My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pics.

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
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Redding, Northern California
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#1
I placed three dwarf gouramis into my 55 gallon corner aquarium in order to calm and comfort some new discus fish I got. The two flame ones went crazy building bubble nests. The neon blue one started hanging out at the top of the tank and just sitting there. A few days ago I noticed he was looking a bit swolen, but I figured he must have just ate a lot. I've been giving the discus fish live tubifex worms about four times a day and I figured he was just pigging out. Well tonight I looked again and his scales are definitely sticking out, giving him a kind of pinecone look.


I read a few entries in books and all they really said was they don't know why it happens and to seperate him from the other fish and hope it goes away. Sounds kind of bleak for my neon blue dwarf gourami.

Anyone have experience with this maldy?
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
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Redding, Northern California
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#5
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

According to the link posted by chothahump antibiotics should work. I've seperated the fish, unfortunately the only place available was a one gallon goldfish bowl, but its more important that I keep the fish away from my other fish. I've got an extra 50 watt heater and a air pump with a difuser stone so I guess this will work for a makeshift hospital tank. Since its a small volume I can just dip water out of my large tank and do water changes every day rather than worry about filtration. Frequent water changes were recommended for dropsy anyway. I'll look at the store for antibiotics, but my gut feeling is that they will be more expensive than replacing the fish. I do have some Cipro left over... Just kidding I wouldn't use human medicine on my fish.
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#6
Oct 22, 2002
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#6
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

Why not? All the medicines in veternary science come from human based parmacticals.  In fact, tetracycline is used a whole lot in human medicine, as well as all the sufa drugs, penicillan, and, well, everything.

Of course the dosage and route of administration aren't the same<G>.

~~Colesea
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#7
Oct 22, 2002
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Redding, Northern California
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#7
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

Heh heh, I thought about it and reasoned, the drug is not for humans, its for killing bacteria. I figured what the hell, if its good enough for people its good enough for a fish with just about no other chance. I got a razor blade and scraped a little bit of amoxicillin into the water in the tank, not much, since I figured the fish is in one gallon, my body is I don't know, like 10 gallons? So I put like a tenth of a pill in. Not very scientific but what the hell. I just logged on to confess my sins and read colesea's comment. I feel a little better now. I kind of doubt its going to work, but according to my LFS owner dropsy is almost always fatal so I guess it can't hurt. On a more positive note Two of my bettas bred today and I got to see the whole thing! Here is a pic:
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#10
Oct 22, 2002
378
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Redding, Northern California
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#10
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

In the right light he is a very bright blue with red stripes. I've also seen them sold as powder blue and electric blue, its all about marketability.

All the sources I read said not to expect them to recover, that its caused by bacterial kidney failure. They don't know what causes it, but it is contageous so get your sick fish out if he's in with others.
 

A

AquariumBoiler

Large Fish
#11
Oct 22, 2002
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In a world of my own...
#11
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

I dunno if she is sick though.  Shes fat but she does eat about half the flake when I put it in.  A couple scales seem to be kind of sticking up a bit but she's a far cry from looking like a pinecone.  She has a couple of really tiny orangish spots around her head and she has been kinda inactive.  I wish I had a digital camera.She's been like this for at least a week or so. ???
 

equinom

equinom

Large Fish
#12
Oct 22, 2002
386
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The Blue Planet
#12
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

How's this one doing?  Those scales look pretty "proud" to me - I lost a molly to dropsy - I think when it's this far along there isn't much that can be done...

In the case of the molly, the LFS told us it was preggers...
hmmm, makes you wonder ....

Sorry to hear about the sickness.  Try to remember to clean everything really well before putting into the other tanks.
I have pets and accessories for the individual tanks - so if there is an outbreak of something, it's contained to one tank...
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#13
Oct 22, 2002
378
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Redding, Northern California
www.vulturesroost.com
#13
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

Pinecone (the fishes new name) is doing about the same as before. I put some antibiotics in his little hospital bowl as well as about half a teaspoon of aquarium salt. I figured the salt might eleviate some of the presure by drawing water out of him. I haven't been feeding him, but there are three tubifex worms on the bottom of his bowl. I figure if he gets real hungry he can eat them and in the mean time they will indicate if I put too much medicine in the bowl.
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#15
Oct 22, 2002
378
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47
Redding, Northern California
www.vulturesroost.com
#15
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

Freekin' Amazing! I wake up each morning expecting pinecone to be belly up but he is still alive tonight. Five days in a bowl that bettas would scoff at! I started putting melafix in with him last night as well as the antibiotics and aquarium salt. I can't really tell but it seems like his scales have gone down a little. I still expect him to be dead in the morning. His survival and recovery would be nothing short of miraculous. I've thought about flushing him and getting it over with but he's got a fighting spirit.
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#17
Oct 22, 2002
378
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47
Redding, Northern California
www.vulturesroost.com
#17
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

Pinecone has finally passed away. I did a water change yesterday morning and the dwarf gourami started swimming furiously around the bowl trying to leap out of the water. He did this for about an hour and finally tired himself out. He started doing barrel roles and I decided it was time to put him to sleep. I put him in the freezer and now now he is a fishsickle. I might get another one, he was a cool fish and one of the most colorful I had. But none will replace my little pinecone. :-[
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#18
Oct 22, 2002
1,612
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NY USA
#18
Re: My dwarf gourami looks like its got Dropsy. pi

Sorry to hear about pinecone. Dropsy is just one of those illnesses. Either they get over it or they don't. So sorry.
~~Colesea
 

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