Is this dropsy?

[LittleFish2012]

Alright, first off, this fish is NOT MINE. His name is Charles and belongs to my neighbor. She gave me their fish to take care of and attempt to cure... but the problem is I believe this is a case of Dropsy. I don't know how advanced this is, but I don't think he'll survive.
Now with that being said, I have filled in the info below as best I could.

Housing
What size is your tank?
-1/2 a gallon.
What temperature is your tank?
-About 74 degrees (F).
Does your tank have a filter?
-No.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
-No.
Is your tank heated?
-No.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
-None.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
-Flaked food.
How often do you feed your betta fish?
-One healthy pinch of flakes a day, every day.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
-Once a month (yikes...)
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
-100% monthly.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
-None. Softened tap water.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
-I don't know anything about the water. Its a half gallon and it does not get changed as often as it should (only once a month).

Ammonia: Likely high.
Nitrite:---
Nitrate:---
pH: Likely acidic (6)
Hardness:---
Alkalinity:---

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
-Very swollen belly, scales are mildly pineconing.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
-Eats and acts the same, but sits a bottom a bit more.
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
-2-3 weeks ago. He had a swollen belly.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
-Now that I have him, I have set his tank on a heating pad and intend to use epsom salts in his tank (2tsp/gal). I am considering using bettaREVIVE as well.
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
-No.
How old is your fish (approximately)?
-About 1 year.

I would greatly appreciate advice on how exactly I can treat him. I intend to use epsom salts and possibly bettaREVIVE as well as putting him on a heating pad.

Also if anyone could tell me a bit about Dropsy... how does this happen, and is it contageous?


Here are three current pictures of him.

[lvandert]

oh my. I would also be doing daily 100% water changes along with the epsom salt treatment. He may just be severely bloated from over feeding in which case the epsom salt will help.

[DeviCy]

It looks like Swim bladder disorder you may want to get an anti bacterial treatment in case it is dropsy Dropsy is a parasite and you will need to treat early. Mine had theses symptoms and he died of dropsy treat now and hopefully save him.

[Luimeril]

Dropsy isn't a parasite. and it's not an illness.

it looks like overfeeding. bad bloat. fast him, try the epsom salt, and keep his tank warm. can you get daphnia? i've heard it acts as a laxative to them.

[DeviCy]

I was told Dropsy was a parasite like a bacterial kind of parasite.

[lvandert]

I believe Dropsy is the failure of internal organs (right luimeril?). Once a fish reaches that state its hard to get them to bounce back.

[Sakura8]

I second the epsom salt and daily water change treatment and a dose of API General Cure may not hurt either in case he's got some internal parasites and a bit of an internal infection. You can start at 1 tsp of epsom salt and work up to 3 tsps if necessary.

[LittleFish2012]

I believe I read that Dropsy is the condition or symptom (bloated body, pineconing scales) of the fish, not the problem itself. I think it is kidney failure.
But multiple people have mentioned parasites. How could this fish get parasites? His owners have never fed him live food, only flakes.
I do not have daphnia- I can't find it anywhere. I will feed him frozen brine shrimp instead.
I've got him on a heating pad now and his tank has epsom salt and BettaREVIVE. I think that's all I can do for him right now.

[Luimeril]

it's organ failure, usually. causes the body to retain liquids, bloating up and pine-coning the scales(if i'm not mistaking). it's almost impossible to bounce back. sometimes, dropsy's caused by parasites or bacterial infections, but more often than not, it's organ failure.

it looks like his tummy's the only thing bloated. if it were dropsy, it'd be the whole body, not just that massive tummy.

i honestly wouldn't be surprised if it's just constipation. flakes aren't great, because they can swell in the tummy. flakes+cold water, and such a tiny tank, would equal a blockage on the inside. i hope you can pull him through.

[DeviCy]

I really hope he pulls through you should really tell them to change his water more twice a week would be best for a half gallon and try and convince them to get him a bigger tank and to heat it.