Swollen betta - not with eggs!

[LatinBarbieDoll]

I just noticed that one of my females is swollen to the point that she looks like a puffer! She has also lost most of her color

I don't know what it could be and I'm concerned about her. She is kept alone in one gallon of water. I used to feed her live blood worms but haven't done that in about two weeks. She has been eating live brine shrimp, freeze dried bloodworms, and hikari gold betta pellets.

Do you think she might have a parasite?

What should i do? she is not very active, and is so swollen that she can't even swim around normal. Her body is angled downward.

 

[bettacove]

are her scales sticking out like pinecones? If they are then sounds like she might have dropsy. Dropsy is fatal and contageous so be very carefull. I hate it soooo much!!!!! I hope its not that.

ashley

 

[LatinBarbieDoll]

YES thats it! her scales are sticking up like that.

How did she get that and can i get rid of it?

 

[LatinBarbieDoll]

YES thats it! her scales are sticking up like that.

How did she get that and can i get rid of it?

I FOUND it:

Causes
Dropsy is a condition with several possible causes. It may frequently be caused by internal infections by a number of different bacterial species. Viruses have also been associated with the disease. Poor water quality and/or diet may trigger the disease. If the problem has been caused by permanant damage to the kidney, then treating the infection will not eradicate the symptoms.

Possible cures
This disease must be caught early to maximise the chance of saving an affected fish, and even then the disease is difficult to cure. Previously, antibiotics prescribed by a vet were the only means of treatment for those countries (including the UK) where antibiotics cannot be purchased over-the-counter. There are now commercially available remedies which may help. These include Interpet #9 Anti Internal Bacteria and Waterlife's Octozin. The addition of salt (1 tsp/gallon) may also be beneficial.

Dropsy is not usually considered to be particularly contagious, so it should not spread to other healthy fish - dead fish should be removed immediately however, to avoid cannibalism. However, bear in mind that there is more than one cause of dropsy, so in some cases the infective agent could be contagious. It is preferable to carry out treatment in a hospital tank where available.