Dropsy

[Bec1984]

Hi i was just wondering if some one could help me.
I have a Balloon Mollie with Dropsy which i only noticed late last night and I have already lost a platy with the same problem ( about 3 months ago) i have sought help at the local fish store ( Fish "an" Things) not a pet shop.
and they do not seem to interested in helping me with this, anyway i have separated the infected fish and
added some sea salt into its water, I just want to know what else i should do if anything to try and cure the problem as no one here can tell me what medications to treat it with besides sea salt.

Thank you

Regards

Bec1984

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Unfortunatly salt will do little to help the dropsy, dropsy can be caused by a variety of things like water quality issues, bacterial infections or as a secondary disorder to somthing like consitpation or a heavy pregnancy- finding out what caused your fish's dropsy is the key to treating it, it is a difficult to treat desease and doesn't have a high recovery rate though depending on its cause.
If you can give more info to your situation that would be most helpful ;
a. What do you feed your fish and how much/how often?
b. How many gallons is the tank and how long has it been set up?
c. What and how many fish does it have and do you use dechlorinator?
d. Have you ever tested your water quality for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?
e. How often and how do you go about tank maintanence/cleaning?

Do you know the gender of your molly?
The main symtom of dropsy is the fish's scales sticking out like a pine cone like this(although the scales don't all have to stick out);

http/www.fishpalace.org/dropsy_qianhu.jpg

 

[Bec1984]

The Balloon Molly is female she had babies just before we got her there are no other mollies in the tank with her.
The tank is 219 litres and there are 20 - 25 small fish in with her we cycle the water once a week and do a full clean once a month adding dechlorinator to the water.
As for food they get fed once a day enough so its all gone within 5 minutes on Tropical fish food
We test the Ph at least 3 times per week and usually get the fish store to test ammonia ect.
As for the infected fish we have been told she has dropsy but she swims upside down on the bottom of the tank and mainly around the one area she is unable to swim upwards her scales are not sticking out at this point in time

hope that helps a bit

thanks

Bec1984

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I think you may have the wrong idea on tank maintanence, you should read up on treating/avoiding new tank syndrome as it will give you a better understanding on tank maintanence/your tank ecosystem ;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

In your filter sponge/media in your tank there resides beneficial bacteria that breaks down harmful toxins in the water to make them harmless, this beneficial bacteria needs 2 main things to survive;
a. A constant source of ammonia(i.e fish poop) to feed on and break down, and
b. A constant source of water flowing over it to supply it with oxygen to live and waste to break down.
Without your beneficial bacteria, ammonia(primarily created by fish poop) would build up and cause your fish to become sick and/or die. Certain things can kill off your beneficial bacteria, like cleaning out the filter sponge in undechlorinated tap water or taking too much water out of the tank at a time and starving your bacteria of ammonia.
Ph is not very important to know, the vast majority of fish can easily adjust to a ph that isn't exactly to their specifications, you should never mess/boost your ph, certain things can naturally alter it though like adding bodwood, sandstone, limestone, coral and vaiour other things.
The most important stats to know in your tank are ammonia, nitrites and nitrates as you will know if you read the link, in any tank ammonia and nitrites should be 0 and nitrates kept under 40 preferably- if any of these stats rise above their desired number you should do a water change imediatly. I strongly advise you buy your own test kits as many lfs's(local fish stores') will tell you your water quality is "fine" when actually it is on the brink of disaster.
Your basic tank maintance should be a 20-30% water change with dechlorinator a week plus clean the substrate, you shouldn't clean the filter sponge/media out more than once every 10days and if you need to do it, clean it out in old water from a water change and only remove the worst of the gunk/muck- if you over clean it you may kill off your beneficial bacteria. If you follow this basic tank maintanence, your tank will complete its cycle and mature into a healthy stress-free tank for your fish to live in.
Ammonia and nitrites in particular are very stressful for fish and often lethal for many, stress is a big issue for fish as when they feel stressed their imune systems don't work very efficiently and they are more prone to becoming sick. Many lfs's do not tell you this sort of info as they are just there to make sales, doing your own research is a vital part of fish keeping .
Does your fish appear not to be able to maintain balance in the water even though it appears it wants to?

 

[Bec1984]

The tank is just over 13 months old we have had it for 7 of those months and this is the only problem we have had with dropsy ( If it is that) apart from a few fish dying with which their bodies are removed as soon as the are noticed ( probably a couple of hours after they die) , we are maintaining the tank how we have been told to if you could give us some tips on better maintanance of the tank it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Bec 1984