he has a large lump on the side that is
pointed to the top of the aquarium. He does appear to have some hole in the
head. I did a 30% water change. He is in a 60 gal tank. His tank mates are 2
Plecostomus, 3 clown loaches, and 1 Pimelodella catfish. What could be wrong?
Can I use Epsom salt and other meds with his tank buddies? Thanks for any help.
< Your old Oscar has an internal bacterial infection. Do another 50% water
change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Try treating with Metronidazole
as per the directions on the package. Your Oscar has lived a very long life and
may not recover from this infection, even after he has been treated.-Chuck>
Oscar With Bloat II 1/14/06
I have a 13 year old albino Oscar that about 5 days ago started hanging on
his side in the tank. Now I notice he has a large lump on the side that is
pointed to the top of the aquarium. He does appear to have some hole in the
head. I did a 30% water change. He is in a 60 gal tank. His tank mates are 2
Plecostomus, 3 clown loaches, and 1 Pimelodella catfish. What could be wrong?
Can I use Epsom salt and other meds with his tank buddies? Thanks for any help.
He also has some black-greyish him that isn't normally there in the are where is
spots are. If is us Epsom salt because is blocked, how long do I leave it in the
water before a partial change? Also his normal diet is Oscar floating pellets.
< Continue with the Epsom salts until you see some improvement. Replace any salt
after a water change.-Chuck.>
Need help my goldfish Oranda has I think dropsy Part 2 12/20/2005
Hello,
I was wondering if you can help me out with something. Am not sure if my
goldfish Oranda has dropsy or not. His symptoms are:
Floating on the top of the tank, still eats regularly, lifeless sometimes, if
you look close enough you can see the scales kinda popping out, and he's getting
bigger.
<Mmm, yes... this is a "dropsical" condition...>
Water quality:
Nitrate: 30
<A bit high>
Nitrite: 3.0
<Three times more than toxic...>
Total hardness: 200
Alkalinity: 180
Ph: 7.8
I'm not sure how my nitrite spiked. However, I recently moved so I
<I>
had to empty out my fish tank and start it up again. It's been nearly a week
already and those where my reading. I know I have to do water changes which I
will do tomorrow, but please can you help me with my Oranda and his dropsy what
do you recommend me doing? and what should I do? thanks you for your kind ASAP
help.
Ryan
<Help yourself... Please read on WWM re FW water quality, Nitrite, Cycling...
Bob Fenner>
Molly With Dropsy 12/7/05
Hello there. Your site is wonderful. I can't tell you how many hours of schoolwork have been sacrificed so I could read as much as I could. I'm new to fishkeeping and feel very lost in the sea of information available, so to speak.
I'm having problems with a black molly that I bought a little over a week ago. My tank is brand new, so it could be a cycling problem. When I first got her home, she was very reclusive and just sort of floated in the corner of the tank. Three days later, her belly started to swell a little bit, so I looked up how to sex mollies to see if she was indeed a she (which she is) and see if she might be pregnant.
I moved her to her own 5g tank, and her belly continued to grow. Four days after that, it started to look like her scales were sticking out a little bit, almost as though there weren't enough scales to cover all of her skin and I started to worry. They aren't sticking straight out like some of the pictures I've found, but they aren't like lying flat either. I had just read about dropsy, so I researched it as much I could, but I have no idea what to do, if it is.
Since I moved her, she started to move around a bit more, swimming in lazy circles at the surface of the water. She doesn't have much of an appetite. Another strange thing about her... she's got a strange white lump on or in her rectum, kind of like someone stuck a little white stone in it. I tested the water.. PH was 7.2, Nitrates and Nitrites were 0, Ammonia was 0.5 (As soon as I finish this email, I'll be doing a water change to try and fix that). I added some salt to the water (about 3 tsp), but I don't know what else to do or
try. Please help, if you can. Michi
< Do a 30% water change, clean the filter and vacuum the gravel. Add the salt back from the water you removed. Stress from the move has caused your
molly to come down with an internal bacterial infection. Treat with
Metronidazole and Nitrofurazone as per the directions on the packages.-Chuck>
Let Them Eat Rocks? Platy, Dropsy.... 11/29/2005
I have a 10 gallon fish tank in my classroom with three fish in it: one silvery Mickey Mouse platy, a 10 month old orange MM platy, and a small algae eater (don't remember the species name). The silver platy is the oldest...I think I've had her for about a year and a half. She's definitely been the hardiest -- I'm quite an amateur at keeping fish, and she's seen many newbies come and go in her time. Anyway, I fed the fish some flakes and some algae disks (both part of their regular diet) before Thanksgiving Break (Wednesday) and today (Monday) when I came in Miss Molly was a swollen as a blowfish. She's evenly swollen all the way around, not just her abdomen, and her scales are poking out (yeck).
<Yikes. A very bad sign.>
Her stomach area looks dark, but I can't remember if it always looks like that or not. The other fish look normal. After internet research, I figured she has dropsy
<Mm, "dropsy" is a collection of symptoms.... not a disease in and of itself. In this case, the symptoms are likely from an internal bacterial infection.... perhaps something she's had since "day 1", or perhaps from one of the fish she's seen come and go (might want to consider quarantining new fish before adding them to your tank). It may have been entirely unavoidable.>
and called my local fish store to get their opinion on what to do. My local fish store thinks the fish has swallowed some gravel and will die since she can't pass it.
<Uhh, no. HIGHLY unlikely. Though it IS possible that a fish can get a gut blockage from swallowing a piece of gravel, I have never, ever seen nor heard of a platy doing so.... Furthermore, the scales sticking out (pinecone fashion?) are a sure sign of fluid buildup in the fish - typically a result of bacterial infection.>
I can't imagine why she would suddenly pick up a rock-swallowing habit unless she just got really hungry (in which case I feel awful that I didn't put it one of those time release tabs).
<No - actually - it's best not to use those time-release feeding blocks, as they can alter your pH.... Most fish can go many days without food. You didn't cause this by not feeding, no worries.>
Long story short, should I try the Epsom salt, the antibiotic flakes, or anything else?
<If you can locate the antibiotic flakes (preferably medicated with Oxytetracycline, in my experience), I would try both Epsom and the flakes, yes.>
Will any of the above hurt my other fish? Should I try to set up a "hospital tank"?
<I would definitely try to get her into a hospital tank - though the Epsom and antibiotic flakes won't hurt your other fish, she may be contagious. It's safest for the others to remove her. I will also tell you that her prognosis isn't great. It really is very rare for a fish to "come back" from such an advanced state.... I do hate to bring bad news, but needed to let you know this. When/if she dies, the other fish are likely to "pick" at her. This could be bad indeed, if they were to "catch" what she has/had. Please do
separate her if you can.>
Thanks, -Janice
<All the best to you, -Sabrina>
Sabrina, Let Them Eat Rocks? Platy, Dropsy.... - II - 12/06/2005
<Hi, Janice.>
Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate the advice!
<Glad to be of service.>
I am glad that I was not totally nuts to think my fish was an unlikely rock-eater. Unfortunately, your prognosis was correct, and she only lasted two days after your email. I treated for a bacterial infection, but as you said, it was a bit late for her advanced stage.
<I am so sorry to hear this....>
Is there anything I should do for the other two remaining fish, or are we past the point of preventative measures?
<Just maintain optimal water quality - zero ammonia and nitrite, 20ppm or less of nitrate, steady, stable pH....>
I am curious as to the cause of the infection. I know that you said that it could be from exposure to her other former tank mates, and that's certainly a
possibility. I'm wondering though if a drop in temperature could stimulate an infection.
<Can.... but I have to admit to you, the heater in my upstairs tank failed last weekend - a 20 degree (or more) drop in temperature did in everything but the platies, which are still all going strong. Go figure. Platies are pretty tough when it comes to temperature changes.>
I have a feeling that our A/C system went on standby over the Thanksgiving break, letting the temperature drop lower than normal. I haven't yet bought a heater for the tank, since the room usually stays at a fairly constant temperature...or so I thought. Now that the weather has cooled, that will be a priority.
<Good plan.>
That brings me to my next question, if you have time for another.
<Time? Whassat? No worries; this is why we're here!>
Every Christmas break, I am left in a quandary of what to do with my fish. I am typically gone for almost 3 weeks, and in the past, I have brought my fish home with me and put them into a smaller tank. Unfortunately, this is very time-consuming,
<And hazardous/stressful for the fish, no doubt!>
and I always have a problem finding a good place to put the tank. Would it be feasible to leave them in their tank at school with a heater, provided that I go in periodically to feed them?
<Oh, certainly. Aim for twice a week at a minimum, if you can; or, you could even get a battery operated feeder - a device with a "hopper" type bin, or compartments that you fill that will release food for them periodically. Don't use the "tablet"-style time-release feeders that you put right into the tank - these can cause more harm than good.>
Are there any other preparations and/or supplies that they would need for this?
<Just as above - they'll probably be just fine with your good care.>
Thanks again, -Janice
<All the best for you and your fish on the holidays, -Sabrina>
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