Can i treat the rest of my tank???

[jodie_jo]

One of my fish just died of dropsy, can i put some anti internal bacteria treatment in the tank to prevent any of the other fish getting it? One of my fish looks a little pale and fat!!

Thanks for your help.

 

[An t-iasg]

I'm sorry about your fish. You may want to pull out the other sick fish and treat him in a QT tank. Dropsy can have many causes other than bacterial, but you could start with some antibiotics and see if it helps. Dropsy is usually not considered to be contagious, so treating the whole tank may be unnecessary and you'll risk killing off your good bacterial colony.

For the sick fish, you could also try feeding some peas or adding epsom salt to help the bloat. I boil some frozen peas in the microwave (canned ones get too mushy) and let the peas cool. Peel the skin off and throw it away. Cut the rest of the pea into small pieces about the same size as the fish's normal food. (yes, I know it's hard to cut up a little pea!) Feed him the peas exclusively for one to two days, and then don't feed him for one to two days. Epsom salt - about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per gallon - may help to draw out the bloat if the peas don't help.