HELP Is this dropsy?

[roverdisco]

I had another thread on here where my Betta started being lethargic two days ago after a water change. I started him on ES (2 tsp / gal) in a QT. Today, when I viewed him from the top, I saw his scales sticking up. Does this look like dropsy? He is not bloated and ate a little today. Before his last water change, he was eating fine. Here are some pics from today.





Here is a link to the other thread as well, http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=100116


Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gal.
What temperature is your tank? 79 to 80
Does your tank have a filter? yes
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? one bottom feeder

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Betta flakes
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2x per day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every 1 to 2 weeks, 30% water change
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 30%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? De-chlorinator, Tetra Easy Balance

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Tested with strips

Ammonia:Normal
Nitrite:Normal
Nitrate:Normal
pH:
Hardness:High (hard tap water treated with de-chlorinator)
Alkalinity: High

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? No
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Yes, lethargic, head down
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Last night
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? Just under 1 year

[MrVampire181]

Possibly. If he doesn't make it it is. If it slowly goes away then no it's not dropsy.

All you can do now is add some epsom salt, keep him clean, maybe add some antibiotics if you can get some.

[LebronTheBetta]

If it is DROPSY, then the symptoms would be: Raised Scales, like a pine cone. Bloating, Color loss, Lethargy, etc. It is actually not a disease itself. Try the best you can! I hope your Betta Fish will be better in no time. You could try the Epsom Salt and/or Aquarium Salt Treatment if you want to. If it is DROPSY, then post it and then some of us will help you. GOOD LUCK!!!

[MrVampire181]

Dropsy cannot be cured. It's an infection of the kidneys that causes fluid build up under the scales causing them to rise.

[roverdisco]

Thank you all for the quick responses. Are there other things that cause the scales to raise some? You only notice from the top and there are no signs of bloat yet. His water temp dropped about five degrees while his QT was out of the tank.

[MrVampire181]

This is a new infection so it'll be a few days before he starts bloating.

[roverdisco]

Riley died last night. Whatever happened he went quick. No more betas for a while.

[SarahandOscar]

I'm so sorry, I'm a smitten new Betta mum and can't imagine the pain of losing one of my boys.