thanks. will try to separate him, the tank is all goldfish tank, goldfish types are ranchu, lionhead and orandas
Help with my lionhead goldfish please
- Thread starter terror
- Start date
good eye, reptile - that last photo confirms it - that's definitely dropsy. you can see the scales rising across his stomach.
isolate him and treat with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. oxytetracycline seems to be the most effective and can be found in most LFS. check the active ingredients of powder and pill-type meds if you don't see any labeled specifically as "tetracycline" or "oxytetracycline." follow the recommended treatment regimen on the package.
also feed him a medicated food - i recommended Jungle Labs before because i have used it in the past with great success for other illnesses. other antibiotic foods should be fine as well. a double-pronged approach like this gives you the best chance of saving him.
be aware that dropsy is usually fatal. once a fish gets to the pinecone stage like your goldfish, there's not much that can be done. if you have a regular fish vet - most people don't, but i always ask - take him in immediately and ask the vet to draw off fluid that has accumulated in the fish's body cavity. this is what causes the pinecone effect.
dropsy is almost always caused by long-term water problems or bacterial infections which trigger kidney and/or liver failure. it is crucial that you keep up with water changes and monitor your parameters in both the main tank and the hospital tank, to help your sick fish fight the illness and to prevent the other fish falling ill as well.
good luck. remember the sooner you can treat him, the cleaner the water, the better.
isolate him and treat with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. oxytetracycline seems to be the most effective and can be found in most LFS. check the active ingredients of powder and pill-type meds if you don't see any labeled specifically as "tetracycline" or "oxytetracycline." follow the recommended treatment regimen on the package.
also feed him a medicated food - i recommended Jungle Labs before because i have used it in the past with great success for other illnesses. other antibiotic foods should be fine as well. a double-pronged approach like this gives you the best chance of saving him.
be aware that dropsy is usually fatal. once a fish gets to the pinecone stage like your goldfish, there's not much that can be done. if you have a regular fish vet - most people don't, but i always ask - take him in immediately and ask the vet to draw off fluid that has accumulated in the fish's body cavity. this is what causes the pinecone effect.
dropsy is almost always caused by long-term water problems or bacterial infections which trigger kidney and/or liver failure. it is crucial that you keep up with water changes and monitor your parameters in both the main tank and the hospital tank, to help your sick fish fight the illness and to prevent the other fish falling ill as well.
good luck. remember the sooner you can treat him, the cleaner the water, the better.
epsom salts can also help to reduce the fluid buildup, but just like having a vet remove the fluid it's just a temporary measure to gain time, not a cure.
ooo i had a lionhead that died from that. he got patches on his body that starrted red, and then went to green, and then bllack. the black patches got really bad and started eating his skin. then he died. i hope thats not what ur lionhead has. the patches on urs dont look dark enough. i think i saw a page about this. i forget wat the disease is called, but its natural for fish to get it when they go into a new tank and to just give him salt bathes and it will go away. it could be something worse though.
