How To Treat Dropsy In Its Early Stage

Water Volume: 5 gallon
Tank Run: 3 Months
Heater : Yes
Temperature : 82
Stock : Water Lettuce

Water Changes : 2 weeks
Water Replacement : 30%
Water Treatment : Prime & 10 stones of API Aquarium Salt ( I pick them by hand out the carton instead of using a teaspoon ) and use rain water in a 1 gallon jug to replace water I take out of the tank.
Vacuum : No, there is no substrate in my tank and I syphon out any debris and waste from the water lettuces and made by my betta

Ammonia : 0.1
Nitrates : 100
Nitrites : 5
pH : 7

Feeding Times : Everyday Once A Day
Feeding Amount : 2-3 small pellets ( soaked in water for 30 mins ), 2 days out of the week freeze dried brine shrimp ( soaked in water for 5 - 10 mins ) and on weekends live food such as brine shrimp, maggots ( home fed ) and mosquito larvae
Feeding Brand : Tetra
Frozen or Freeze Dry : Yes ( only freeze dried brine shrimp )

Fish Lifespan since owned : 1.7 years
Symptoms Known : 3 Days Ago
Treatment Started : Kind of ( Yes a Little )
Explain Symptoms : Scales Starting to Raise A Little, But She Has Still Been Eating
Injured or Ill During Purchase : Nope
Behavior and Appearance Change : No, Not At All Still Seems Normal ( For Now )

I have recently noticed on Wednesday my fish started to look very huge in the abdomen area but I assume she was holding a cluster of eggs and that her white spot was a lot more noticeably .. As Thursday came when I last fed her I noticed looking above her that her scales started to protrude but she was also showing signs that she was able to poop. I had my concerns still cause it didn't look like a regular poop that she does but much slimmer and thin like she was forcing herself to do it. After I gave her her last meal on Thursday I didn't offer to feed her anymore just to see if her bloating would go down and ease my concern and think it was just her being full of eggs..
Friday came I fed all the other fish except her but I did went to monitor her and still I saw her scales still raised, she's still active and was hoping I fed her Friday but I didn't .. Today is now Saturday and she's still active looking for food but I am not so sure what to feed her right now .. I don't want to give her any Epsom salt baths because I'm not sure what the problem would be but I do know for sure its starting to develop into dropsy. Neither do I want to stress her out and assume it would go away and starve her .. Can I get some help on what to feed her and how to treat her .. I went to the pet store today to buy something that would help and I do have methylene blue home here but I'm not sure what to use right now ...

 

These are what I have been looking at in the store on what I might be able to use but I need to know if I can .. HELP ME ON THIS PLEASE .. Thank you ..

 

Hey man, sorry about your fish. Dropsy isn’t exactly a disease, it’s more like a symptom of something bigger. The scales start to protrude out because of fluid buildup underneath the skin, and this is usually due to kidney or other organ failure. You can try epsom salt baths to reduce the swelling but its a temporary fix. You should observe to see what could be the disease, but if she’s showing signs of dropsy then it might be too late...

 

Agreed with above. That's what makes dropsy so hard to treat. It's a symptom of internal organ failure rather than a specific disease. By the time we notice it, usually the organs have been failing for awhile allowing the fluid to noticeably build up. Meds are a total shot in the dark unless you can figure out the root cause. That part is often difficult. As hobbyists we are only able to identify a portion of what exists out there for fish disease.

That being said, the ammonia reading is concerning. I'd start by focusing on pristine water.

 

Hey man, sorry about your fish. Dropsy isn’t exactly a disease, it’s more like a symptom of something bigger. The scales start to protrude out because of fluid buildup underneath the skin, and this is usually due to kidney or other organ failure. You can try epsom salt baths to reduce the swelling but its a temporary fix. You should observe to see what could be the disease, but if she’s showing signs of dropsy then it might be too late...

But she is still eating .. I mean I haven't fed her in a 3 days ( today making the third day ) .. I'm afraid to use Epsom salt because I did with my last betta and it killed my betta .. I had my betta in the Epsom' salt for 30 seconds took him out and put hi in fresh clean water and within a few hours he was dead ...

 

I'm afraid to use Epsom salt because I did with my last betta and it killed my betta .. I had my betta in the Epsom' salt for 30 seconds took him out and put hi in fresh clean water and within a few hours he was dead ...

One of my male bettas had severe dropsy and I had to give him an epsom salt dip. I mixed in about a tablespoon of salt into a gallon of water and let him swim around in there for maybe twenty minutes, then I put him back into his tank. It solved the swelling problem and he was alright for a few more weeks before he died. You just have to make sure the salt you’re using is pure 100% magnesium sulfate, no additives.

If you still want to try and treat your fish, I’d look into meds for bacterial infections.Your tank is quite dirty so there’s a chance that your fish has an infection. Your nitrates are way too high, it should be about 10-40 ppm in a betta tank.

 

**** Im just se

One of my male bettas had severe dropsy and I had to give him an epsom salt dip. I mixed in about a tablespoon of salt into a gallon of water and let him swim around in there f

One of my male bettas had severe dropsy and I had to give him an epsom salt dip. I mixed in about a tablespoon of salt into a gallon of water and let him swim around in there for maybe twenty minutes, then I put him back into his tank. It solved the swelling problem and he was alright for a few more weeks before he died. You just have to make sure the salt you’re using is pure 100% magnesium sulfate, no additives.

If you still want to try and treat your fish, I’d look into meds for bacterial infections.Your tank is quite dirty so there’s a chance that your fish has an infection. Your nitrates are way too high, it should be about 10-40 ppm in a betta tank.

I'm just seeing I typed in 100 instead of 10 .. Sorry that was suppose to be 10 ..

 

Agreed with above. That's what makes dropsy so hard to treat. It's a symptom of internal organ failure rather than a specific disease. By the time we notice it, usually the organs have been failing for awhile allowing the fluid to noticeably build up. Meds are a total shot in the dark unless you can figure out the root cause. That part is often difficult. As hobbyists we are only able to identify a portion of what exists out there for fish disease.

That being said, the ammonia reading is concerning. I'd start by focusing on pristine water.

Sorry I needed to proof read that . It was suppose to be 10 instead of 100 .. I apologise ..

 

Hey man, sorry about your fish. Dropsy isn’t exactly a disease, it’s more like a symptom of something bigger. The scales start to protrude out because of fluid buildup underneath the skin, and this is usually due to kidney or other organ failure. You can try epsom salt baths to reduce the swelling but its a temporary fix. You should observe to see what could be the disease, but if she’s showing signs of dropsy then it might be too late...

was told to use Kanaplex, Epson salt, and Methylene blue in a quarantine tank ...

 

was told to use Kanaplex, Epson salt, and Methylene blue in a quarantine tank ...

kanaplex is a good idea if you want to medicate, it’s a broad spectrum antibiotic and antifungal. Hopefully it’ll clear some things up with your girl. Epsom salts is used for dips only and can’t be used long term. Methylene blue is for external fungus and parasites. This is especially good if you can see little things on your fish (like little worms or fuzzy patches). I hope you’re not using all these things at once though, unless youre confident about exactly how the chemicals will interact with each other.

 

kanaplex is a good idea if you want to medicate, it’s a broad spectrum antibiotic and antifungal. Hopefully it’ll clear some things up with your girl. Epsom salts is used for dips only and can’t be used long term. Methylene blue is for external fungus and parasites. This is especially good if you can see little things on your fish (like little worms or fuzzy patches). I hope you’re not using all these things at once though, unless youre confident about exactly how the chemicals will interact with each other.

So yes I used did Epsom salt baths about 1 for 10 mins every 2 days within the week .. It didn't help .. I also started to use the kanaplex on the 3 day and did a 100% water change everyday .. It still didn't help and my last resort was using the Methylene Blue which I assume would have help with whatever she had going on was redundant .. She died 2 weeks ago .. I mean since I had her for 1 year and 7 months I felt hurt but I know its apart of life ..

Thank you :_)