Help! Early signs of dropsy?

[eraagne]

Ah I knew there had to be a secret! I'll buy one after I can justify the cost. I have to remind myself that I'm still a broke college student.

Nitrites are down to 0.25. Possibly a little lower. So I'll be doing one more water change before the end of the night.

S/he has perked up considerably and the swelling may have gone down a bit. Perhaps it had to do with gas exchange? Head is still dark orange. Gills don't look so great. I'm going to salt the water a bit.

Will the fish ever fully recover from this? S/he is still doing considerable surface gasping. Will the fish always require frequent water changes to keep fresh oxygen in the water. Due to gill damage?

 

[geekboy]

The oxygen level in water is mostly affected by interaction with the air around it. Water holds onto some oxygen as its surface comes in contact with air, moreso when it is agitated or bubbles are pumped into it. This "capacity" may be reduced if the water is made warmer, or treated with certain sorts of chemicals and medications.

An air pump and stone are an excellent way to keep oxygen levels as high as possible. Water changes have some effect, but aren't usually meant to maintain O2 levels so much as reduce the impact of waste and chemicals.

The gills, if damaged at all after this bit of trauma, should recover quite well with time. All you can do is try to gauge fish symptoms to guess whether breathing is still difficult.