Just Came Home To A Fish With Dropsy

[lindabrooke]

I was out of town for 2 days and came back to find one of my Rosy Tetras with what I believe is Dropsy. I currently have him in a breeder. It looks like he's the only one to have been affected by it. Should I treat? If so, how? Would euthanasia be the best solution? What typically causes dropsy? My Nitrates are a little high, I plan on doing water changes and adding Nitrate remover, the temperature has been pretty consistent. Should I be worried about the other fish?

 

[Akasha72]

it doesn't look too severe just yet - dropsy in itself isn't an illness as such - more a side effect of something else. Is he eating? In my experience it's normally caused by something internally - whether they have worms or parasites it's normally something in their guts - at least it always has been for me.
 
The general consensus is there's no coming back from dropsy and euthanasia is the kindest option but that has never stopped me trying to cure it. There are meds out there to treat it but on a bank holiday weekend getting hold of them may be difficult. You could try feeding some peas to see if it's just constipated. If you have some (or can get some) epsom salt you could try a bath - by that I mean removing the fish from the tank and bathing it seperately before returning it - I use about half t-spoon epsom salt to half a litre of water and allow it to swim in the water for about 5 minutes  before returning it to the tank and throwing the salt water away.
 
At this stage it's worth a try. If it doesn't work then euthanasia might be kinder

  Good luck 

 

[lindabrooke]

it doesn't look too severe just yet - dropsy in itself isn't an illness as such - more a side effect of something else. Is he eating? In my experience it's normally caused by something internally - whether they have worms or parasites it's normally something in their guts - at least it always has been for me.
 
The general consensus is there's no coming back from dropsy and euthanasia is the kindest option but that has never stopped me trying to cure it. There are meds out there to treat it but on a bank holiday weekend getting hold of them may be difficult. You could try feeding some peas to see if it's just constipated. If you have some (or can get some) epsom salt you could try a bath - by that I mean removing the fish from the tank and bathing it seperately before returning it - I use about half t-spoon epsom salt to half a litre of water and allow it to swim in the water for about 5 minutes  before returning it to the tank and throwing the salt water away.
 
At this stage it's worth a try. If it doesn't work then euthanasia might be kinder

  Good luck 

 
He passed not too long after I posted this, but thank you for the information. Hopefully I won't have another encounter with it again, but if I do, then I know how to treat them now. Thank you

 

[Akasha72]

no problem - sorry for your loss 

 

[jag51186]

Not to hijack the thread, but how do you typically euthanize a fish??

 

[NickAu]

Try clove oil.
 
What is the most humane way to euthanase aquarium fish ...
 
.

 

[Akasha72]

I use clove oil. I think it's the most humane way. It's quick and simple and none messy. The only down side is the smell