Dropsy advice please

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TryingMyBest

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Messages
12
Location
Texas
I've posted previously about my sick calico goldfish, my last post should be listed in my personal page if anyone'd care to review it, but I'm more concerned with how to proceed with taking care of this guy as well as I can.

After his last bout with swelling I treated him by isolating him in a hospital tank and giving him eight days of medication, his swelling has gone, and he's back to normal size. It was suggested in the previous thread that if he's absolutely not going to rebound I should go ahead and euthanize the poor guy, but on top of his physical appearance returning to normal he's increasingly lively and less lethargic since the start of treatment and, for all intents and purposes, he's back to normal. However, I was told in the previous thread that dropsy is an infection which essentially attacks and shuts down the fish's kidneys, leading to all the ill health effects attributed to such a situation in addition to the swelling.

My question is, given that I have him and his tank-mate in a 15 gallon tank (which is less than ideal but upgraded from an even smaller tank, and upgrading again is out of the question for the time being), ammonia buildup being checked at least every third day, and more or less remaining constant thanks to ammo-carb, and all other regular maintenance being attended to, is there anything further I could do to improve this poor guy's quality of life? I'd really hate for this to be a recurring thing for him every month or so until the disease finally takes him, at least I'd like to curb the swelling if possible.

Also, with regards to his tank-mate, he's a bigger comet goldfish, about twice the size, and hasn't shown any sign of disease except for possible gill damage due to ammonia buildup at the beginning of the year, which I wasn't aware of at the time but do monitor now. But that's not my concern for him, I'm more worried about the calico's infection spreading to the comet. I'd assume that since the disease was described as a bacterial infection to me that it'd be communicable, should I worry and separate the two of them permanently?

Please post any thoughts and hopefully I can make things better for the both of them.
 
Hi! I was one the people addressing your previous thread on his condition. Dropsy isnt typically communicable. Its the result of your fish being immuno-suppressed by his bad conditions. The bacteria that cause it can be found everywhere but poor water quality & the fish being stressed resulted in him being suseptible to infection. Under normal, healthy conditions this most likely would not have occurred. If your present tank situation is not remediable (ie-bigger tank), you should consider rehoming the comet to improve the fantails home environment. The comet does not belong in a fishtank-esp a tiny one- and really deserves to be in a pond environment where he can be happy & thrive. He will grow to be 12-18inches in length in a very short period of time & will suffer needlessly trying to keep him in a 15gal. By doing this, you will reduce the bioload & creat a healthier environment for the fantail. As for the fantail, all you can do is monitor his condition, keep his water as healthy as possible, treat again if necessary, & hope for the best. Unfortunately, the permanent damage he most likely has suffered to his kidneys is not reversible and the possibility of repeat episodes of swelling is probable. Without diagnostic technology for fish, we have no means to ascertain how severe the damage is or how his lifespan will be affected. It will be your decision in respect to his quality of life now & in the future & how you want to address it. I wish you luck & hope he stays in recovery.
 
Thanks for the advice jlk, I'd certainly like to get the comet out of that tank and into something bigger but I just don't have anything for him at the moment beside an above ground rainwater barrel which he was originally in, and even though I live in Texas and it generally doesn't get too cold here, these last couple of years it has gotten cold enough to snow for a few days at a time so I'm hesitant to put him back in there. Also, in the summer it definitely gets too hot for a fish in a barrel so it's not really an ideal environment. One thing I'm wondering about him though, which is kind of off topic, is whether or not he's going to keep growing even though he's limited by tank space. He hasn't grown noticeably since I took him out of the barrel and put him in a conventional tank. Will he continue to grow, but at a slower rate than he would if he were in a less confined environment?
 
Yes, your comet will try to continue to grow but what is starting to happen if he is no longer growing is called 'stunting'. He physically will not grow on the outside but internally his organs will continue to grow. Needless to say, this is very unpleasant for him & it will lead to a premature & painful death. Do you have a pond store in your area? Many pond stores will take fish & rehome them or they have customers with ponds that would be willing to rehome as well. You could also try craigslist to try & find him a suitable home. I think a large barrel outside full of water(even though a crude home) is better than him being stuck in a 15gal with another goldfish until you can find him a good home in a pond. Just some suggestions! :)
 
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