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Dropsy maybe?

743 views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  Withered 
#1 ·
Housing
What size is your tank?
Currently in 1g QT

What temperature is your tank?
About 82 degrees

Does your tank have a filter?
No

Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
No
Is your tank heated?
Yes

What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
Usually in a split 5g with smaller male

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
ZooMed betta pellets and freeze-dried bloodworms

How often do you feed your betta fish?
Twice daily

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
100% daily changes in QT tank

What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
AQ Salt and Stress Coat+

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
No

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
He has this weird mystery bump on his face, right above his mouth. The scales on this bump are raised, but there are no other raised scales on his body. Also he's looking a bit pale. His stomach does not appear to be swollen.

How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
He's a little lethargic, but still sits near the top of the tank to get air. His gills seem to extend more than usual when he goes up to breathe.

When did you start noticing the symptoms?
The bump appeared about two days ago.

Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
With AQ salt and Stress Coat+

Does your fish have any history of being ill?
I treated him for popeye about 3-4 weeks ago, and I thought it went away...but now I'm concerned that it may have been an indicator of dropsy

How old is your fish (approximately)?
About 1 year old

Will include pics later
 
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#2 ·





Sorry that these are in poor quality.
Oh also, there's a red spot (possibly sore) under his right eye on the bump. You can kind of see it in the pictures. Also, I've noticed some white flaky looking stuff falling off of his head area.
 
#3 ·
UPDATE: It's a little tough to see that red spot I mentioned, but I've concluded that it's most likely an open sore- it's a very vibrant red.

Also, he's nesting which is a little interesting. Do you guys have any idea why? Clifford is hardly in shape to breed right now.
 
#4 ·
Nesting is instinct, they will do it even if they are in poor health. (My friend's sister had a betta many years ago in an 8 oz cup and changed the water maybe once a month, and he was certainly not very healthy looking. He had a huge bubble nest that was overflowing the cup - so obviously, there's more going on than health to cause them to nest)
As far as the open sore - is it possible he hurt himself on something? My female loses scales quite often on her head because she likes to jump for anything that might be food, even if that means scraping her head on the lid to catch an off colored water droplet). The popeye may have been part of an injury and it's still infected.
 
#5 ·
Thank you for replying! I've been on the edge of my seat all afternoon!

I don't think he could have hurt himself on anything unless it was the filter or heater. He doesn't really go crazy or anything.

I really hope it's just a minor infection that has to do with the popeye. The raised scales make me super nervous about this. The scales on the bump are pineconing. He's also been super lethargic all day. The only time he's moved from resting in his plant is to hide in his cave.

It also looks like he's hicupping out some large bubbles which is abnormal I think?
 
#6 ·
More updates: The eye that was swollen during his dropsy fit appears to be swelling again. Also, he mouth looks a bit swollen too.

Guys, I'm getting pretty nervous about this. If anyone has any idea what's going on or how to treat him, I would be so grateful.
 
#7 ·
How is your fish doing? Some advice I can give is, if you think it may be dropsy, the AQ salt won't do anything for it. AQ salt is for treating external things...but dropsy is an internal thing. I would do a full water change and stop the AQ salt and instead use Epsom Salt. Make sure it doesn't have any artificial coloring and that it is unscented. I believe it's 1tsp per gallon, but you can gradually add up to 3 if needed. Here is what the forums say about dropsy.


Dropsy
•Symptoms: Your betta will have a bloated belly and raised scales. They will look like a pine cone. This is usually a fatal disease caused by an internal bacterial infection resulting in internal organ failure but many have had success bringing fish back when treated quickly.
Early Symptoms: Swollen eyes (important), Gray belly (important), Clamped fins, Lethargy. If your fish has swollen eyes and a gray belly, I suggest that you treat it for Dropsy.
•Treatment: If you spot the early signs of Dropsy then treat him/her with ES at 1-2tsp/gal and Jungle’s Anti-Parasite pellets while performing 100% daily water changes. It helps to increase the temperature to 84*F. If he/she has begun Pineconning then do the full course as described below:
Performing daily 100% water changes. Increase the temperature to 84*F. Add 1-2 tsp/gal Epsom Salt. Use API General Cure OR API Erythromycin OR Maracyn II and/or Maracyn for best results. Feed something containing Metronidazole, for example, Jungle’s Anti-Parasite pellets. If caught early, Dropsy is curable.

Hope this helps!
 
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