# Dropsy treatment



## Britty685 (Apr 7, 2005)

I have a 55 gallon aquarium, freshwater with different species of fish in it. I noticed that my fish was swollen and his scales are protruding away from his body. I have heard that this could be caused by an internal bacterial infection. I have some questions:

1.) I purchased (but have not yet used) PimaFix. I heard that it was ok to use in a tank with scaleless fish. Would this be helpful in treating dropsy?

2.) are there any other things that i should to to alleviate the swelling in the gourami?

3.) what else do i need to do to prevent this from happening again?

I really would like some help i dont know what to do!


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

First off welcomee and sorry to hear of your situation

It is far easier to describe the symptoms of dropsy than to identify the specific cause of it. Fish suffering from dropsy exhibit the classic pine-cone appearance where the scales become raised and protrude from the smooth body surface and the eyes may even protrude from the head. In extreme cases, the scales may become reddened through localised haemorrhaging when fluid accumulates within the body cavity.

There is no apparent single cause of dropsy and it usually only affects individual fish. As there are uncertain causes of dropsy, precise treatment can be difficult and affected fish are best isolated to reduce the likelihood of any infection to other fish. It is rare for dropsied fish to respond to medication.

Your best bet is to try feeding him a varitey of food. Although at this stage he probably will not take anything.


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