dropsy?
- Thread starter Starry
- Start date
I'd just like to quote from Dieter Untergasser's Handbook of Fish Diseases, hoping this helps with your platy:
"Abdominal Dropsy:
Almost all fish species can be affected. Even without a specific host, the bacteria can remain viable and reproduce for months in the water. Since they belong to the normal bacterial flora of the tank, healthy fish can resist them. The fish are endangered only when starvation, improper diet, cold, or transportation stresses them, or when unsanitary conditions in the tank burden them. Once a fish is infected, it releases large numbers of bacteria, exposing its tankmates to the disease, which is often characterised by the discharge of large amounts of fluid into the body cavity. [...] Treatment is possible during the early stage. Affected fish and those suspected of the disease immediately should be isolated and observed. "
The suggested treatment is Nitrofurantoin, works in early stages and useful for prophylactic treatment of remaining fish. The author also indicates that fish in later stages of disease often die dispite treatment.
"Abdominal Dropsy:
Almost all fish species can be affected. Even without a specific host, the bacteria can remain viable and reproduce for months in the water. Since they belong to the normal bacterial flora of the tank, healthy fish can resist them. The fish are endangered only when starvation, improper diet, cold, or transportation stresses them, or when unsanitary conditions in the tank burden them. Once a fish is infected, it releases large numbers of bacteria, exposing its tankmates to the disease, which is often characterised by the discharge of large amounts of fluid into the body cavity. [...] Treatment is possible during the early stage. Affected fish and those suspected of the disease immediately should be isolated and observed. "
The suggested treatment is Nitrofurantoin, works in early stages and useful for prophylactic treatment of remaining fish. The author also indicates that fish in later stages of disease often die dispite treatment.
Starry,I thought twice about helping a Leafs fan i'm a Sabres fan but I'll go ahead and help,if it is dropsy it may be too late but try this antibiotic kanamychin sulfate,good news is its not highly contagious,also improve water quality immediately,dropsy is the same as a human having kidney failure.
Thanks guys.
Here's an update: The swelling has all but disappeared, and the pinecone look is barely noticeable now. He's swimming like normal and eating, he's not hiding anymore. I'm hopeful that he'll recover.
I would be very hesitant to treat the tank because it is heavily planted, and that would lead to a disaster. In any case, I don't trust myself to make the diagnosis, and don't particularly believe in medicating.
Water quality is second to none - it's well established, full of healthy growing plants and gets weekly 30-40% water changes. I haven't bought new fish in years and have never dealt with any disease in the tank.
I think the cause might have been overfeeding - I constantly have fry growing up, and from my experience they tend to get stunted unless I feed rather more than I think I should. On the particular day that I noticed this, I dumped a bunch of bloodworms in as soon as I got home from work, not realizing that they were already very full from my dad feeding them earlier in the day. Their diet is varied - they get freeze dried bloodworms, Tetra Min tropical flakes and spirulina flakes, and whatever soft algae is in the tank.
So, the take-home message is that I will start feeding less again, and keep a close eye.
Thanks guys
BTW Orange, I'll help you with plants any day, regardless of your little avatar
Here's an update: The swelling has all but disappeared, and the pinecone look is barely noticeable now. He's swimming like normal and eating, he's not hiding anymore. I'm hopeful that he'll recover.
I would be very hesitant to treat the tank because it is heavily planted, and that would lead to a disaster. In any case, I don't trust myself to make the diagnosis, and don't particularly believe in medicating.
Water quality is second to none - it's well established, full of healthy growing plants and gets weekly 30-40% water changes. I haven't bought new fish in years and have never dealt with any disease in the tank.
I think the cause might have been overfeeding - I constantly have fry growing up, and from my experience they tend to get stunted unless I feed rather more than I think I should. On the particular day that I noticed this, I dumped a bunch of bloodworms in as soon as I got home from work, not realizing that they were already very full from my dad feeding them earlier in the day. Their diet is varied - they get freeze dried bloodworms, Tetra Min tropical flakes and spirulina flakes, and whatever soft algae is in the tank.
So, the take-home message is that I will start feeding less again, and keep a close eye.
Thanks guys
BTW Orange, I'll help you with plants any day, regardless of your little avatar
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Hopefully this is my last update - he seems to have overcome whatever this was. He's lost all the swelling and his scales look normal. He's swimming and eating as usual, and chasing after the girls again. I really thought I'd lose him, he looked so bad for a while. I've found platies to be very tough fish in general, so good for them
Good to hear he's getting better, it's very rare in a case of dropsy 
.
However, I would still take action. The kanamycin sulfate (the Aquatronics medication Kanacyn) mentioned shouldn't hurt your plants or your filter. I have used it for other diseases in my planted tank with no noticeable harm done to the plants.
Although he is better, there is still another chance of the disease reoccuring... I've had a dwarf gourami seemingly cured of it only for him to fall ill once again a week later...
HTH, good luck
.However, I would still take action. The kanamycin sulfate (the Aquatronics medication Kanacyn) mentioned shouldn't hurt your plants or your filter. I have used it for other diseases in my planted tank with no noticeable harm done to the plants.
Although he is better, there is still another chance of the disease reoccuring... I've had a dwarf gourami seemingly cured of it only for him to fall ill once again a week later...
HTH, good luck
tricksterpup
It's SPRING!!! BUNNIE RABBITS
Sorry folks for the late response on this. LOL almost a year later.PumaWard said:I personally don't think they could, endler's, at least ours, stay pretty small, smaller than neons... but there's always the possibility. All I really know is that they will readily interbreed with guppies (which is very undesireable). You may want to ask someone with more knowledge about livebearers.. maybe tricksterpup if he's still hanging around. Sorry I can't be more helpful
Yes, Endlers will interbreed with guppies, I am actually trying and experiment on this in a 10 gallon, with females guppies and a male endler. I have also one male guppie in there as well. They are all wild form guppies. I find it enteresting that the male endler is smaller than the guppy.
But I am digressing here.
Alot of live bearers under the family of Poeciliidae will interbreed with each other. I have only found that Platies and Swordtails will readly enter mix and so will Endler's with guppies. But I have seen a male sword try to mate with one of my larger female guppies. So if there is a will and way, the males will try to mate with any of the females in the tank.
