# Emergency



## Betta splendens (Nov 30, 2006)

Ok, I have a female guppy, and since yesterday she has aquired a rather inflammed, red, in someplaces bulgy, abdomin. This is mainly in her gravid spot area, with a blotch on her breast. 

Relavancies: 
A couple days ago she gave birth, but only to 5 fry.

She doesn't have the best water quality (the filter broke, a specific size and shape, no replacements made by the company and a poor makeshift filter had to be used as I desperately find another tank)

Her whole breast and abdomin area has scales resembling ruffled feathers (they're up and spiky instead of smooth) as does her still smaller daughter. 

I gave her a bunch of tubeworms to help induce labor when she gave birth

She never skinnied out when she gave birth.





Oh I don't know about the 'ruffled' scales, but could a problem in giving birth have occured and the dead fry still in her started to rot and got infected (it would explain why it's all read and weird in her gravid spot and why she's still fat)?


I put her and her also ruffle breasted daughter in a little tank, full of oxygen and a little bit of salt. I put in a disease tablet, made for and thinking the problem is "Hemorrhagic Scepticemia." I'm thinking this is an infection of some kind (isn't that also what Scepticemia is?), hence the salt in her holding tank.

I'm greatly worried, she was one of my two first female guppies, and she's been the only one giving birth in my tank. And I still don't know what the ruffled scale thing is.


Please help!
Betta splendens


ps: yes, I AM trying desperately to get a new tank.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You can compensate for the lack of filter with lots of water changes. Salt is good. And 'fry-bound" livebearers are common and there isn't a lot you can do.


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## Betta splendens (Nov 30, 2006)

Someone over on fishforums.net told me that it's dropsy, which I am convinced it is. Now I have no clue how to treat it except for putting in 20mg/L epsom salts. And I have no clue what that conversion is to Tablespoons!!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

14.79 mL in a tbs (tablespoons are volume, mg are mass). Water is 1 g/mL but salt is prob. heavier.


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## Cichlidsrule (Nov 8, 2006)

There isn't a lot you can do for dropsy, besides quarantining the fish (a good idea especially if you think dropsy is being caused by internal parasites), adding some antibiotics, and raising the temperature a few degrees. 
How long ago did you notice this? The earlier you begin to treat the fish, the more likely the treatment will work. Keep doing the salt treatment, as that often helps with parasites.


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## Betta splendens (Nov 30, 2006)

She died yesterday, but I only noticed it when I looked at her after school. She got really bad really fast.

But her daughter still has a pinecone appearance.


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