Dropsy

[Guest]

Hey guys,

I just checked on one of my mollies and she has dropsy

what i wan to know if it is contagious and what can i do to help her

she is very very very! large


i really want to treat her

please help ASAP

 

[TCTFish]

Dropsy is contagious. The infected fish should go into a QT. If you don't have one available, a bucket with tank water and an airstone will do. Treat the infected fish with a medication specific for dropsy or general for bacterial and fungal diseases. Treat the tank with a preventitive like Melafix. Remove the carbon from the filter during treatment. Use meds as directed.

 

[Guest]

Nevermind guys

she has passed on

i noticed that she had dropsy and her scales were sticking out buy just alittle, i am so happy i caught this while it was early now, hopefully the other fish wont get it or i will have to start my tank over also i really hope that my angel wont get it either

why do all the bad diseases happen to me, i didnt even do anything wrong

at least it hasnt shown signs of spreading

1 more question

can scaleless fish and snails get dropsy? or will they just not be affected by it

 

[TCTFish]

can scaleless fish and snails get dropsy? or will they just not be affected by it

Scaleless fish can. Inverts cannot. It won't hurt to put in about half the recommended dose of Melafix for a week to help knock out any remaining bacteria.

Sorry to hear about the fish. Lets try to see why these diseases are happening. Sounds like you've been having problems??? Test your water for the following...ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. Please post the results. Here are some questions...

How often do you change water and how much water gets exchanged?
How much and how often do you feed the fish?
How often do you change the carbon?

Patience. One step at a time.

 

[thatmagicguy]

dropsy

Hello, I'm sorry you lost your molly, I'd like to explain a little about dropsy. Dropsy is not a disease,,dropsy is a word to describe symptoms created by various infections. Dropsy can be caused by bacterial infections, sometimes even viruses, tumors, and a few other odds and ends. More often than not it is bacterial in nature and it is the result of a particular fish being stressed for one reason or another. Dropsy in and of itself is NOT CONTAGIOUS, the bacteria that causes it is usally present in the tank and in the fish always,,but because of the fishes' natural immune system and the balance of an aquarium these bacteria are kept in control.

I have dissected many fish that have died from dropsy symptoms. I have frequently found that a bacterial infection has developed from an impacted digestive tract, usually damaged from flake foods. This occurs when too much flake food is fed too quickly, I have found this problem in fish that died for no apparent reason and had no external symptoms.

The best way to prevent bacterial infections,,and any infection for that matter is to do weekly water changes of 10-15 percent,,feed sparingly and keep appropriate fish stocked together.

On a side note,,there are a few concerns with zoonotic illnesses when handling fish with dropsy type symptoms. Often, the agent that is the cause is Mycobacterium, a very bad bacteria that is able to infect humans,,there are many recorded cases of human infection derived from the aquarium, this bacteia takes aggressive antibiotic treatment and there is a very long recovery time. If a fish develops dropsy type symptoms it is best to go ahead and discard the fish,,especially if you have children or elderly people coming in contact with the tank.

But once again, good tank maintenance will usually preclude any infections and just because on fish gets it doesn't mean the rest will.

Also, malefix, tea tree oil, is not an antibacterial agent, it only inhibits bacterial growth,,it does not kill existing bacteia. Bill

 

[Guest]

ok good atleast i know my other fish wont get dropsy

although i have been feeding my fish 3 times a day, and there is an amount on the gravel that i want the cories the pleco and the snail to get, so hopefully that isnt the problem :? but i havent changed the AC in the filter since i got it, although i think it is a new time for me to get another biobag because mine, i believe is shot

either that or i will buy a filter and get one with a bio-wheel

 

[TCTFish]

You may be over feeding. Give the fish about two minutes worth of food per day. Continue feeding three times a day, but try not to exceed tow minutes worth of food in that day. At night, you can put in a veggie sheet for the pleco and take out any uneaten portions the following morning. You don't want food hanging in the tank for too long.

I recommended the Melafix because of the cory cats, snail, and the ghost shrimp. There's not many meds that can be used on those animals. Melafix, so far, is the best preventitive on the market for them without it being too strong for them.

Did you test your tank yet?

 

[TCTFish]

ok good atleast i know my other fish wont get dropsy

I meant to point this out before. You do need to know the water quality of the system before feeling comfortable about controlling disease, parasites, and prevent infections. Pay attention to nitrates. A high accumilation of nitrates can induce or progress disease, parasites, and infections.

 

[Guest]

ok, so do you recomend that i do a PWC today?

 

[TCTFish]

A water change will help. Until we know what the test results are, you can do a 10% water change twice this week with a good vacuum. The important thing is to get that water tested. We can't know what's up with the system without those tests, ok? Cut back on your feeds too. Two minutes per day every two to three days until we know what's up with the water.

 

[thatmagicguy]

dropsy

Of course, once water changes are done, water tests will not be useful in determining if it was the cause. I'd invest in a test kit and at the first sign of trouble you can test your water,,,but water changes are usually the first line of defense in illness outbreak. Bill

 

[TCTFish]

once water changes are done, water tests will not be useful in determining if it was the cause.

It may or may not be useful. Depends on the results. The test results can still suggest if water quality is a problem even after a water change. Rather to know and be safe than to not know and be sorry for it later.