Post by Allaquatica on Sept 23, 2006 22:33:47 GMT -5
Dropsy is usually kidney damage, it can be caused by bacterial infection, viral infection or even high Ammonia or Nitrite. Fresh water fish need to pass a lot of water as in fresh water their flesh absorbs a lot of water. If the kidneys become in any way damaged they swell up like a balloon. If you are very very lucky you can remove the fish to its own tank with fresh water and this will very occasionally cure the poisoning type, bacterial can sometimes be cured with antibiotics (very expensive ) but the fish is usually badly damaged by the time the disease appears. aquarium salt can also be used to attempt to dehydrate the fish and relieve the osmosis process untill it gets better, very slowly add aquarium salt over a few days untill it is at 1tsp per gal, if the fish is cured then this salt also has to be slowly removed over a week or so (use this cure at own risk). Usually the viral and bacterial forms of dropsy inflame and bind together all the internal organs and the fish quickly dies. Usually this disease comes about from stress caused by poor water conditions and even old age, of the 20 or more fish i have had with this disease only one has ever lived and then only for about 7 months after which the disease came back and finished it off.
