fish with dropsy!

[daniella3d]

I have a bangai cardinal that has started to develop what looks like dropsy. Scales are raised away from the body and his belly is all swollen. He looks kind of puffy and does not eat anylonger. I am not sure what to do.

Would hyposalinity remove the excess fluid in his body?

I have hime for 2 months now and he's about 2 year old. Was tank raised. He was in quarantine for a month and was in perfect health, and no addition to the main tank recently as I always do 4 weeks quarantine.

What can this be? internal infection? kidney failure?

[naesco]

Probably a vibrio bacterial infection.
Really tough!
You can try a neomycin based medication which IME is the only thing that works in saltwater applications.

[daniella3d]

Intreresting. If it's the case then I wonder how it cought that.

all I have is kanamycine for now but I will see if I can order some. I am not sure the fish is going to last much longer. It need immediate releive and it does not eat, so not good.

Though I read that neomycin is for external infections?

Originally Posted by naesco

Probably a vibrio bacterial infection.
Really tough!
You can try a neomycin based medication which IME is the only thing that works in saltwater applications.

[MMAX]

I had one of my big comet goldfish in my pond develop dropsy back in August. He stopped eating and just sat there looking like a pine cone. I ended up just scooping him out of the water with my hand and euthanized him. I read up on the disease before doing so and when they go into this state it's an almost garunteed death sentance. Kidney failure.

[daniella3d]

Yes it's kindey problem because they have water retention because they can't expluse the water any longer. The only thing I could do to releive him would be to put him in hyposalinity and that would probably only delay the inevitable.

Originally Posted by MMAX

I had one of my big comet goldfish in my pond develop dropsy back in August. He stopped eating and just sat there looking like a pine cone. I ended up just scooping him out of the water with my hand and euthanized him. I read up on the disease before doing so and when they go into this state it's an almost garunteed death sentance. Kidney failure.

[daniella3d]

Fish is dead. It was not eating and I found it this morning resting on the sand. RIP.

[Myka]

That's unfortunate. If it was in fact Dropsy it is extremely difficult to treat.

Freshwater treatment would obviously be much different, but thinking you may have some sort of interest here's a story. I treated a 4" Red Bellied Piranha for Dropsy once. I believe the saving factor was that the fish continued to eat - strangely enough. The treatment was complicated...tank was kept at 76 degrees to slow infection, air stone added, and Instant Ocean salt was used 1 tbsp per 5 gallons to help relieve the pressure. Maracyn II as per label instructions which I believe was 5 or 7 days. Carbon and a big water change after that, then a second round with the Maracyn II. Dropsy receded and Piranha broke out with Ich. Temperature was raised to 86 degrees, and the salt was doubled. The Piranha recovered fully, and is still alive today (6-7 years later).

[daniella3d]

I have had dropsy before with freshwater fish and tried every possible antibiotics without sucess. It is very hard to treat and yes it was dropsy. No possible mistake as all the scales on his body were raised and he looked like a pine cone. Even the eyes were poping out a little or looked swelled.

He was maybe at the end if his life at around 2 1/2 year old or so? I could have helped him with hyposalinity maybe but I could not catch it until he was on his last leg.

I was just surprised because I thoutht it was a rare disease in saltwater...oh well...

Originally Posted by Myka

That's unfortunate. If it was in fact Dropsy it is extremely difficult to treat.

Freshwater treatment would obviously be much different, but thinking you may have some sort of interest here's a story. I treated a 4" Red Bellied Piranha for Dropsy once. I believe the saving factor was that the fish continued to eat - strangely enough. The treatment was complicated...tank was kept at 76 degrees to slow infection, air stone added, and Instant Ocean salt was used 1 tbsp per 5 gallons to help relieve the pressure. Maracyn II as per label instructions which I believe was 5 or 7 days. Carbon and a big water change after that, then a second round with the Maracyn II. Dropsy receded and Piranha broke out with Ich. Temperature was raised to 86 degrees, and the salt was doubled. The Piranha recovered fully, and is still alive today (6-7 years later).

[Myka]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

He was maybe at the end if his life at around 2 1/2 year old or so?

No, they live much longer. I know of a handful around the 5-8 year old mark.