[laurenaintborin]

I think my beta fish has dropsy, but he has been like this for over a month, and the information on dropsy that I had found prior to posting this said that he should be dead after a few weeks. He is huge and his skin is so stretched out that I can see through him! He has been alive for two years now and has never had a problem. Here is a picture of him, if anyone knows anything that can help me out, e-mail me at [email protected]

I don't get a chance to get on here very often.
Thank you everyone!

-Lauren

 

[RodentzRule]

Wow, that is one big fish, sure looks like dropsy. You can get meds for it at a pet shop but you may have caught it to late, it may also have other complications tied in as dropsy is a symptom, not an illness (I think)

 

[Sasami]

Oh, wow.

Is he eating? How is he swimming? What treatments have you tried?

I'll send an e-mail later if you don't read this.

 

[Jess]

That sure doesnt look like dropsy to me! If a fish has dropsy, all its scales stand up, not just the front ones.
Ive never seen something like that before, sorry I cant help!

 

[canadiancritter]

He looks bloated

 

[laurenaintborin]

yes he is for sure bloated, but he has been bloated for weeks now and it has not gone down at all. i went to petsmart and they said they dont know what to do about this...great! :[ so i was hoping you could suggest some medications that i can use for him? i tried the fasting and the boiled pea and he has got to be the pickiest fish ever...i had to try three foods to see what he likes. he would not eat the pea, and kfdas; ah i just need help!

yes, he is eating as normal and swimming as much as usual, he can't fit into one of the holes on his rainbow cave though!

 

[Sasami]

It's really hard to diagnose cases of dropsy and/or bloat because they can be so many different things .

I would try the medication Binox by Jungle. It's pretty general and cures most bacterial and fungal infections (your betta may have an internal infection of some kind). Just be warned that the medication is strong--I usually don't start with a full dose just to make sure the fish can handle it.

Something to try is a salt bath, which will kill a lot of parasites. Freshwater aquarium salt can be used and is only a couple of dollars for a carton (even if it doesn't end up working, it's great to have around and can sometimes treat diseases like Ich without having to resort to actual medications). The exact dosages tend to vary depending on the source, but I would try starting with just a couple tablespoons per gallon of water. If that doesn't seem to be helping, you can try larger amounts.

To give a salt bath to a fish, set up a small container with clean de-chlorinated water that's the same temperature as the water in the main aquarium. Add the proper amount of salt and mix well. Put the fish in the container and leave it there for 5 minutes or so. Then remove the fish and slowly acclimate it back to its tank. You can give it a bath twice a day.

It's also possible that it's a tumor, in which case there isn't much you can do.

Good luck!

 

[HappyDancer]

my daughters beta looked like that for almost 6 months, we called vets and everything, my vet said it was Droppsy even though not all the scales stood out, she said their were different types...not sure if she was right or not, Martina just seemed miserable, it was heartbreaking to watch, she bloated badly and then after a month spent most of her time at the bottom of her tank...we tried all the different remedies and I guess we caught it to late...I hope you have better luck than we did...good luck and keep us updated

 

[laurenaintborin]

I have been giving him salt baths, but he has not become less bloated, he doesn't seem bothered at all by it though, he is swimming around and eating as much as he always has. he is pooping more than often though, does that mean anything? haha