Does My Pencilfish Have Dropsy?

[doubledee]

As topic, do you think my pencilfish has dropsy? I only noticed it a couple of days ago. His side is swollen, the scales are sticking out a bit. He rarely shoals with the other pencilfish but is still eating. I feed a mixture of dried food (flake, tetra pro, tetra prima, hikari small pellets), frozen brineshrimp and bloodworm and occasionally live daphnia (not for a few weeks though).

The tank stats are fine, in fact the other pencil fish spawn on a regular basis, as have my appistos. Tank is maintained at 26 degrees.

What treatment should I use (if any)? I have a small tank ready to setup as a hospital tank (just need a heater).

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Yes it is dropsy if the fish is swollen and scales are sticking out, once scales start to stick out last stage of the illness organ failure.
All you can do is epson salts baths and a bacterial med.

 

[doubledee]

Thanks, I have removed the fish to a temp home and tried the epsom salts and get some meds today.

 

[doubledee]

The lump has more or less gone now and I now think it was an injury sustained from trying to escape from the other pencilfish that constantly harrass this poor fella. The other 4 spawn on a regular basis and I think he's just the odd one out. I think if things are all ok in a couple of weeks, I might add some more (hopefully females if I can find any but I had to travel to get these) to the tank to see if I can stop the bullying.