Why did my fish get dropsy?

[sallyjano]

60g tank (upgraded from 10g 2 mths ago)
0 trites
very low trates
0 ammonia

A few weeks ago I noticed a molly looking listless at the bottom of the tank. I was worried but then he seemed to perk back up again and has seemed fine since then. Today he is listless again and I can see his belly is swollen and his scales are noticeable when they were not before. His breathing is labored.

I think I am going to have to euthanize him because my QT has new fish in it (I have no other tank), he seems pretty far gone already and I don't want the others to get sick. Thoughts on that?

Also do you think stress from the move caused this? I read online it's something they get as a result of stress usually from poor water conditions but I do PWC of around 30-40% weekly. I feed good food (omega one).

So 2 questions:

1. Do you agree I should euthanize if he looks really sick already, I have no QT and no meds for him (and can't get them for another day or 2) and don't want the others to get sick also.

2. Any ideas what caused this?

 

[sallyjano]

Shamelessly post bumping. Curious to know what others think!

 

[happygirl65]

Do you have other fish in the tank? How did they handle the transition? Did you aclimate slowly? Your new tank may have gone through a cycle even if you seeded it with media from the old tank everything would still have to catch up. How long have you had this Molly? Are all the other fish acting normally?

To Euthanize or not is a personal choice. If there have not been any new introductions in the past few weeks and no other fish are sick you could try a couple extra water changes, or raise the temp in the tank if it is on the low side, sometimes that will perk up a Molly...

I am sorry I can not advise you on the Euthanasia, I have personally seen fish come back from what would surely mean death from something as simple as salt added to the tank and some more water changes.

As for diagnosing the cause, stress can happen from a move, even when you did everything right...we simply do not have enough information to give any other ideas. If anything new was added, fish, decor, plants, filter media a pathogen could have been introduced. If no other fish are symptomatic it could be they were stronger and better able to handle the stress or fight off new pathogens.

I would do another water change, can't advise adding salt without knowing more about your tank (plants...tankmates), but Mollies especially seem to respond very well to that treatment.

 

[anteatergoanna]

When in doubt "google it"

 

[anteatergoanna]

Just got this from google....good luck
Treatment:

Dropsy is not easily cured. Some recommend that all affected fish be euthanized to prevent spread of the infection to healthy fish. However, if detected early it is possible to save affected fish. Treatment is geared towards correcting the underlying problem, and providing supportive care to the sick fish.
Move sick fish to a hospital tank
Add salt to hospital tank, 1 tsp per gallon
Feed fresh high quality foods
Treat with antibiotics
It is important to move the infected fish to another tank to separate them from the healthy fish. Meanwhile, perform a water change on the original tank and monitor the fish closely for appearance of symptoms. Salt should be added to the hospital tank, at the ratio of one teaspoon per gallon of water. Keep the tank scrupulously clean, and perform weekly partial water changes. Provide a variety of fresh, high quality food. Often this is enough to resolve the infection in cases that are not advanced. Keep the fish under observation for several weeks after symptoms disappear.

Antibiotics should be used if fish do not immediately respond. A broad spectrum anti-biotic specifically formulated for gram negative bacteria is recommended. My preference is for Maracyn-Two. A ten day course is ideal for ensuring the infection is eradicated. However, you should always follow manufacturers directions for duration and dosage

 

[sallyjano]

Do you have other fish in the tank? How did they handle the transition? Did you aclimate slowly? Your new tank may have gone through a cycle even if you seeded it with media from the old tank everything would still have to catch up. How long have you had this Molly? Are all the other fish acting normally?

To Euthanize or not is a personal choice. If there have not been any new introductions in the past few weeks and no other fish are sick you could try a couple extra water changes, or raise the temp in the tank if it is on the low side, sometimes that will perk up a Molly...

I am sorry I can not advise you on the Euthanasia, I have personally seen fish come back from what would surely mean death from something as simple as salt added to the tank and some more water changes.

As for diagnosing the cause, stress can happen from a move, even when you did everything right...we simply do not have enough information to give any other ideas. If anything new was added, fish, decor, plants, filter media a pathogen could have been introduced. If no other fish are symptomatic it could be they were stronger and better able to handle the stress or fight off new pathogens.

I would do another water change, can't advise adding salt without knowing more about your tank (plants...tankmates), but Mollies especially seem to respond very well to that treatment.

Thanks for the response. Yes I did acclimate them properly (over 1 hour with a little new water every 5-10 mins) and yes I put the old media in the new tank. However I guess sometimes even when you do everything right it's still stressful for them. Tank mates are fine (so far....).

I know losing fish is something that will happen it's just that this is the first time I've lost a fish in 18 months so just wondered the cause. I lost a bunch of fish when I first started out but that was because no-one ever uttered the words 'nitrogen cycle' to me! I kept calling the LFS for help. Kept getting bad advice. Kept losing more fish. Then decided to stop listening and get online to research and bingo! Figured it out in no time and got the tank all cycled. Since then - 18 mths ago - I haven't lost a fish so was just wondering what went wrong.

Anyway thanks again.

 

[sallyjano]

Just got this from google....good luck
Treatment:

Dropsy is not easily cured. Some recommend that all affected fish be euthanized to prevent spread of the infection to healthy fish. However, if detected early it is possible to save affected fish. Treatment is geared towards correcting the underlying problem, and providing supportive care to the sick fish.
Move sick fish to a hospital tank
Add salt to hospital tank, 1 tsp per gallon
Feed fresh high quality foods
Treat with antibiotics
It is important to move the infected fish to another tank to separate them from the healthy fish. Meanwhile, perform a water change on the original tank and monitor the fish closely for appearance of symptoms. Salt should be added to the hospital tank, at the ratio of one teaspoon per gallon of water. Keep the tank scrupulously clean, and perform weekly partial water changes. Provide a variety of fresh, high quality food. Often this is enough to resolve the infection in cases that are not advanced. Keep the fish under observation for several weeks after symptoms disappear.

Antibiotics should be used if fish do not immediately respond. A broad spectrum anti-biotic specifically formulated for gram negative bacteria is recommended. My preference is for Maracyn-Two. A ten day course is ideal for ensuring the infection is eradicated. However, you should always follow manufacturers directions for duration and dosage

Thanks. Yes I had already looked it up and seen all the info. I had read that usually they get dropsy because of stress so my question was I just wondered if people thought a move was stressful enough to make him susceptible as I couldn't figure out what went wrong as I take really good care of my tank.