GZ_Loach Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 one of my filament barbs looks like its swollen up from head to fin (looks fat all over) and has gone a little dull, still swims around but doesn't follow the school and like i said, looks very fat. From a front on veiw the scales look like there buldging out a little, had a quick look on google and it looks like it could be dropsy? kidney infection and says to use anit fungal medication. Does that sound right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 if it's dropsy i think you need a systematic antibiotic like furan 2 but usually it is difficult to save them at the bloated stage. Epsom salt may help a little with the bloat but is not a cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Ohwell, I'll see how "it" goes. Apart from looking odd its swimming around quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 If its dropsy its pretty much incurable as the fish's kidneys etc close down causing the fish to retain fluid which is why it gets fat and the scales are forced outwards. Its better to isolate the fish as you really don't want it to burst in the tank. While the jury is out on whether or not it is infectious I have observed that if I do have one fish that gets it, another one or two will follow in quick succession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 So the fish could be swimming around normally and pop all of a sudden? Or does it die and then pop? I don't have a spare tank at the moment so i don't have anywhere to put him/her and i really don't want the fish to burst and make my other fishes sick aswell Is there a nice way to cull a fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 I don't know whether they die first and then pop. If any of mine get it I isolate it but I have never had one burst. However if they die in the tank the other fish are going to make a meal out of them and because the cause of dropsy is really undetermined ie whether its bacterial or something else like the feeding regime, age, genetic makeup, I wouldn't want mine to die where it could be eaten and spread any possible disease among the remaining fish. If the fish is not big you could float an icecream container in your tank with the fish in it and do daily water changes. It may not be dropsy at all but without a photo to look at I can't help. Epsom salts can help release some fluid if it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Dropsy is a sign of excessive fluid retention which is caused by kydney failure. There may be any number of causes for the kydney failure and some may or may not be infectious. I have never seen a fish cured permanently of dropsy in all the years I have been keeping fish and I think the best thing to do is kill the fish humanely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 How long does it tank for the fish to die if it does have dropsy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 How long does it tank for the fish to die if it does have dropsy? It depends on what has caused the dropsy and probably hundreds of other variables (species, how healthy the fish is, how old it is, temp, genetics, water parameters etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 I always look down from above. If the whole body has scales sticking out like a pine cone then it is dropsy. Looking from the side you can see the scales at the top are also raised (1st pic). If it is just the belly then it is constipation or something else. Here is a danio with dropsy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Looks almost identical to the drospy photo, except not so fat around the belly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 My first fish with dropsy lasted nearly 4 weeks before she died. These days I dispose of the fish before it suffers. There are many ways - I tend to give the bag a good whack on the ground. Quick and painless if done properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 After feeding time the fish starting darting around and doing weird stuff so i took it out and gave it the old quick and painless stomp. Is there anything that causes dropsy or is it just random? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Dropsy is caused by kidney failure but no one seems to know what causes the kidney failure. I get it in patches, but if it does happen in my tanks I will lose one fish and then within about a week to 10 days I will most usually lose a second and sometimes 3rd fish. They don't even have to be in the same tank but often are. Suggestions that I have seen include - age, food, bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Its odd becuase the filament barbs i got were growing really fast and looked very healthy and then all of a sudden one of them gets dropsy.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 The answer to the question on how long they live with dropsy is about 3 seconds. I think it is cruel to keep a fish alive in that state when the chance of a cure is zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 The answer to the question on how long they live with dropsy is about 3 seconds. I think it is cruel to keep a fish alive in that state when the chance of a cure is zero agreed - and if I had belonged to this forum when my first fish got dropsy and had known what I know now she wouldn't have had the chance to suffer for 4 weeks but I tried all the treatments that I could find on the internet. Nowdays I don't bother - its too cruel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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