# Maggie is pineconing! What do I do!?!?



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

Hey guys Maggie i noticed today seems to pineconing 

Housing 
What size is your tank? 10G
What temperature is your tank? 78
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 4 other betta females

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Topfin Color enhancing betta bits
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice a fish

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? 2 times weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Aqueon water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.2
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? her scales have become raised
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? she didnt come up for food yesterday but is active today
When did you start noticing the symptoms? yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? qt tank, with some aquarium salt.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? 2 months

Was taking her out of the 10G the wrong thing to do?? shes in a half gallon i had from Lily's temp tank..


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Sadly, it's usually too late by the time you start to see pineconeing. But, though unlikely, it is not impossible for a fish to pull through. So if she does not seem to be suffering or in any pain, I would try an epsom salt treatment. Use one tsp epsom salt per gallon of water for the first two days, then increase to two tsp salt per gallon for eight days, making daily 100% water changes.


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## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

=( ...where do I get epsom salt? I unfortunately am house bound as I've just had an operation so might have to send someone out to get some..why does a fish begin to pinecone and what will happen to the other ladies?? Thank you so much for your advice LolaQuigs..


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## orphansparrow (Apr 30, 2011)

bettamama - you can get epsom salt at any health food store, possibly at any grocery store in the bath section.

pineconing is from fluid buildup in the tissues, often caused by kidney failure. it's called "dropsy".

here is a link to more info, just scroll down a bit.

http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm


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## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

orphansparrow said:


> bettamama - you can get epsom salt at any health food store, possibly at any grocery store in the bath section.
> 
> pineconing is from fluid buildup in the tissues, often caused by kidney failure. it's called "dropsy".
> 
> ...



thank you very very much for the info!


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

You should be able to find it at any drug store. Dropsy is not a disease itself, and can be caused by any number of diseases; so, depending on what is causing the dropsy, it may or may not be contagious. So hopefully your other fish won't be affected, but keep a close eye on them for any signs of illness.


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