Balloon Looking Molly

[cutesmile]

hi,
right i woke up yesterday morning to find 1 of my mollys have ballooned up, if i didnt know what sex HE is i would say his over due thats how big he is.
i have given peas but he dont look interested in them and i have'nt seen him poo as of yet.
all water states r as they should be.
can anyone please help with any other advice.

 

[-germ-]

That is dropsy. V. Bad. Also a result of bacterial infection.
I'm afraid you'll need to quarantine the fish. If treated succesfully in order to protect your other fish he should'nt be returned to themain tank.
Try inter-pet #9 or waterlife octozin you could also look into an epsom salt bath.
Not to be harsh, but i doubt he will survive.
Its at a fairly late stage.

 

[cutesmile]

thanks for ur reply germ.
ok its dropsy, u say its at a fairly late stage. how comes there was no signs of this saturday?
or is this how it works..ie u dont know they have till they have it?
he has been taken out of main tank now.
do you think its worth treating or is he to far gone?

 

[-germ-]

I'd definately give treatment a go....
Epsom bath.<---this is the link i have seen before but i have never treated with an epsom bath, or for dropsy.
I couldn't say how fast dropsy takes to get a grip.... It certainly looks like it is though, i'll try and get confirmation from a more experienced member. Is there no chance he was slightly bloated and you didn't notice?
Have a look at the pics on this link.... and you will see why it appears to be dropsy, its the pineconing more than anything....
Another thing make sure to perform extra gravel vacs, if it is bacteria related it can be passed through the ingestion of infected faeces.
Your tank maintenance needs to be upped at this time. Treat the main tank with the anti-bac as well.

 

[Lynda B]

That is most definitely dropsy. This will help you understand the various "levels" of the ailment.

Dropsy
Ascites

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Description:
Dropsy itself is not a disease, but rather a result of some other cause. Dropsy is a term given to the swelling that occurs internally in the fish. There are multiple possible causes. Sometimes it's not contageous, but sick fish should be isolated and treated since determining the actual cause may be impossible, and also because this will be easier on the fish.

The fish's body will become swelled with fluid it is unable to expel. Eventually the swelling will cause the scales to raise, giving the fish what is called the "pine-cone" appearance.

Diagnosis, One of these situations may be the culprit:
Acute Dropsy: Sudden swelling: A bacterial infection will cause internal bleeding.
Chronic Dropsy: Slow swelling: Growing tumors, or even parasites, in the fish may cause it to swell.
Chronic Dropsy: Slow swelling: Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Highly contageous!
Other unknown causes, such as a virus, or permanent damage to the fish's internal organs. Damage to kidneys can occur due to over-use of medication or use of too strong of medication.

Treatment:
It is difficult to treat, but in some cases where the problem is due to bacteria, if detected early enough, it can be treated. This is why you should closely examine the fish's environment for a bacterial problem, and deal with the source of the problem as a part of treatment and preventative.

By the time the scales begin to raise, however, it is very fatal to the fish. Salt baths can help to draw the fluid out of the fish. A variety of medications can be purchased that treat dropsy, which sometimes occurs due to an internal bacterial problem. Medications for external bacterial problems only will not be effective for this problem.

Gouramies and Cyprinids are highly susceptible to this disorder.

 

[-germ-]

Thanks Lynda, also had another extremely experienced fish keeper confirm this as well.
Definately dropsy.

Very common in mollies when not kept in brackish water (messes up their osmoregulation perhaps). Not especially contagious, but very difficult to cure. The best you can do is isolate the fish so the infection can't spread and then treat with antibacterial or antibiotic medications. Furanol is about the best bet available in the UK. Putting the molly in brackish water will also help draw out the fluid and take the strain off the kidneys.

Won't cite my sources unless asked otherwise (my smiley obsession needs to stop).

Anyhow most of the info you have been given so far is correct, i'd use the med from the quote if you're from the UK and try adding some salt to the treated water.... But i would expect the worst. Do treat though, there is no harm, only good in trying.
Good luck.

Post#1000

 

[Lynda B]

Post#1000

you need a life, my friend.....

 

[*Fishkies*]

Well you have a case of

Acute Dropsy - which is sudden swelling often brought on from internal bacteria problem.

Same thing just happened with my friends fish last night. Gave the fish an immediate bath seemed to help. As he is still alive this morning.

Also depending where you are located if you can get a hold of maracyn-2 this would be a good treatment for dropsy also. However as mentioned above interpret 9 should do the job also.

Be sure to do a water change in the main tank. As dropsy can be caused due to poor water quality. Also keep this mollies water extremely clean. You can also raise the temperature in the isolated tank for this molly as this helps sometimes. However add some extra aeration in with the molly, as the higher temperatures can stress fish out more easily.

Best of Luck!!!

 

[-germ-]

That took me 4 months(ish), you however, my dear, have acheived 509 in a month and a day...
Pot, kettle, black perhaps?
Anyhow might celebrate with a refreshing cup of the good old you know what...
Anyway bad thread for this --zip--