best dropsy treatment? HELP QUICK!

[nuggetthefishy]

Hi! My name's Pixie and I need help.
I noticed that my goldfish had a swollen belly. I did some research on it, and dropsy was the first to come up. I have bought Maracyn, but I'm not able to get a separate hospital tank or water heater. I'm very attached to my fish, and euthanasia isn't something I'd like to resort to.
My fish is a fancy goldfish. I haven't seen pineconing yet, but its belly is quite big. It sometimes sits at the bottom of the tank.
I'm very new to fish-owning, and never did the nitrogen cycle to my tank, which worries me. I have some good bacteria in it, and the ammonia levels are at .25, which I'll be treating tomorrow.
What treatment methods can I use? Where can I buy Epsom salt? Is the environment safe for the treatment? Would it be okay to use its current tank instead of a separate one, since I don't own any other fish? Do I need to feed it special food?
PLEASE help me, and be specific. I don't want my fishy to die.
Thank you all!

 

[Greta1981]

Hi
I'll do my best to help you and your goldfish, as will everybody here. The more detail you can provide us with, the better, so I'm going to ask quite a few questions. Hope you don't mind.
How big is your tank?
Just to confirm, you said this is your only fish, correct? If not, what other fish do you have and what kinds?
May we see a picture of your sick goldie to help with diagnosing?
How old is your goldfish?
How often do you do water changes?
What are you using to monitor your water parameters? An API water test kit, which allows you to easily test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and PH levels is highly recommended.
What water conditioner are you using? Since you never cycled the tank, Prime would be an excellent choice.
What is the temperature of your tank?
Please don't add any salt or medications to your tank until you've answered as many of the above questions as you can. Often, clean water is the absolute best remedy for any fish ailment.

 

[nuggetthefishy]

Thank you for replying! I will try to answer these as best as I can.
-My tank is a ten-gallon tank.
-Yes, I only have one fish.
-I'll attach a picture after this
-I got him only in July.
-I do water changes every two weeks, and I do 50% water changes.
-For ammonia, I use the API ammonia test kit, and I don't use anything for PH, nitrite or nitrate :what:
-I use Tetra AquaSafe, and to remove ammonia I use Top Fin ammonia remover.
-I haven't taken the exact temperature yet, but it is about 65°-75°.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REPLYING! I'm very new to this, so I'd appreciate as much help I can get. Thank you so much!

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[nuggetthefishy]

Here's my fish
I took many pictures to show as much as I could, but sorry about the blurry quality, he was swimming around too much!


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[nuggetthefishy]

Here are some more

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[Greta1981]

Thanks for the pics. I can't see any signs of pine-coning, which are a sign of dropsy. I could be wrong, but I don't think that's the issue here.

You have a 10 gallon tank and fancy goldfish like you have need a minimum of 30 gallons of water per fish. As adults, they need 55 gallons of water per fish. This is why:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...uire-big-tanks-visual-perspective-265871.html
As you can see, they get very very large. If kept in too small a tank, goldfish become stunted, meaning that their outsides stop growing, but their insides don't, leading to a very slow, painful death. So a tank upgrade is really critical. If you can't get a larger tank immediately, consider a large Rubbermaid tote. You can get 50 gallon ones really cheap at Walmart. Put in a filter and an airstone and your fish will have a great new home that is far healthier for him.

Because he is in such a tiny tank, you need to be doing 30 to 50% water changes at the very minimum every other day. Goldfish produce enormous amounts of waste and it's likely part of his health problems are from ammonia and nitrite poisoning.

API sells a full kit that allows you to test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and PH. I recommend you get one to allow you to check on the full range of your fish's water parameters. I would stop with the ammonia remover immediately, as that is preventing your tank from naturally cycling. (I can explain that later if you have questions.)

Besides the tank upgrade and the API test kit, I'd highly recommend switching to Prime water conditioner. It helps protect your fish from the effects of toxic chemicals and could make a huge difference in the quality of your goldfish's life until you can get him into a larger tank.

I know all of the above is probably overwhelming. Believe me, I inherited 2 comet goldfish--this type of goldfish needs 100 gallons of water EACH!--and kept them in a 10 gallon initially because I didn't know any better. When I found out the truth, when my fish started to get sick, it was like they need HOW much water??

Feel free to ask as many questions as you have. Everybody here will be happy to help you help your fish.

 

[nuggetthefishy]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

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[nuggetthefishy]

What can I do to help its dropsy? It doesn't have pineconing, but its belly is very swollen. I don't quite know what to do about that :what:

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[Greta1981]

I don't think it has dropsy. The best thing you can do to help it is get a bigger tank, give it really, really clean water using Prime, and feed it a high quality diet, such as Hikari goldfish pellets or New Life Spectrum, with veggies supplementing daily, such as very soft cooked peas, carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, etc. I think the swelling will likely listen once his living conditions are better, his diet is diversified, and his water is cleaner.

 

[nuggetthefishy]

I'm also quite hesitant to get a bigger tank - it seems so big for such a little fish! Would it be a good idea to keep him in another tank in order to cycle my tank properly?

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[nuggetthefishy]

I was thinking of getting a separate tank to help the fish, maybe use it as a hospital tank and give it certain medication. I would also cycle the real tank normally, if that makes any sense.

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[nuggetthefishy]

Oh, it doesn't have dropsy? That's a relief!

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[Greta1981]

Usually we recommend waiting to cycle, but not in this case. A 10 gallon tank is a death trap for a goldie--I don't mean that to be rude or mean in any way at all, like I said, I started out exactly like you, only way worse, with 2 fish that needed 100 gallons each in a 10 gallon.

The sooner you can get him into a larger tank, the better. Did you look at the link I sent you of how big he will grow? He won't look small in that big tank for long. I can help you through a fish-in cycle with him in the larger tank. A cycle is far easier for fish to tolerate in larger volumes of water anyway.

 

[Greta1981]

I wouldn't recommend any medications yet. Clean water, bigger space, good diet. Once he's settled in his new home if there's no improvement, then we can look at medications, but he may improve naturally when in the right conditions.

 

[nuggetthefishy]

I will definitely do that. Thank you for all the help! I will buy a new tank ASAP. Last question - what's an "in cycle"? Does that mean I can cycle the tank with the fish in it?

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[Greta1981]

Yes. You can cycle with the fish in the tank. It takes a lot of work to keep your fish healthy this way, but it is LESS work than cycling in a 10 gallon. I did it with my comets and it can definitely be done while keeping your fish healthy and happy. Depending on the size of tank you get--please, please, please do not let the pet store people talk you into getting anything smaller than a 30 gallon. They're there to make money. They honestly know nothing about fish. If your fish gets sick, you spend more money trying to fix him--a Python Water Changer could make life way easier for you. They cost $24 on Amazon and I really can't live without mine. You hook it up to your faucet, turn the valve, and the water drains. Add Prime water conditioner, turn the valve the other way, the tank refills. Easy. Happy you, happy fish. I'm so glad you're going to get your goldie a bigger home. He will thank you for it, I promise!!!

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Thanks for your message sorry about the late reply. That's two for no dropsy. Pineconing is the sure sign. Also two for a larger tank and also filter. I believe the larger than necessary filter is a key item. Perhaps eggs or worms? Is the fish a female? In my mind pip Walters is the man to see about goldfish.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/constipated-dropsy-or-just-fat-286937.html

 

[jwh0818]

Quick question, how often are you feeding? Looks like over feeding to me

 

[nuggetthefishy]

About twice a day, sometimes three.

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[jwh0818]

About twice a day, sometimes three.

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Cut back on feeding to 1 time a day max or every other day. Goldfish do eat more than most fish and will accept anything you feed so you have to watch out. You definetly can over feed them. I would start by skipping a day and feeding until the bloat is gone then feed 1 time a day