# My betta fish has Dropsy :'(



## 98violet (Mar 27, 2011)

This is Willie a halfmoon red betta







he is in his recovery tank and he havent been eating for 1 week now....and i began to get worried and i looked at him even closer,searching for the cause of his behavior these days and that is when i knew that he have dropsy sickness and is very pale.... no wonder he havent been eating these days.He wont eat anything,is not very active anymore,wont flare at his own reflection,looks pale,looks like hes having fin rot but hes not,and only swim up to the surface for air...and sometimes he stays at the surface near the plant.Im beginning to get worried  i dont want him to die,ive put some meds in his bowl but hes still staying the same :'( I love my fish,i dont want him to die.Please help


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Needs some more information....

How big is the tank, how much and how often are the water changes and when was the last one, water temp, filter, live plants, additives used, how long have you had him and how long has he been sick...what kind of medication did you add and for how long......


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## SillyCone (May 7, 2011)

Here, respond this quickly and ol' old fish lady can help you, she's a top expert 

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

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

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

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


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## 98violet (Mar 27, 2011)

Housing 
What size is your tank?(1gallon fish bowl
What temperature is your tank?(75 degrees)
Does your tank have a filter?(yes)
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?(no)
Is your tank heated?(yes)
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?(none)

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?(flakes,betta bites,Bloodworms,Brine shrimp)but of course...he wont eat any of them anymore
How often do you feed your betta fish?(feed him betta bites every morning,afternoon,night)

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?(once after two days)
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?(100%)
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?(General Aid)

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?(havent test my water yet)

AmmoniaHavent it test yet)
NitriteHavent it test yet)
NitrateHavent it test yet)
pHHavent it test yet)
HardnessHavent it test yet)
Alkalinity Havent it test yet)=___=

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?(because of poor water condition)
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?(unactive,wont eat any food i gave him & only swim up for air)
When did you start noticing the symptoms?(yesterday)
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?(with 100% clean water changes and a few drop of general aid)
Does your fish have any history of being ill?(no)
How old is your fish (approximately)?(1 year)
__________________


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

Is he pineconing or just bloated?

Part of the problem is that you should really be doing daily water changes with a 1 gallon tank. Additionally, he needs a heater. Have you tried offering him any frozen foods?


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## naturegirl243 (Aug 1, 2010)

DarkMoon17 said:


> Is he pineconing or just bloated?
> 
> Part of the problem is that you should really be doing daily water changes with a 1 gallon tank. Additionally, he needs a heater. Have you tried offering him any frozen foods?


+2 on these questions..............
Didn't she say in the info thing that she had a heater in there?


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## 98violet (Mar 27, 2011)

> Is he pineconing or just bloated?
> 
> Part of the problem is that you should really be doing daily water changes with a 1 gallon tank. Additionally, he needs a heater. Have you tried offering him any frozen foods?


yes..i have a heater..like i just said at the status...and i did try giving him some frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp but he still wont eat..and hes having pinecone


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

98violet said:


> yes..i have a heater..like i just said at the status...and i did try giving him some frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp but he still wont eat..and hes having pinecone


Sorry, I didn't see that there was a heater.
For true dropsy, you need to treat him with epsom salt, 1tsp/gal combined with Maracyn II. You will also need to perform daily 100% water changes, and replace the medicine and salt afterword. If you can get him to the point where he will accept food again then you can offer him frozen blood worms soaked in metronidazole. If you can increase the temperature to the 80-86 range that would really help too.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Be careful raising the temp too high with a compromised fish or you will end up with flex...


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

Very true OFL, make sure you make any temperature changes gradually. Only 1 or 2 degrees per day...


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## pens (May 17, 2011)

Oldfishlady said:


> Be careful raising the temp too high with a compromised fish or you will end up with flex...


Sorry to hijack OP's thread, but what's flex? I managed to catch ich on my betta early, and I'm doing a high salinity/very-high temperature treatment at the moment.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Flexibacter columnaris-but with the high salinity(3tsp/gal+) and lots of water changes you should be fine....just watch for secondary from the wounds the parasite leaves and try to limit the time in high temps and avoid sudden changes in temps....flex is always in the tank waiting for the right conditions to strike..... this bacteria thrives in high water temps.....


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