My betta has dropsy, which meds should I give?

Question

My fish has had a bloated stomach for two weeks, at first I thought it was just constipation and fed it pea. But then it pooped. Now today his scales has just started pineconing. I was thinking about giving it an epson salt bath and using a combination of maracyn 1 and 2. I have a 1 gallon tank, what is the proper dosage of the two maracyn meds?

Pics of fish: http://picasaweb.google.com/ericawjim/Fishy/photo#5114374064173032050
http://picasaweb.google.com/ericawjim/Fishy/photo#5114374124302574210

Answer 1

Dropsy is generally a symptom of something else, sometimes digestive, often kidney related and is loss of regulation of electrolytes (which is another reason for good trace element levels.

Because of this, Dropsy can often be very difficult to treat, especially if caught in an advanced case in the fish. What the aquarist often observes is a “pinecone” swelling generally caused by fluid building inside the body cavity, for this reason, reducing this swelling is an important step in effecting a cure.

I have heard of Minocycline also being recommended for this. DO NOT use this as Minocycline has been shown to cause seroius damage to the kidneys, which is the last thinf you want to do to a fish suffering from Dropsy or even suspected of theis malady.

This said, besides treatment for a possible underlying infection, you want to take steps to remove the swelling.
Here are the steps I would take (these apply to ALL fish, not just Bettas):

*Change water! (25% should be fine)

*Perform a medicated bath with Methylene Blue . To prepare this bath I use 1 teaspoon 2.303% solution per 5 gallons (double dose) in a bath of aquarium water. Measurement of the Methylene Blue does not need to be precise as this bath should be used for about 30 minutes.

Make sure you keep the water in a warm area, as in a cold room the water temperature can drop rapidly which would stress the fish.

*Add one tablespoon of regular salt (sodium chloride) per 5 gallons of tank water and ¼ to ½ teaspoon of Epsom salts per 5 gallons of tank water. Add a Wonder Shell or similar product to add needed calcium. What these minerals will do is add electrolytes and change (and improve) the osmotic balance of the fish vs. the surrounding water to hopefully pull fluids thru the body thus reducing swelling.

Treat tank water with Kanamycin (Kanaplex), or possibly with Neomycin or Nalidixic Acid.

Also consider feeding the infected fish with fish food soaked in Neomycin such as SeaChem Gel Tek Neomycin along with in tank treatment of Kanamycin (hospital tank is best)

Answer 2

My fish had the same thing. He died about a week later. I didn't think there was a cure, so I didn't try to treat him. I found out that some tablets I got from Wal-Mart are supposed help. They are called Fungus Clear Tank Buddies. My cousin had a fish with dropsy, too. She broke a tablet up and put small peices on slowly until the water turned blue. He was in the very early stages so he was cured. If your fish is already slumped over it is probably too late. Also, when you treat him use aquarium salt only in his bowl. Never ever use table salt. If you don't have aquarium salt on hand or can't get it you can use kosher or canning salt. I'm sorry to hear about your fish. But at least you tried.

Answer 3

the occurrence of dropsy is relatively rare, however, i do notice the infamous "pinecone" shape of the stomach. This disease is do to organ failure, and is almost impossible to recover from. THis is not a bacterial disease, but an increase of fluid to the stomach or other organs. However, use some antibiotics as treatment and yes epson salt bath 20mg/L

Answer 4

you need to find and treat the cause of the problem rather than trying to treat the fish dropsy is hard to treat and your fish will probably die methylene blue is very good for killing bacteria the only problem is it also kills good bacteria as well if you have any fish which look like they dont have dropsy then separate them

Answer 5

looks like its dying to me,not a lot you can do