Unknown Illness Causing Dropsy?

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

KrystaK

Fish Addict
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
877
Reaction score
1
Location
CA
Tank size: 30 gal (115 lt)
pH: 8.2
ammonia: acceptable
nitrite: acceptable
nitrate: acceptable
kH: Unknown
gH: Unknown
tank temp: 26

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Female guppy (Aprox 7 months of age) always a pig so is usually rather fat with food. But over the last week or two I have noticed she shows less and less interest in food. But she remains at her rather swollen size. There are no male guppies in the tank. For the past month she hasn't been very active, remaining near the top of the tank. Her colors have faded.
Over the last two days I have noticed her scales starting to protrude, not rapidly by any means, yesterday I wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not. But today I decided they are most certainly in the early stages of protrusion.
My automatic assumption due to the raised scales and bloated body is dropsy, though when I've experienced dropsy before it has been - fish is fine one day and wake up the next morning to find a pinecone who later the same day dies. So as far as I am concerned the timing is off, her dropsy specific symptoms have been going on for about a week, when she went off her food and remained large. Also, my parameters are perfect and have been for as long as I have had her (Which is from birth)
In my opinion it's dropsy caused by an underlying illness, given that she has been antisocial and lethargic and her colors have faded over the last month. But I don't know any illnesses that take so long to manifest themselves, unless it's an internal parasite. (I do believe I bought a platy with a parasite, she was in the tank for three days and was happy and then over two weeks she just wasted away.)
It also occurrs to me that this dropsy could be brought on by the stress of having a large water change done and having the tank redecorated with live plants while all stock was int he tank as well as the introduction of new fish at the same time. (I went to an auction on Saturday and so everything I bought had to be introduced at the same time)

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 30-50% every Monday

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Seachem Floourish liquid plant supplement, API tap water conditioner and(possibly small amounts of vinegar from cleaning hard water stains)

Tank inhabitants:
1 Female Pearl Gourami
1 Female BNP
2 Calico BNP
5 Panda Cory's
1 Female Guppy
2 Male Platys
4 Female Platys
About a dozen Cherry Shrimp


Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
2 Platys yesterday
2 Calico BNP about 4 days ago
Java fern and various other live plants about 4 days ago
Female Gourami about a month ago



Exposure to chemicals: Possibly vinegar

Digital photo (include if possible):

Can anyone identify what may be wrong with her? I have isolated her and am treating her but I can only treat the dropsy as I have no idea what her possible underlying illness could be.
(It occurs to me the Gourami was introduced around the time she started becoming anti social, but the Gourami completely ignores her so I don't know if it's coincidence or not.
Any help would be muchly appreciated.
 
Dropsy can be caused by a number of factors such as bacterial or viral infections, nutritional problems or metabolic disorders as well as poor water quality.

Since you can't always know what caused it treatment can be a bit tricky. If you know water is good and the fish is eating properly and a good diet to boot then you can rule that out.

I recommend moving the fish to a hospital tank where you can provide the best food, low stress, and observation. If it doesn't get better then you might need to use a medication such as a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

Can you post a nice macro shot of the fish so we can get a look at the symptoms?
 
Epson salt baths to help draw the fluids out.

Isolate the sick fish and use an internal bacteria med.


I would worm your fish for camallanus worms.

Signs of internal parasites are -
Long stringy white waste, clear mucas waste, red waste.
Worms sticking out of the anus.
Enlarged anus.
Red inflamed anus.
Fish will look bloated, skinny.
Sunken in belly.
Bent spine.
Fish will sometimes swim on there sides.
Spitting food out.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top