I have this black skirt tetra whose stomach is very bloated and he is breathing very fast. I found him this morning lying in a corner. I decided to quarantine him after the other fish started to disturb him and pick on him. Now, in his qt tank, he won't move and he's still breathing rapidly. Is this dropsy? I've been looking for the pinecone scales, but can't tell if he has them or not, cuz he's not coming to the surface. Is there any medication or something I should do? Also, i don't have a heater for my qt tank, just a sponge filter. I'm ordering one now, but it won't come for a couple days. Suggestions? I'm considering putting my main tank's heater in the qt tank at night, but in my main during the day.
Dropsy?
- Thread starter Aquariua
- Start date
Epsom salts "may" help, it often doesn't make things worse if it is dropsy...(often due to kidney failure, fish can't excrete well enough to get rid of...urea?).
It could also be from bacteria or protozoans...it's very hard to tell, let alone treat. Sorry, & good luck...& congrats on having a QT...that is very important to be able to isolate new or sick fish! At least your other fish are no longer being exposed to whatever it might be. I'd do large water changes on your main tank often as you can, every day or 3, 30% at a minimum.
What are your actual water parameters? What do you feed & how often? Tank size & all inhabitants? Water changes?
It could also be from bacteria or protozoans...it's very hard to tell, let alone treat. Sorry, & good luck...& congrats on having a QT...that is very important to be able to isolate new or sick fish! At least your other fish are no longer being exposed to whatever it might be. I'd do large water changes on your main tank often as you can, every day or 3, 30% at a minimum.
What are your actual water parameters? What do you feed & how often? Tank size & all inhabitants? Water changes?
Tifftastic
"With your powers combined . . ."
Usually with dropsy the scales are very obviously poking out. He wouldn't need to come to the surface for you to see that. I also am unfamiliar with the rapid breathing with dropsy, it would have had to come on very fast I would think.
Are you saying that your QT tank is unheated? If so this will make things harder to treat as the wrong temperature will increase stress and make the immune system work harder. I would not recommend moving the heater back and forth. I would strongly suggest thinking of QT as actual QT, no transfer of any equipment between the two, wash your hands between handling the two tanks etc. I would suggest purchasing a heater specifically for this system.
Additionally, I would like to know the answers to the questions that fishorama asked. These may help to make sure that none of your other fish get the same thing.
Are you saying that your QT tank is unheated? If so this will make things harder to treat as the wrong temperature will increase stress and make the immune system work harder. I would not recommend moving the heater back and forth. I would strongly suggest thinking of QT as actual QT, no transfer of any equipment between the two, wash your hands between handling the two tanks etc. I would suggest purchasing a heater specifically for this system.
Additionally, I would like to know the answers to the questions that fishorama asked. These may help to make sure that none of your other fish get the same thing.
myswtsins
Global Moderator
I agree with the other ladies. Could be any range of things but without the pinecone scales I doubt dropsy too. QT is good, depending on room temp a dedicated heater is good ( I see you said you were ordering one), keep things separate and please provide more detailed info about water parameters, water change schedule etc. Epsom salts is somewhere I like to start with bloating, it doesn't hurt anything (except plants and invertebrates depending how much salt you use).