Dropsy - Cured?

[Kairi]

one of my fry most definatly had pine cone scales. it's little tummy was HUGE and he acted weird. i gave him up for dead, but still gave him a quick epsom salt bath, and put him in a little cup floating in the tank... just in case. well wouldn't you know it- the little dude is on the mend! (i think) he looks normal again- and he hates being in the little cup. should i treat for a bacterial infection anyways? could i really have begun to help this little dude get better???

i'm confused. i thought dropsy killed them- no exceptions. especially not for a little fry.

 

[nmonks]

Not always. Dropsy is difficult to deliberately cure, because it's a symptom, not a disease. Fish can have dropsy for all kinds of reasons, and aquarists cannot easily identify the specific problem causing the dropsy. That said, most of the time, small fish with dropsy do die. But obviously you lucked out, and the underlying cause wasn't fatal, and the fish recovered.

One thing I have noticed is that fry seem to be very robust sometimes. I've had halfbeak fry live through things that would kill their parents (like being left for a week in a tank without a filter or heater in the middle of winter!).

Cheers,

Neale

i'm confused. i thought dropsy killed them- no exceptions. especially not for a little fry.

 

[Kairi]

well, i'm glad i gave the little guy a chance. i was looking for stores that euthanized when the little dude got better. do you think it's safe to move him back in w/ his brothers and sisters? he's still in a breeding trap floating in a tank at the moment.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I'd perhaps leave him on his own for another week or so since you have no idea what caused the pineconing, but after that, he should be fine.

 

[Kairi]

i released him a couple days ago... i can't tell which one he was, but everyone seemed fine. it was just odd... i didn't realize fish could recover.

 

[red-devil0602]

i released him a couple days ago... i can't tell which one he was, but everyone seemed fine. it was just odd... i didn't realize fish could recover

i'm confused, if he is in a tank on his own how can you not tell which one he is

 

[Kairi]

i had put him in a little cup floating in another tank while he was sick. he got better apparently, so i put him back in the fry tank w/ his siblings. now i can't tell who was who.