Dropsy + White Cloud?

[KappaTheImp]

Hi all. My boy Soldier came down with something really fast, night before last. He was severely bloated, and I thought his scales were starting to pinecone. I didn't have anything in the house to treat him with, so I had to leave him overnight.

Yesterday, I picked up some maracyn 2, some epsom salts, and a small tank to use as a hospital tank. It's only a gallon and a half, it's sitting at 80 degrees, and I've got the filter running without any media to get a bit of aeration. By the time I got him in the tank, his scales were DEFINITELY pineconed, and he's got some white stringy poop hanging with him.

It looks like dropsy to me, so that's the way I was treating it. This morning he seems awfully sluggish, but the lights aren't on yet, so he may just be sleeping, the pineconing seems to have gone down a little bit, but that could be wishful thinking. Now though, there's a white fuzzy on his tail, and more white fuzzy growing on the filter. I didn't notice any of that in his old tank.

With it growing in water already treated with antibiotics, I'm not sure what it is. Could it be an actual fungus? And if so how do I treat? Things are not looking so good for my tough little fish.

[Mahachai]

Sorry to hear about the poor guy. Bettas who develop dropsy rarely recover. I'm not saying that there is no hope, but the best care would be taken from a fish veterinarian although they may suggest euthanization (putting him to sleep). I've grone through bettas myself that had dropsy and they all never made it and I've felt guilty to let them suffer during the last minutes of their life.

I highly suggest that you should take the time to think about it whether you would want to try all your best or just ease his pain. Sorry.

[KappaTheImp]

At this point I'm not sure if it's actually dropsy at all. How well do bettas with it usually respond to treatment? The swelling has gone down considerably, and the pineconing is much less noticeable. The white fuzzy stuff is spreading incredibly quickly though, and I'd hate for him to be recovering from one thing just to get taken over by something else. It's also growing from this dangling strand of poop... I'd say the fuzzy spot on his tail has doubled since I posted this morning.

[DiiQue]

Can you take pictures? That would help in identifying it.

[goldfishyman]

Sounds like a fungus growing if its on your fish. BTW do not stop your treatment early if it is dropsy. In fact I would treat a bit longer than recommended with the antibiotic. If stop early and it comes back your fish will most likely not respond to the same medication and the results are usually death.

[KappaTheImp]

Pictures. The guy at my LFS sold me some Maroxy for true fungal infections... The active ingredient is "Stabilized Chlorine Oxides" and I'm slightly hesitant to use it when he's already dosed with Maracyn 2 and epsom salts.

I have no intention of stopping either one of those treatments, since his swelling went down, and I don't want to lose this fish if I can help it. Advise on the use of Maroxy?

In other news, he's more active today.

[goldfishyman]

Originally Posted by KappaTheImp

Pictures. The guy at my LFS sold me some Maroxy for true fungal infections... The active ingredient is "Stabilized Chlorine Oxides" and I'm slightly hesitant to use it when he's already dosed with Maracyn 2 and epsom salts.

I have no intention of stopping either one of those treatments, since his swelling went down, and I don't want to lose this fish if I can help it. Advise on the use of Maroxy?

In other news, he's more active today.

I don't think it would be a problem to combine the 2 but your fish might have dropsy so it could stress the kidneys. I had a salt water puffer fish with some eye fungus. I treated by putting him in a cup of tap water untreated. The cloudiness went away. I figured it was either the chlorine or the tap water that killed the fungus. You might try some aquarium salt first but I would do it without the epsom salt at the same time. Some diseases can be treated by putting the fresh water fish in salt water and saltwater fish in fresh water for a short bath.

You could also try hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab and apply to infected area. Do not get it in the gills of the fish. Do some research on this treatment method so you are familiar with how it works.

[KappaTheImp]

I'm a little bit scared to stop the epsom salt long enough to try aquarium salt. I'm not sure whether his improvement is due to the antibiotic or the epsom salt pulling fluids from him. If there's one thing I've learned about fish diseases from the internet, it's that dropsy is serious business.

It looks like Maroxy is a safer form of chlorine, but like you said, I'm worried about his kidneys.

It doesn't seem to have gotten much worse, so I may be able to hold off treatment on that until I can safely stop the dropsy treatment. Is anyone able to identify from my photo whether it's a true fungus, or the bacterial one? If anyone can, I can start treatment with the other Maracyn, which is supposed to be compatible with maracyn 2.

[KappaTheImp]

New development. The part of his tail covered in white fuzz went and FELL OFF. Gonna do a complete water change, add his meds back in and see where we go.

Another question, his tummy is back to its normal size, should I start feeding again?

[goldfishyman]

I would try the hydrogen peroxide on the area with the fuzz to stop it from spreading fast. You might want to consider the anti-fungal if its already eating his tail away. If its progressing this fast it might be worth the risk. You should probably try a water PH of 6.4 with some Indian almond leaves. This should slow down any bacteria growth in the water.