Possible Dropsy? Or Just Bloated?

[razer121]

ok i had anouther thread, but it was about my bettas tank...so far ive had problem after problem.....1st

he has finrot, so i treated this and it went away then i noticed say a week after he started to get bloated, turns out he couldnt poo either, so this was sort of sorted with a pea...but then to top it of his heater also died! so i had to sort that aswell, now thats all sorted his belly still has not shrunk....heres a recent picture of him,

can anybody advice?? i dont know if its just because he is still bloated or because he has dropsy.....im so lost, i feel ive tryed everything and i dont want to loose cloud he is such a smart betta and my first fish

 

[sami the cichlid]

looks like some of the scales are protuding, which is a syptom of dropsy.....

 

[razer121]

ye thats what i was worried about....its only one one side, is there anything i can do for him??

 

[loraxchick]

sadly there is little you can do for dropsy..even caught early it is very very difficult to cure as that pineconing is a symptom of an underlying cause. what you CAN do and hope he pulls thru is this.
get some EPSOM salt. mix in dechlorinated water at 1tablespoon/gal of water. put the fish in for up to 30 minutes. this will help to draw fluid out of the tissue(which is making him appear bloated)...get an INTERNAL antibacterial med. use as per directions. that way, you have a 1-2 punch because it is difficult to determine WHY hes bloated like that. you say the pea helped him poop (BTW, did he poop look "normal" or was it white/stringy/mucusy??) doubtful he is just really bloated from constipation. so here, we will try to draw out fluid and treat for internal problems...dropsy can also be caused by internal organ failure which sadly there is no cure for.
sorry for your situation...hope he makes it!
cheers

 

[sami the cichlid]

if possible, isolate her/him and carry out the treatment as dropsy can be contagious, it depends on what is causing it. e.g - fish tb is contagious whereas- a failed organ isn't

 

[razer121]

oh no well when he poo'd it was white/stringy/mucusy......can i feed him on normal food aswell still? and i have that salt stuff already...but dont have an internal med, i cannot get that untill tomoz, when you say to mix the salt with the water, how and what is the best amount? should i take him out and put him in a 1 litre container? leave him in his own tank? ( he is on his own) sorry ive never had to deal with this before....

 

[loraxchick]

stringy white poo is usually internal PARASITES...so get an internal parasite medicine.
as for the epsom salts...use the liter jug for his "bath" container. fill it with either tank water or just plain dechlorinated water. a liter is ROUGHLY 1/4 gal (3.7lt/gal)so...after filling the jug, add 1 teaspoon and stir to dissolve. there are 3 teaspoons/ Tablespoon. recommended dose is 1 Tablespoon/gal so we will go a little on the short side and say 1 teaspoon/liter. once the salts are dissolved, put the fish in for up to 30 minutes. do this in conjunction with the anti parasite medicine and hopefully he'll pull thru.
is he still eating? they also make medicated food, so be on the lookout for that..also keep offering peas if he's eating to help keep him as UNbloated as possible.
good luck!

 

[razer121]

ok, ive managed to get my hands on a internal parasite med for him, ive just added it to the tank i had a close look at him and he is even more bloated his belly has turned white and is abit red near his anus also he is starting to have trouble swiming properly....i noticed him tilting slightly and struggling to swim in a straight line every now and then....also his body is bending where he is so bloated.....is this normal for dropsy? i mean it must be pushing nearly 2 weeks now since he started getting bloated...ive been wonderer if it would be better to put him out of his misery....he doesnt look very happy anymore....erm should i used a larger container for him? i have a 2litre aswell??

 

[loraxchick]

dont give up on him outrightly as youve got meds now..treat for internal parasites in his main tank (where he will spend most of his time) and use the liter jug for epsom salt baths if you do them...makes dosing easier(well the math for proper dose anyway).
keep us updated. i really hope he can pull thru. poor fish.
what is the dosing on the parasite med? how often do you redose, etc. do you have carbon in your filter that is less than 2 weeks old (if youve recently replaced it remove before adding meds..if its been in there over 2 weeks it is inert at this point so no need..will need fresh carbon when meds are done
to remove them).
is he having trouble getting to the surface? may want to lower the water level to make it easier for him (but keep in mind the less volume when dosing with the antiparasite med).
best of luck and keep us posted.

 

[razer121]

ok, erm not at home atm but of hand its an all in one bacterial med i got from pets at home bout 4 months ago erm i already lowered his water before i left home lol how odd huh? anyhow is there anything i should know before i start this treatment? should i feed him only peas from now on? also im going to be home soon i was intent on moving his tank from my mothers room to mine so i can keep an eye on him would that be ok to do when im treating him in the salt water?? thanks

 

[loraxchick]

i think you really need an anti internal PARASITE med..not bacterial like i first said (becasue of the poo issue...usually white stringy poo is parasites...COULD be bacterial but parasites most likely culprit.)
as long as you can move the tank in less than 30 mins., that would be fine..shouldnt really keep him in the bath longer than that.
if he is still eating, feed very sparingly once every other day...days in between feed peas.. will help to keep him as unbloated as possible.
i dont know much about meds themselves..been fortunate enough to not have had to use them. this case tho calls for meds!!! poor guy. the epsom salt should help draw fluid out. how many day's does the treatment last? what does the package say about uses(for antibacterial or anti parasite?). do you re-dose during treatment or just put it in and wait "X" number of days to dose again. make sure water quality stays in acceptable ranges(dont worry so much about nitrAtes..they can get upwards of 100ppm with no ill effect on fish...its not like ammonia and nitrItes.).
best of luck!

 

[razer121]

hey thanks for you r help! i was getting ready to take a deep breath and end it when i got back...so glad you came along, he is very important to me as he was my fisrt ever fish and also the culprit for me having a big love of fish now lol, anyway!

i have salt but the one i have is called supa, tonic salts, i guess it would be fine to use this right? also the med i have is no good, its not for internal im going to go and buy the correct one tomoz, any suggestions on which one or brands is the best?? money is not going to be a problem here! (mum got a tidy sum so is lending it me till friday)

thanks again guys!

 

[loraxchick]

the salt to use is magnesium sulfate (epsom salts). other salts (aquarium or marine) will be of no use for bloat..check the package for which type of salt it is..it should say magnesium sulfate if it is the correct salt. if it isnt any pharmacy or grocery store will have it. it is cheap stuff too!
as for which med., im in US...when you go to pick one out, look for a med that treats internal parasites (flukes, callamus worms,flagellates,nematodes,etc). here is a link to various internal parasite problems and a list of medications...granted it is from ONE company, but will give you a better idea of what to look for..scroll around in this link/website and see what you think you are dealing with (a whole list of symptoms and remedies)... http/www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/fecal_disorders.html
but until you get the meds, try that epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) bath.
again, other salts no good.
keep us posted.

 

[razer121]

the salt doesnt say if it use's magnesium sulfate...but it does say it can be used for treatment of fungus...? could i try this?

 

[Schmill]

I would say no, there are many many different types of 'salts' around, but you need the one suited to the job.
Epsom Salts.
Seriously, just wander to your local pharmacy and ask for it. I needed some the other day, and they had it behind the counter. I think it was around £1.20 for 500g tub.