deltad

Hi there I am new here. First time posting. My Betta developed Dropsy - we took him out of the tank last night and put him in another small pail as I read he should be out of the tank. He is very swollen and looks awful. My question is this - I am going to go to the store today to get some medication for the Dropsy. Should I treat the tank that I took him out of as well. In that tank is 2 angels, 1 more Betta, a plucko and 2 cory cats. They all look fine. Thanks for your replies. (The tanks water counts are very good) Notsure why he got it.

Martinismommy

Chickadee should be here shortly and will help you with this problem....Hang in there...I'm sorry your betta is feeling bad...We'll try and help you get him better...

Fishies-for-me

Well I guess a good start for the peeps who know would be to know exactly what the numbers read on the water parameters...temp...size of tank...is/was it cycled when you stocked. If you can get this info it will help the others to help you.

chickadee

I am so sorry but the water is "very good" will not help me much. I need numbers from the tests. Ammonia should always be 0 no amount of ammonia is acceptable to your fish. Nitrites should also be 0 as this is the next step of from ammonia and is toxic to fish. Nitrates should be kept below 20 at all times but sometimes this is hard to do in some areas of the country where the drinking and tap water straight from the tap has more than that in it. In those cases the only things I know that will bring that down in a hurry is boughten store Spring water or Live Plants in your tank (they use the nitrates for fertilizer and will bring down the level but takes a while).

If you took the fish from the tank he will need to have a heater in the tank you put him in and since I am doubting that it is filtered the water will need a 50% change daily. You can treat him with Maracyn2 for it but put a whole packet in the water each day when you have changed the water.

Dropsy is not actually a disease but a symptom of a problem and that problem is kidney failure in your poor little guy. I will say that there have been some fish who have come through it but there is a high rate of fish not coming through it so it will need to be treated quickly. He will need continued clean water, warm conditions and you can try the medication and you can soak his food in garlic juice to help boost his immune system. This would not be a bad idea for the rest of the fish either. You can get minced garlic in its own juice at most dollar stores and at the grocery store or anywhere they sell groceries. Ask if you do not see it. It will be kept in glass jars, not plastic and will look like chopped grains of rice in liquid. Garlic is good for your fish and will help them stay healthier.

I do hope that your little one will be okay and we do want you to keep us informed of how he is doing. The clean water and good conditions will help but the med will be a help too. I shall send you good hopes and welcome to our site.

By the way, the fish in your tank may not be too compatible. Is there any chance that there is fighting going on in there and the little guy may have been injured?

Rose

deltad

Thank you for all the information. I am going to pet store right away for meds. I dont know the numbers, husband did them last night and all he said to me was they are very good. We did a 25% water change on the tank as well.

As to whether there is fighting going on. Have had all them together now for a few months and have not seen any fighting at all. Dont see any sores or punctures on our Betta. He has all the symptoms of Dropsy - very swollen and the raised scales, lethargic, not eating and hiding. First time we have seen this happen so took us awhile to realize he was sick. Thought he was getting fat. Poor little thing. He is moving around a bit more today. Maybe that is a good sign.

Do you recommend that we put medication in the tank with the other fish. As I said in the original post they all appear quite healthy.

chickadee

I would not treat healthy fish with medication as you may need it for something later. If they start to show signs then medicate.

Rose

Allie

You have two betta in one tank? And the NOT fighting? That's near impossible. Is a male and a female? Hopefully not 2 males. How big is your tank?
He probably got constipated from eating the food for other fish. A few months is a set up is just a trial period for any tank mates. You won't know if they truly get along if it's been a lot longer than that. Sometimes it takes months & months for things to happen.
Dropsy at the pine coning stage is usually fatal, from my experience. Try him on meds and see what happens. Good luck.

deltad

They are females and got along great. Anyway it is now in a small tank with medication. Still alive which is great. Son in law is looking after her as he knows more about fish than I. So is in good hands. Will keep you posted. Thank you all. This forum is now in my favorites.

jdhef

What! It should be your homepage!

Good luck getting her nursed back to good health.

chickadee

How is she today? It will be a while before you can expect to notice any real improvement I am afraid, if any. But just to wake up and find her still there will be an accomplishment that you can say a quick, "thank you" for every day for the time being.

We are all pulling for you both and hope for the best.

Rose

Allie

Oh well at least she is a she. How is she doing this morning?

fishluver101

my betta has dropsy too and im treating him with maracyn. u can do plain old maracyn or maracyn-two. they both cover dropsy. i just put my first dose and he looks better already

COBettaCouple

Dropsy is really hard to treat and usually severly strong meds like kanamyacin are all that has an effect.