[eparreno]

my GBR stomach has swelled up recently. I thought she might have been pregnant but it's been a couple days and she had not laid any eggs. So now I'm starting to think that she isn't pregnant and has some sort of bloat disease. Her scales are sticking out and she is hanging out by the filter all day and rarely eating.

Does anyone know what she has and how I can treat her?

 

[OVT]

Dropsy

 

[Doogy262]

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/termsandtables/p/Dropsy.htm

 

[WaterLife]

Yeah it's Dropsy (pineconing scales).
Test your water parameters (pH, GH, KH, temperature, even ammonia, nitrite, nitrate while you are at it).

Is this the only fish showing signs?
How long have you had the GBR? (if it's been a while I assume it recently developed this)

For now do a Epsom salt dip to reduce the bloating (can't remember instructions for it so look them up).

Find out your water parameters so we can rule them out or not. If you don't have a GH and KH test kit, take some tank water to a fish store and have them test it. Write down the results and report back. I know Sierra Fish & Pets down in Renton has the whole range of test kits for testing customer water, unsure about the other LFS. Petco and Petsmart should also have them? Or just buy the tests.

 

[eparreno]

Ph 7.4
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrate 20ppm
Kh 3

This is actually very surprising because I've had this tank for a while now and ammonia was 0 before. I have no idea what happened because I have had no other fish deaths, I feed modestly, and I do 25% water changes weekly.

Yes this is the only fish showing signs. She shares a 20gal tank with 10 silver tip tetras, her GBR male partner, a female betta and a bn plecostomus. She started showing signs 4 days ago. At first it was just bloated but she made a nest a couple days before so I figured she was pregnant but then I got concerned when she didn't lay eggs and left her nest to go hang out on top of the sponge filter. Then I started noticing the fins sticking out two days ago. And now she is really bloated and lethargic.

I have heard many people say it's not worth trying to save them and that euthanizing them is the best option, especially to avoid spreading it.

 

[Nlewis]

I have heard many people say it's not worth trying to save them and that euthanizing them is the best option, especially to avoid spreading it.

At this point there's no reason to euthanize the fish because you need to treat the whole tank. It's been in there with all your other fish for days. Treat the tank and see if she's pulls through.

 

[Nordic]

PS, 25% weekly water changes, changes noting, go for at least 40%, 50 is even better.

Dropsy is a pest, very hard to cure, you may manage to get some improvement, but they always almost relapse. I'd do the Epsom bath just to get the fish more comfortable, then hit it with kanamycin/kanaplex or similar antibiotic. This is one case where I don't frown on antibiotics.

 

[eparreno]

What's the best way to treat the whole tank other than adding salt? It's heavily planted and I'm afraid the plants will die from the salt.