New Member Looking for Help! Poss. Dropsy Fish?

[Mforman]

Hi All!

New member looking for a possible diagnosis for my celestial goldfish,Hank. He's in a 5 gallon tank and the tank is just about 4 months old. Ammonia levels are fine, unable to test anything else at this time. Just did 25% water change yesterday and a 95% change and gravel clean this morning.

Came home yesterday evening to find a very pointy bump on either side of Hank's body (just before his tail) and have not been able to find similar examples online. This morning the swelling on his left side has increased (scales sticking out ever so slightly). Right side swelling decreased but now slightly red.

A week ago Hank seemed to be having problems with his swim bladder (probs staying upright, etc) and the same bumps appeared (although less severe) while we were treating him for that. The issues seemed to go away within three days. Treatment we gave for SBD was 15 minute saltwater baths (a few times everyday) and fasting other than 1 pea daily.

No other symptoms today other than the protrusions on his sides. Put him in saltwater bath twice and gave a pea to eat, doesn't seem to be improving.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[OrangeCones]

He's in a 5 gallon tank and the tank is just about 4 months old. Ammonia levels are fine, unable to test anything else at this time.

5 gallons is too small for the fish unfortunately. What level of ammonia are you getting. What do you consider 'fine'?

Frequent water changes will help tremendously, as will the salt baths.

 

[Mforman]

Thanks for your reply Ammonia levels are 0 as are Nitrates and Nitrites. Had the water tested at our local fish store and they said the water was fine. After showing them photos they confirmed that it seems Hank has Dropsy :-(

Have any of you tried antibiotics for Dropsy? The employee at the store said they were pretty uneffective.

 

[OrangeCones]

With all levels being zero, the biological filter has not been established. I've never had a fish with dropsy, only know what I've learned from others. Perhaps someone with experience treating it can help. I'm afraid the fish store employee is correct though: treatment is usually ineffective. I wish you the best of luck with this.

 

[Mforman]

We've had the tank for 4 months so I would hope that the bio filter would be stable by now (ammonia has been testing at 0 for months...) but perhaps not. The only thing I can think of is that we might have been feeding too much.

Will continue with salt baths and water changes to see what develops.

Thanks for your help

 

[KcMopar]

You can't really treat this, its always fatal from what I have seen. You can prevent this by weekly water changes. This is caused by poor water quality.

 

[OrangeCones]

We've had the tank for 4 months so I would hope that the bio filter would be stable by now

If the tank was cycled, you would have zero ammonia and nitrite and some measurable nitrate level. If the nitrate level reaches 20, its time for a water change.

It would be hard to keep a 5 gallon tank stable with a goldfish. They need a minimum of 20-25 gallons for one fish as they are tremendous waste producers for their size.

I had to keep a goldfish in a 10 gallon tank once when her tank (55 gallon) broke during storm damage to my house. It was only 2 weeks (until the insurance adjuster paid to replace her tank), but I had to do DAILY water changes and only fed her 2x a week, to keep the ammonia level stable. And this was with an established (5+ years) biofilter!

KcMopar is correct regarding dropsy's cause though: poor water quality. How often and how much water do you change (not counting what you 'top off' due to evaporation)?

 

[KcMopar]

Mforman,
I want to say welcome to the Forum and my favorite hobby. I to started off just as you have. I also failed again after that first mistake too. Then I failed again and again. Back in the early 80's there was little help. I learned a lot by spending money only to murder more fish. You have to ease into a new tank. Get it set-up and running. Research the fish you want before you get it. Window shop a few fish you like, write down the names, ask questions at the fish store, and then go home and jump on the net and goggle the fishes you like. Check the length they grow to and the tank size that is recommended. Also get a test kit, you will need it to test your tap water PH and hardness. Now check the ph and hardness that your picks favor. You must select fish that fit your tank size, tap water PH, and tap water hardness. You must also make sure your picks can get along together, or even if they get along with their own kind or another. Anyway these are just a few pointers to get you moving in the right direction. Let us know how and if we can help you. Many others and I are always willing to help out. I am sorry to hear about your pet.

 

[djm761]

KcMopar good posting