What?,Again?!

[furry catfish]

hi everyone.I was just looking at my fish and I saw one of my guppys swim to the top of the tank to randomly gulp air,then I notticed that from an under veiw of his belly his scales are protruding ever so slightly.I had a guppy die of dropsy around 3 weeks ago so I recognise the symptoms.I don't understand why it's happening again because I tested the water yesterday for ammonia and nitrie(haven't got nitrate) and the were almost perfect (ammonia:0 nitrite 0.1mgl) but I'm still not entirely sure,I have been known to be paranoid but unforunatly I'm also known for my crappy camera so there is no use whatsoever in trying to take a picture and put it on here.Are there any other symptoms except for pine-conning? and If it does have dropsy,how do you treat it?


thanks

chris

p.s sorry I posted in wrong section earlier :stupid:

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

I came up with a theory years ago...on here I think! Dropsy is the heart failing, just it is in humans although you rarely here the expression used for people any more. In people edema (fluid build-up) frequently accompanies congestive heart failure and I believe it's the same with fish. I've never had a fish recover once the scales start to protrude. Sad fact is the best we can do is keep them as comfortable as possible. Avoidance through clean water and a healthly varied diet is the only way to keep cases to a minimum. Same applies to most diseases. Pity I don't take my own advice and apply it to myself. I might be a whole lot fitter and healthier!
Best of luck with the fish and hope no more exhibit syptoms.
P.

 

[WILDER]

Need to ask some question with losing quite a few fish to dropsy.

Do any fish look skinny.
What does it look like when your fish go to the toilet.
Is the anus enlarged or red and inflamed.
Do any fish swim on there sides.
Any fish have sunken in bellys.
Lost any fish to bent spines.

If a fish dies of dropsy in the tank and the fish peck at the dead body, dropsy can pass onto other fish.
Best to issolate fish with suspected dropsy.

 

[furry catfish]

Do any fish look skinny.
nope
What does it look like when your fish go to the toilet.
I usally don't see but it's just a small little string comes out and after a few nibbles from the other fish ( ) the excrement falls to the floor
Is the anus enlarged or red and inflamed.
not yet
Do any fish swim on there sides.
no
Any fish have sunken in bellys.
no
Lost any fish to bent spines.
??

also another tank inhabitant is sick!,this time it is my adf,he is very bloated.

 

[WILDER]

Long stringy white poo can be constipation, bacterial infection, internal parasites.


What are you feeding the fish?

Bent spine will look curved on the fish will look lie a boom a rang.

 

[furry catfish]

Long stringy white poo can be constipation, bacterial infection, internal parasites.
the poo is green or black

What are you feeding the fish?
ah well that might be the problem,I was feeding them fish food that was 1 year out of date but now I am feeding them:aquarian advanced nutrition tropical flake food

Bent spine will look curved on the fish will look lie a boom a rang.
none of my fish look like that

 

[WILDER]

Sorry I assumed the stingy poo was white.

Improve the fish diet with some frozen foods and veg.
Feed some shelled peas for now.

 

[furry catfish]

so will that help the other fish not get dropsy? I have frozen peas and blood worms so I'm stocked up

 

[WILDER]

Don't feed bloodworms for least a week with fish being bloated.

With losing quite a few fish now I would add anti internal bacteria by intepet to the tank.

 

[furry catfish]

well actually the only two who looked sick are the guppy and the frog.And there has only been 1 death from dropsy and that was ages ago

 

[WILDER]

Take a look here.
http/www.fishjunkies.com/Diseases/dropsy.php

 

[furry catfish]

Allright this is probably a stupid question but here it goes.If I used a heater in a quarentine tank,would I be able to use it again in a betta tank?

 

[WILDER]

Yes.
But I would steralise first if the tank had desease.Just dip in bleach and rinse well.
Then let the heater dry out.

 

[furry catfish]

Isn't bleach bad for fish?

 

[WILDER]

Bleach is fine as long as you rinse well after using the bleach to steralise.
Just add a squirt of bleach to some water and dip the heater into it. Then rinse well.
Let the heater dry out for aday.