# Beta Dropsy



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

My beta recently started swelling. He is still as firey as ever continues to attack his reflection. Stays around the bottom of the tank like a healthy one does. I noticed the signs at first in the 10 gallon tank when he started to hug the water heater in the corner of the tank. I knew something wasnt right and continued to watch him. He didn't show signs for a month of anything wrong other than that. This week I noticed his belly was a little round but only seemed like I was over feeding him. However, as the week went the size the size doubled and is now truely dropsy. I feared it would happen since he is a 2 1/2 year old beta. I have put him into my medical tank its a 1/2 gallon and treating the water with maracyn two, Petsmart was out of beta fix. I know its not curable but at least it will lower the swelling and make his slow death easier.
His name is Shark for his blue body and bloody looking fins.
He is a very healthy beta despite the dropsy. 

He didn't live alone in the 10 gallon tank I have a dwarf gormi, green catfish, and a juvinial angle. Despite the fact that dwarfs are suppose to be docile this one isn't he knew how to swim away from the beta and he shows aggression to the green catfish, and has marked dominance to one of the plants. The angle fish follows him around it's quite cute. I think it was the angle fish that taught him to swim away from the beta. They are both schooling fish so makes sense that they learn from each other.


----------



## veggiegirl (Nov 20, 2012)

Oh I am so sorry that your betta has dropsy...... most of us have been there and we know how horrible it is. I am glad you are making him as comfortable as possible. Our thoughts are with you


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

veggiegirl said:


> Oh I am so sorry that your betta has dropsy...... most of us have been there and we know how horrible it is. I am glad you are making him as comfortable as possible. Our thoughts are with you


Thanks I'll take a picture a day to show how his belly progresses and tell about how his mood if it changes. So far its day one of treatment and he seems completely unaware of his condition for such a big swell. 

It is also my first time dealing with dropsy. I originally thought it would be easy to spot the swell but it goes from what looks like a simple over feed/constipation to a full out underbelly swell in just two days. I have learned that this issue gets bad very quickly. I was not prepared.


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

So far his belly hasn't changed its day two of treating but at least it's not showing signs of getting larger either. His mood has changed a little bit instead of full out flare he now just bumps his head and doesn't expand his gills to the full amount. I haven't fed him since the first day of treating since I haven't seen him poo yet the pressure seems to be affecting his system. He still has a appetite as when I dump in the medical powder he tries to eat it. I'm hopeing to get my hands on some espom salt and put a small pinch in. I read that this stuff helps to relive betas.


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

I read in a post here that using espom salt is bad and should be used as a last resort so I decided that I will fast him for another day or two before giving it a try.
Hes still being treated with maracyn two as well so I should probably wait a few days anyway to see if it will start working. Shark is still pretty energetic so I don't think it would harm to wait.


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

Day Three still no signs of improvements. Gave him a pea yesterday still hasn't pooed. Hate to say it but tomorrow I'll have to resort to the salt. His water is very cloudy due to the maracyn two. His behavior is now a lot more docile but he is still active for air, looking for food, just general movement.
I swear this little guy would eat till he drew his last breath. >.< It's starting to lead me to think his belly is all constipation and not dropsy.
The largest beta fish poo in history. lol if only I can get him to relieve himself.


----------



## Noobetta (Dec 7, 2012)

dont feed him let him starve for the better


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

yep I'm starving him just thought to try the pea yesterday gave him very little of it didn't want to add more bloat.
Just watching and waiting and hoping.
starving him wont hurt him that is fur sure and less exorcise too hes a very well muscled beta from chasing and flaring all day in the ten gallon over two years lol.
I think keeping him in the relaxed medical tank will help shrink down all that bloat lowering the muscle would help him too.
I just need patience.
He's such a old crown tail. I'm hoping I can save him and get him to show off again in the ten gallon before he decides to give his life up for a new beta.


----------



## Noobetta (Dec 7, 2012)

you're helping him. not really starving him. give it some time


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

thanks noobetta


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

sigh this is bad, his fins are showing fin rot. I saw a hole in his fin freaked out and did a water change to see clearer as the maracyn clouds the water and fear enough ended up being some fin rot, some of the dorsal is rubbed away,which the medication is suppose to combat as well. Crazy how he didn't have this issue 4 hours ago. But I cleared out his water 100% change with some added pre-med still.
But I fear his large belly has shot his immune system now.
He is also gulping air much more frequently.
.... as i was taking photos and typing this his gulping slowed down (must have been from the water change shake up) still it's more than normal.
Maybe I'm getting paranoid.
But hes now showing signs of discomfort. Not much I can do for shark :/ I added in 3 pinches of epsom salt over a hour pre-desolved. 
Probably the cause of discomfort but also .. fin rot >.<


----------



## Shepaski (Jan 3, 2013)

i had a female who had a very sudden case of dropsy short while back. i'm still a noob at caring for betta fish and only begun to get serious this year so that particular female of mine was housed in a 30 cm by 30 cm CUBE tank with a male betta that kept chasing her around. so i didn't see catch the symptoms of dropsy until i moved her over to my friends place since she had space to adopt a fish. 
The very next day after i dropped her off at my friends place, her scales were erected and she looks like a pine cone.

came here to ask for help and unlike you guys the shops here don't sell maracyn or any medication you usually use to treat a sick fish with dropsy, all i had as Epson salt and a mysterious mix of "Dropsy medication" my pet store sold that didn't list the ingredients and info on it couldn't be found online.

The salt really helped, a day or two after we added it to her water she slimmed down and she no longer looked bloated, eventually she started eating again and pooping. right now she;s doing pretty well, i've had no news since my fish's fosterer stopped using the salt meaning things are going well. 

you should try the salt, all i know is that it helps expel the access liquid inside your fish.


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

I put more epsom salt in his tank this time half a spoon but the fin rot is takeing off like no other and the maracyn two doesn't seem to be enough for it.
clamped tail still alive breathing air but no where near healthy. He has also gotten bit bigger on the top.
Still no poo still no feed. Stays near the surface more often looks as uncomfortable as can be.








reds turning brown :*(


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

He looks so bad and uncomfortable in the solution that I'm starting to feel like just putting him in original solution, till he goes. 
Took him out not going to salt him just put the maracyn two back in and let it treat since he seemed to at least be comfortable in it.
The natural Epsom salt was just to much for him causing him fin rot and making his fins turn brown.
Just doesn't agree with him.
I've also lowered the amount of water in the 1/2 gallon now so it's less work for him to swim up and breath.


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

Color is back in his fins the use of the salt pushed him to far but I'm glad his fins are back to the normal red instead of brown to going clear.
The myacyn two is about all I can do for him.
Its not helping with his bulge but at least its not depriving him of blood to his body like the salt was doing and is now killing off the fin rot. He is looking alot more comfortable in it.
but I have to keep the water change daily as there is less amount of water in the tank for breathing.


----------



## Noobetta (Dec 7, 2012)

Keep water changes after 2 hours, any less than two hours can stress/kill the fish.

and this part of forum won't help you as much skyrocket.
Post on this part of forum with this following description. 

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

they should help you more than this part of the forum


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

If he has lived for this long it may be constipation! Fast him for now... I hope he gets better!


----------



## Noobetta (Dec 7, 2012)

you put half a spoon and 3 pinch of salts in a gallon less than 2gal?! 
Or did you put a half of spoon in new water and change the pinchsalt water?
3 pinch salts is okay but half a spoon less than a gallon tank seems too many.

Just A pinch or 2 of predissolved salt goes a long way for me


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

I did a full change then a half spoon could have just been to much. Been watching him very closely every hour. Hes been in clean none salted water since he looked so bad in just 20 minutes of being in that solution. So I just stoped it, he was looking better but he started swelling more.
I need to change his water too now but his balance is now off and hes so much worse now I don't think he will last the night. Lots of air intake and can't stay straight. His belly is twice the size as the first photo now. scales all around are pinecone.  not much I can do. 0 feedings. situations just to grim


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

Fins are horrid and his Scales all from head to tail pinecone q.q


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Uh oh. If I were you I might just stop treatment and keep him comfortable...


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

It is all I can do now. Fresh water little antibiotic, just letting him go one gasp at a time.


----------



## SharkyTheBetta (Dec 29, 2012)

This is so sad.  I also had one betta, called Sharky, who died of dropsy on December 27.  It happened exactly the way it happened to you, very slowly and sad. I personally hope that in the future an effective antibiotic would be found for this terrible disease.


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

Me too he died last night like I feared.
I'm going to look for a new one to fill the hole before I go to work today.
I'll take him into work with me if I don't pick out a new one quickly enough its only a 3 hour shift.


----------



## Noobetta (Dec 7, 2012)

rest well in sea world sharky >_>


----------



## Skyrocket Moon (Jan 27, 2013)

He's in a bigger aquarium place... free.. and swimming with some female he never had gotten the chance with in his days when I had him. I just know it.
Sly pimp daddy shark he is.


----------



## tisliz16 (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi, I was wondering if you could give us a follow up post on your fish... Did he survive? If not, I'm so sorry. My betta Frank is looking just like Shark did in those pics. I have tried everything and he hasn't changed. It's just so hard to see him like that and just wait for... well, to just wait. It makes me cry every day.


----------



## tisliz16 (Apr 22, 2013)

Oops, sorry, I didn't see your last posts... I was only on page 1 of this thread. I'm still getting used to navigating this site. I'm so sorry about Shark. I'm afraid that might be the fate for poor Frank too... I haven't tried antibiotics because I've heard they don't do much at this stage. Dropsy just works so slowly... it's torture to watch.


----------



## Starchild21 (Jan 12, 2013)

Make sure before you buy a new fish you completely clean out your tank in-case of bacteria that could cause trouble to any new fish you buy


----------

