Dropsy Celestial Goldfish

My sweet celestial goldfish has come down with raised scales. I have him in a shallow quarantine bin. I do 100% water cahnges daily. What can I do to help him?

 

HI there. I'm so sorry your fish got dropsy.
The best way to treat it is to get Kanaplex and some unscented epsom salts.
The epsom salts buy time, the kanaplex will take care of any bacterial problems in the kidney, as Dropsy is kidney failure.
Epsom salt draws out fluid buildup, and can help slow or even reduce the swelling. In my experience, it just slowed down the swelling and gave the kanaplex time to work. Kanaplex is a 6 day treatment and my fish didn't show improvement until 3 days after the treatement ended.
So, you'll want to add 1tbsp per 5 gallons of epsom salt to the main tank. Dissolve the salt before adding it, and add it slowly. It does not increase salinity, but will increase TDS and gH rather quickly, which can shock some fish. Yours should be fine though.
You will also want to do 2-3 (3 is better) epsom salt baths each day. Some people also recommend daily 50% water changes, and if you're able to, go ahead and do it.
For the baths, dissolve 1tbsp of epsom salt in one gallon of water. Move your fish in for 10-15 minutes. If your fish shows signs of severe discomfort (rolling on side and unable to right itself, sitting on the bottom and unable to get up, or defecating) remove your fish immediately.
Kanaplex is the key here. There are a couple of different types of Dropsy; bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and organ failure. Bacterial is most common, and that is what kanaplex will treat. Fungal and parasitic are difficult to treat and diagnose, and I'm not sure how to treat them. If it's organ failure, the only reported treatment has been epsom salt, as it reduces fluids and therefore pressure on the kidneys, giving them a chance to heal.
Best of luck.

 

HI there. I'm so sorry your fish got dropsy.
The best way to treat it is to get Kanaplex and some unscented epsom salts.
The epsom salts buy time, the kanaplex will take care of any bacterial problems in the kidney, as Dropsy is kidney failure.
Epsom salt draws out fluid buildup, and can help slow or even reduce the swelling. In my experience, it just slowed down the swelling and gave the kanaplex time to work. Kanaplex is a 6 day treatment and my fish didn't show improvement until 3 days after the treatement ended.
So, you'll want to add 1tbsp per 5 gallons of epsom salt to the main tank. Dissolve the salt before adding it, and add it slowly. It does not increase salinity, but will increase TDS and gH rather quickly, which can shock some fish. Yours should be fine though.
You will also want to do 2-3 (3 is better) epsom salt baths each day. Some people also recommend daily 50% water changes, and if you're able to, go ahead and do it.
For the baths, dissolve 1tbsp of epsom salt in one gallon of water. Move your fish in for 10-15 minutes. If your fish shows signs of severe discomfort (rolling on side and unable to right itself, sitting on the bottom and unable to get up, or defecating) remove your fish immediately.
Kanaplex is the key here. There are a couple of different types of Dropsy; bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and organ failure. Bacterial is most common, and that is what kanaplex will treat. Fungal and parasitic are difficult to treat and diagnose, and I'm not sure how to treat them. If it's organ failure, the only reported treatment has been epsom salt, as it reduces fluids and therefore pressure on the kidneys, giving them a chance to heal.
Best of luck.

Thank you so much I've been doing 2 Epsom salt baths a day. Luckily my LFS has one bottle of kanaplex left I'll pick that up today. I do however have one more question. I have a dose of methylene blue in her tank now as an antibacterial measure. Can I treat with kanaplex right after a 100% water change?

 

Great! The sooner you get the kanaplex, the better.
I would say yes, you can start treatment after a 100% water change. I know that's generally not advisable, but Dropsy moves fast, so I think it would be best. I think the M Blue was a good call as well.

 

Great! The sooner you get the kanaplex, the better.
I would say yes, you can start treatment after a 100% water change. I know that's generally not advisable, but Dropsy moves fast, so I think it would be best. I think the M Blue was a good call as well.

Hi! I have one last question. Do you add the Epsom salt with the kanaplex? Thanks you've helped out a lot.

 

Yes, you do. Keep 1tbsp per 5 gallons in the main tank, and you can still do some epsom salt baths as well

 

Yes, you do. Keep 1tbsp per 5 gallons in the main tank, and you can still do some epsom salt baths as well

Hi, I would just like to say that you've helped me tremendously my little Celestial, Teemu has gone back to normal. All of her scales are flat against her body as the should be. Is it safe to put her back in with her friends at this point?

 

Hi, I would just like to say that you've helped me tremendously my little Celestial, Teemu has gone back to normal. All of her scales are flat against her body as the should be. Is it safe to put her back in with her friends at this point?

Yay, that's great! How long has she been doing better? Personally, I would wait at least a week as they sometimes relapse a bit, but it is much easier to correct, generally just one or two epsom salt baths can fix it if you catch it early. I only recommend that because I took several days (3-4) to decrease the amount of epsom salt in the QT, and my goldfish ended up becoming bloated with some scales behind her gills becoming raised again, but just two epsom salt baths fixed it.
If you don't have epsom salt in the QT, you can go ahead and put Teemu back with her friends!

 

Yes, you do. Keep 1tbsp per 5 gallons in the main tank, and you can still do some epsom salt baths as well

I know this thread is a bit old, but I just wanted to show you the little life you've helped save! This is Teemu feeling all better with no signs of dropsy.

Yay, that's great! How long has she been doing better? Personally, I would wait at least a week as they sometimes relapse a bit, but it is much easier to correct, generally just one or two epsom salt baths can fix it if you catch it early. I only recommend that because I took several days (3-4) to decrease the amount of epsom salt in the QT, and my goldfish ended up becoming bloated with some scales behind her gills becoming raised again, but just two epsom salt baths fixed it.
If you don't have epsom salt in the QT, you can go ahead and put Teemu back with her friends!

She's been doing better for about a week with epsom salt in her qt. so I'll slowly lower the epsom salt levels and see how she does!

 

She's been doing better for about a week with epsom salt in her qt. so I'll slowly lower the epsom salt levels and see how she does!

Awesome! And wow, she's incredibly gorgeous and adorable!!