How Long

[littlenemo]

How long do you think till she will drop. Also it looks like her scales are kind of sticking out as if she is going to explode

 

[KrystaK]

She has dropsy, it's an internal infection of some kind that is making her scales stick out, there are some supposed cures for it but I have yet to find one that works. I'm sorry but I don't know if she'll make it - I don't think so (Not to sound negative but I have yet to have a fish that developed dropsy survive). But she may drop a few fry before she goes.
Do you have a test kit or know the water conditions in your tank?
I'd suggest doing a large water change in the hopes that any other fish don't get what she has.
Do you have a 5 or 10 gal that you aren't using? I'd put her in there and check all the other fish to see if they have dropsy and put all the infected fish in the spare tank and make it a hospital tank.

As for when she'll deliver, she's squared off to me so it should be within the next day or so - but I'd wait for Old Man to show up, he's way better at giving due dates. Let her out of the trap, it will just stress out and bring about her end more quickly. It would be better to net up the few fry she may manage to drop and put them in the trap rather than have her drop none at all and die in the trap.

 

[littlenemo]

problem is my tank is heavly planted so will be impossible to catch the fry. feel well sorry for her now.

did my water change yesterday and cleaned tank etc everything is fine 0 ammonia 0 nitrites ph 6.8 and nitrate around 40

 

[KittyKat]

One of the things that you can try against dropsy is adding aquarium salt to the water (one tea spoon per gallon to start off with, pre-mix with aquarium water before adding).

I, personally, do not like seeing livebearers in water that is as soft as yours is potentially, as it may cause problems.

 

[KrystaK]

If you don't have a spare tank try what I do, as I only have two tanks I have a few spare storage totes around that I put the fish in if I need to. Set her up with some aquarium water and some fresh water in a decent sized storage tote, there will be more room for her and no worries about catching any fry she may have - and there are no side effects from the plastic, though if it's not a clear tote you'd only get a top-down view of her...
That way you can treat her for dropsy as well as hopefully save her fry (Maybe just add any spare plastic plants so she can feel like she's hiding)

(It sounds cheap but storage totes are how I moved my 30 gal and stock from my old house to my new one, and I didn't loose a single fish so in my opinion they're a great, if not perfect solution)

 

[littlenemo]

i have some some coral sand that i was going to use in an marine tank could i add some of that to raise the ph??? or add some backing soda???

 

[KittyKat]

i have some some coral sand that i was going to use in an marine tank could i add some of that to raise the ph??? or add some backing soda???

Coral sand: yes; baking soda: no… because coral sand will release carbonates and minerals continuously, so it will create a stable environment, while baking soda is a "one off" addition, so once it is used up, the pH will crash, which will harm the fish quite a bit more than having a "wrong" pH.

If you plan to mess about with pH, you really do need to read about osmoregulation and changes in water parameters (hardness, pH), and the two different water hardness measurements. Also, you need to make sure that you are aware of all the problems with messing about with water paramenters, like the fact that you will not be able to do large water changes as your tank water parameters will differ from tap (probably) quite a bit more than they do now.

 

[snazy]

I would think she rather has a disease instead that caused the dropsy. Now whether she easilty got sick because the Ph is not suitable is a completely different story and if you search for enough of info you'll find all different opinions and experiences.
Any other fish in your tank that is not eating, hiding, listless behaviour, stringy poop etc???
It's still a debate whether dropsy is caused by bacterial of parasitic infection, but the parasitic prevails from what I've read.
The recommended type of salt for dropsy is Epsom salts which is not salt really. It can be bought in a pharmacy. But if the fish looks like that I give it two days max to live unless you know what she is sick from and quickly medicate. Sorry.

 

[littlenemo]

Poor fish. I got her from pets at home so does not suprise me. Not going to mess about with ph. Did water change yesterday as is weekly cleaning day and test water yesterday and today and it's fine. All other fish seem ok.