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Quarantine him immediately if there are any other fish in tank. Otherwise leave him where he his. Do you have aquarium salt or epsom salt on hand?
Dropsy what to do
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Copy/paste from 'fishkeeping advice'
Dropsy is a condition common among aquarium fish and is typically identified as a symptom rather than the actual disease. A fish showing signs of dropsy may be suffering from underlying problems that need to be separately addressed in order to solve the problem.
Dropsy is not something you can cure instantly, bearing in mind that there are several possible reasons for it. However, fish enthusiasts can try to address the problem and eventually cure the condition.
It is not unheard of for a fish to recover from dropsy, but it does require care and attention on the part of the owner. That being said, the following are the steps to care for a dropsy-infected fish.
The quickest and easiest way to treat dropsy in fish is to add an antibacterial remedy to your aquarium. The one that has consistently served us well is API Melafix. It’s one of our secrets that we love to share with new fishkeepers. Keep a bottle in your cupboard because you never know when you’re going to need it.
Chewy.com have an autosave feature that allows you to subscribe and save money on each delivery. It’s worth checking out so that you’ve always got some Melafix on hand. It really is the best cure-all treatment. (P.S You can currently get 30% off your first Autosave order)
The majority of common diseases can be cured with a good diet, an antibacterial remedy and proper water conditions. Hopefully, this guide has given you the knowledge and inspiration necessary to cure dropsy in fish, as well as prevent it from occurring again in the future.
it’s time to add some salt into the aquarium of the infected fish. The rule of thumb is that you have to add 1 teaspoon of salt for every gallon of water. Change the water on a routine basis, still adhering to the 1 teaspoon for every 1 gallon added to the container.
The best salt for home aquariums is API Aquarium Salt (the one we order is only about 7 bucks from Chewy). It’s always helpful to have some on hand for when you’re dealing with sick fish (which unfortunately is a lot more often than you think).
A good diet (along with perfect water conditions) is the best way to prevent and treat common diseases. The food you feed your fish will depend on the individual species, but as a rule of thumb, the bulk of the diet should be made up of a quality flake food or pellet, with additional supplementation of live foods, frozen foods and vegetables.
Another option is to feed him a shelled pea.
Dropsy is a condition common among aquarium fish and is typically identified as a symptom rather than the actual disease. A fish showing signs of dropsy may be suffering from underlying problems that need to be separately addressed in order to solve the problem.
Dropsy is not something you can cure instantly, bearing in mind that there are several possible reasons for it. However, fish enthusiasts can try to address the problem and eventually cure the condition.
It is not unheard of for a fish to recover from dropsy, but it does require care and attention on the part of the owner. That being said, the following are the steps to care for a dropsy-infected fish.
The quickest and easiest way to treat dropsy in fish is to add an antibacterial remedy to your aquarium. The one that has consistently served us well is API Melafix. It’s one of our secrets that we love to share with new fishkeepers. Keep a bottle in your cupboard because you never know when you’re going to need it.
Chewy.com have an autosave feature that allows you to subscribe and save money on each delivery. It’s worth checking out so that you’ve always got some Melafix on hand. It really is the best cure-all treatment. (P.S You can currently get 30% off your first Autosave order)
The majority of common diseases can be cured with a good diet, an antibacterial remedy and proper water conditions. Hopefully, this guide has given you the knowledge and inspiration necessary to cure dropsy in fish, as well as prevent it from occurring again in the future.
it’s time to add some salt into the aquarium of the infected fish. The rule of thumb is that you have to add 1 teaspoon of salt for every gallon of water. Change the water on a routine basis, still adhering to the 1 teaspoon for every 1 gallon added to the container.
The best salt for home aquariums is API Aquarium Salt (the one we order is only about 7 bucks from Chewy). It’s always helpful to have some on hand for when you’re dealing with sick fish (which unfortunately is a lot more often than you think).
A good diet (along with perfect water conditions) is the best way to prevent and treat common diseases. The food you feed your fish will depend on the individual species, but as a rule of thumb, the bulk of the diet should be made up of a quality flake food or pellet, with additional supplementation of live foods, frozen foods and vegetables.
Another option is to feed him a shelled pea.
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oh thank you! If I can get my hands on some melafix at the pet store, should I dose him with that and the aquarium salt?
He’s looking pretty rough, so I might pick up some clove oil just in case we need to put him down
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Okay, thank you! Would it be bad to do a water change at this point? I just tested my water and ammonia is at .25 ppm! I don’t want to stress him out too much right now though...
also I just went to the store and will be dosing melafix and the aquarium salt shortly. If he’s worse tomorrow morning I might look into euthanasia I don’t want my little guy to suffer if it doesn’t look like he’s going to get better...
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Okay, I just did a 50% water change and added the aquarium salt and melafix. The melafix instructions say to dose daily and do a 25% water change after 7 days.. should I not dose any more aquarium salt until that water change? I read that the salt doesn’t filter out and I don’t want to overdose it...
also, do you think it would be detrimental to do the 25% water change after 6 days? I’m going to have a conflict on the 7th day so I won’t be able to do it then
Sorry for asking so many questions! My past few betta fish have been pretty sickly, so I just want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to help Finley
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Have you noticed any behavioral symptoms? From my experience once the fish stops eating it is too late. You may want to treat with something other than melafix, it has a reputation for damaging the bettas labyrinth organ. Maybe API General Cure? General cure treats parasites, although you typically don’t want to jump straight into antibiotics it might be needed in this case, like Furan-2
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He’s quite lethargic, and he does sit in awkward positions at times (face down, on side, etc). He’s mostly been hanging around at the top of the tank, but that was his favorite spot even before he was sick. Last time I checked on him he was blowing a few bubbles, but I can’t imagine he’d be in the mood to build a bubble nest right now...
He did eat a piece of food earlier, but he seemed to have a bit of a tough time getting to it. He ignored the other pieces I dropped in, but I‘ll see if he’s interested later.
I can try to pick up some API general cure tomorrow. I just went with the melafix since I had read of other people using it... I had no idea it could cause that kind of damage!
EDIT: it looks like none of the pet stores near me have API General Cure in stock.... is it worth the risk to proceed with the melafix?
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Finley’s condition is about the same this morning... He’s still very lethargic and seems to have a hard time moving around, but it doesn’t seem like he’s declined any more at this point. I was doing some more reading last night, and I’m wondering if I should give him one or two 15 minute Epsom salt baths a day? I‘m not sure if this would be too much in addition to what I’m already doing, but it seems that Epsom salts are widely recommended for drawing out fluids and reducing swelling.
Also, at what point would you recommend deciding about euthanasia? I’d hate to have to make that decision, but I don’t want him to suffer if there isn’t much hope for recovery...
Also, at what point would you recommend deciding about euthanasia? I’d hate to have to make that decision, but I don’t want him to suffer if there isn’t much hope for recovery...
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First Epsom bath is complete! I put him in 1 gallon of water with 2 tsp Epsom salt for 15 minutes (and then into a reviving tank for a few minutes after). I was a bit worried to do the full 3 tsp because I didn’t want to overdose...
He was breathing very heavily during the bath and kind of just sat at the bottom (aside from the occasional breath at the top), but that might have just been from the stress of moving into a new enclosure with different water? Not sure...
I’m planning to give him another salt bath later (unless the heavy breathing is a sign that I should stop?) and I’ll re-dose the melafix tonight.
Also, he did eat before the salt bath! Yay! Now he’s just sitting at the bottom of his tank... seems to still have labored breathing, but it was a bit irregular before the bath too.
He was breathing very heavily during the bath and kind of just sat at the bottom (aside from the occasional breath at the top), but that might have just been from the stress of moving into a new enclosure with different water? Not sure...
I’m planning to give him another salt bath later (unless the heavy breathing is a sign that I should stop?) and I’ll re-dose the melafix tonight.
Also, he did eat before the salt bath! Yay! Now he’s just sitting at the bottom of his tank... seems to still have labored breathing, but it was a bit irregular before the bath too.
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Just a couple of thoughts. Moving a sick fish in and out of a bath is stressful, and epsom salt is best used here as a long-term immersion.
I don't know if Melafix is actually dangerous, but a scientific study has found that it has no effect whatsoever on fish disease.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275258014_Laboratory_evaluation_of_safety_and_efficacy_for_MELAFIXR_melaleuca_cajuputi_extract
I don't know if Melafix is actually dangerous, but a scientific study has found that it has no effect whatsoever on fish disease.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275258014_Laboratory_evaluation_of_safety_and_efficacy_for_MELAFIXR_melaleuca_cajuputi_extract
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Update: Finley is still hanging in there... I just re-dosed the Melafix, although from everything I’ve heard I doubt it’ll actually do anything :/ I haven’t given him another salt bath yet, but I might later.
However, I’m wondering if it might be better to euthanize him now before he suffers even more... his breathing has been extremely labored almost all day and he’s been resting in very odd positions (pics attached below.. I took a video of his breathing but I’m not sure how to attach it). As you can see in the pictures, he’s still extremely swollen...
I don’t want to give up on him too early, but it doesn’t seem like the prognosis is very good what would you all suggest?
However, I’m wondering if it might be better to euthanize him now before he suffers even more... his breathing has been extremely labored almost all day and he’s been resting in very odd positions (pics attached below.. I took a video of his breathing but I’m not sure how to attach it). As you can see in the pictures, he’s still extremely swollen...
I don’t want to give up on him too early, but it doesn’t seem like the prognosis is very good what would you all suggest?
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I would say give little Finley some more time. He doesn’t look terribly bloated to me, but he does have a lot of pineconing. Keep up with the salt baths, it’s probably your best bet, and if the melafix doesn’t seem to be helping start doing daily water changes.
In the meantime, to help keep him comfortable lower the water level if possible so he doesn’t have to swim as much to get air, and raise the temp to 82 degrees. Sometimes dropsy in bettas is caused by constipation, so I would look into getting frozen daphnia to help him digest better. Also, look to see if he’s pooping, because it may help us diagnose the underlying problem. Dropsy pretty much always is caused by another issue.
In the meantime, to help keep him comfortable lower the water level if possible so he doesn’t have to swim as much to get air, and raise the temp to 82 degrees. Sometimes dropsy in bettas is caused by constipation, so I would look into getting frozen daphnia to help him digest better. Also, look to see if he’s pooping, because it may help us diagnose the underlying problem. Dropsy pretty much always is caused by another issue.
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Something I found for you:
What is the difference between melafix and pimafix - Customer Questions & Answers - Chewy.com
“Melafix is formulated to heal bacterial infections such as tail and fin rot, eye cloud, mouth fungus and more while Pimafix quickly treats fungal and bacterial infections such as cottony growth, fin and tail rot and many more.”
So melafix helps a fish recover, pimafix actually fights the disease.
What is the difference between melafix and pimafix - Customer Questions & Answers - Chewy.com
“Melafix is formulated to heal bacterial infections such as tail and fin rot, eye cloud, mouth fungus and more while Pimafix quickly treats fungal and bacterial infections such as cottony growth, fin and tail rot and many more.”
So melafix helps a fish recover, pimafix actually fights the disease.
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It’s a bit hard to tell. He’s very lethargic and his breathing is extremely labored... you can also see in the pictures that he’s sort of flops to the side or down when he’s resting, which is abnormal for him. However, I’ll continue with the salt baths for now and see if his condition changes at all from here.
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Although you typically don’t want to jump straight to antibiotics, it may be needed in this case. I’m not super educated on fish medicine, so hopefully someone else can chime in, but if it were me, I would go ahead and dose the pimafix. Also, if you use filter cartridges make sure to remove them because the activated carbon will remove the medicine.
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I would just like to chime in and caution against over use of medications or treatment methods. Each med is hard on the fish, each salt bath is hard, and every change from norm is stressful. The salt baths alone are obviously causing extreme stress on the betta, so if you’d like to continue with the salt baths I would recommend using carbon to remove all the medication from the tank and focus on keeping him low stress (less light time, good quality water with regular water changes). If you decide to go for antibiotics, I would stop the salt baths, remove the melafix, and wait a day before starting kanaplex treatment. Personally I do not think antibiotics will help this situation and would still go with one salt bath a day for 3 days. If no improvement and an obvious lack of quality of life, I would euthanize. But it’s up to you which course of action you believe is best for your fish. Ultimately you are doing as best you can to help, even if that is euthanasia in the end.
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Thank you for the advice! I’ll add a carbon filter tonight and just continue with the salt baths once daily for now.
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My poor Betta has Dropsy, he had become a lot less active lately and in the past few days he doesn't shift position for hours. He still came for food and ate, until I noticed it- His scales are pineconing. He isn't too bloated yet but I'm lost (couldn't get picture, won't stay still). I know Dropsy has a low cure rate but is there any way I can save him? Please, he's only 2 and I'm so distressed. I need help. I haven't tested water lately but it's usually Ammonia: 0ppm, Nitrite: 0ppm, and Nitrate: 0-5ppm. I can test tomorrow if needed. Please help me, I don't want to lose him.
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I'm not trying to be rude but if the fish is pine coning it is almost certainly too late - well that is what i've been told. But there is still hope since it might not be dropsy. It might be constipation or similar which is very different condition. Some people say that epson salt bath can help with constipation. I'm not going to make that claim but that is what i have read. Conversely if it is constipation the situation is not urgent (also some people say green peas help). I guess the first question is how did you determine it is dropsy ?
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The Pinceoning and inactivity. He still eats, when he can see me, and he has just been very lethargic. The part of his body with the swim bladder seems to float up a bit. I don't think it's constipation, I don't remember constipation making the scales pinecone. I have aquarium salt and Erythromycin, as well as General cure and Methylene Blue in case I can use any of those. I'm just really worried. I've also heard of aspiration as a last resort, which has worked for some. I just need help.
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I recently had a guppy pinecone then die a few days later. I tried the pea thing but he wouldn’t eat it. I quarantined him just in case and didn’t feed to try to help him but unfortunately he had a horrible blockage and it wouldn’t pass. He was the alpha guppy and I guess he was eating more than his share of the food. I never heard of epson salt for constipation, but you can try it. Good luck.
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The thing is that dropsy tends to kill by putting pressure on the internal organs as the body absorb(i think) water; or internal fluids. It is this expansion that causes pine coning and compresses the organs (I could be mistaken but this is what i've read as i sadly watched my favorite fish die from dropy). It usually takes a couple of weeks for the fish to die but there isn't really way to treat it. It isn't like constipation where you just have to push things along until it comes out the other end because it is trapped in cavity of the body.
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If you use epson salt be aware it needs to be pure and have no additive. I know whole foods use to sell it under 365 brand (it stated in the instruction it was safe for human consumption); but you have to check since amazon has been doing weird things with the 365 brand. I had a lot of difficulty finding pure epson salt at most of the stores i looked (kroger, walgreens, walmart, ...) but maybe i was just blinded by all the options.
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There's a fish vet in the Denver area that does house calls. You also might be able to go to urgent care at CSU veterinary hospital (they do see fish).
Edit: liquid carbon/"liquid CO2" products containing glutaraldehyde can also cause dropsy.
Edit: liquid carbon/"liquid CO2" products containing glutaraldehyde can also cause dropsy.
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I didn't know that. I do dose ThriveC. which has some form of liquid carbon to my knowledge, but I don't think it is glutaraldehyde carbon or whatever (I know nothing about the chemicals in ferts). He did have fin rot and still does, which might have led to dropsy.
As for treatment, I might try a Methylene Blue bath tomorrow and maybe Erythromycin and AQ Salt, although I'm not sure about it since I have a Nerite snail, as well as some MTS (Which came without welcome, but I don't want them to die and pollute the tank). Then after that if the fluid keeps building try aspiration? I'm just so distressed and scared.
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ThriveC doesn't use glutaraldehyde as a carbon source.
Erythromycin isn't really absorbed from the water. I'm also not sure how effective it would be against Aeromonas which is typically the culprit when dropsy is caused by an infection.
Fin rot is often a symptom of a bacterial infection so there's a pretty good chance the dropsy is also caused by a bacterial infection.
An injection of antibiotics may be all your fish needs.
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Thanks, would Kanaplex and Focus in food work better than Erythromycin? I'm not sure if a vet would work for me. I think you're right, that it might be bacterial because he has fin rot too. Which is probably what made him susceptible, as it wasn't getting better so I stopped the special treatment, went back to regular PWCs, and the Fin Rot didn't get worse from there. But I probably shouldn't have done that. I just need to know what treatment I need to do as I should probably start tomorrow if I want a better chance of success.
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Ok, do you need only one dose? I also heard Methylene blue is antibacterial, although I thought it was fungal. I just want to know if I can use what I have. I'm so scared. I love that little guy to death. He came out and sat on the substrate earlier. And the bloating wasn't that noticeable. It's probably still there, just not super definite yet.
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