Betta Swollen ... No Pineconing

[BettaMomCdn]

Sorry, no picture.

I have 3 bettas, each in his own 5-gallon tank. Two are healthy / active.

Sam has had a swollen belly, both sides, for a few weeks. There is no pineconing. I've done 2 rounds of Kanamycin (Kanaplex) with no success.

Tank: 5 gallons. Gravel. Silk plants.
Water change: Normally, regularly, once a week. Have been doing every 2 days as per Kanaplex instruction.
Food: Omega One pellets, soaked 5 minutes. Normally 3 pellets morning / 3 night. Bloodworms / shrimp: once a month.

Food while sick: at first, fasted 3 days. Now Sam eats a pellet a.m. / sometimes p.m. and he's done eating. There is "fish poop."

Behaviour: Lethargic. Dashes out at feeding time, otherwise hides.

Questions:
Is it dropsy if there's no pineconing?
What more can I do for Sam?

 

[Demeter32]

Can you post a few photos? Sounds to me it is either an internal tumor or fluid buildup that isn't necessarily dropsy.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Pics would help. The Kanamycin should have treated anything gram negative so scratch that out. Sometimes it takes a while for pineconing to begin in dropsy. You can try giving him Epsom salt baths a couple of times a day per instructions on package. The salt pulls out fluid. It win’t be the cure but may slow down progression and make him more comfortable while figuring this out. Is there anything else visible on his body? Sores, spots, fuzzy growth, etc?

 

[BettaMomCdn]

Can you post a few photos? Sounds to me it is either an internal tumor or fluid buildup that isn't necessarily dropsy.

Sorry, I have no way of taking pictures.

 

[BettaMomCdn]

Pics would help. The Kanamycin should have treated anything gram negative so scratch that out. Sometimes it takes a while for pineconing to begin in dropsy. You can try giving him Epsom salt baths a couple of times a day per instructions on package. The salt pulls out fluid. It win’t be the cure but may slow down progression and make him more comfortable while figuring this out. Is there anything else visible on his body? Sores, spots, fuzzy growth, etc?

______________
Sorry, I have no way of taking pictures. You say "a while" for pineconing to begin ... how long is "a while" - Sam has been swollen for about 3 weeks. He reacted badly to being taken out his usual tank and put in an Epsom salt bath. Sank to the bottom of the hospital tank and stayed there. Revived a bit / ate a pellet once put back in the regular tank.

Can I put Epsom salt in the usual tank? How much would I do for 5 gallons? How do I get it out afterward?

 

[FishGuest5123]

If he reacted like that, I wouldn’t put it in his home tank. Perhaps try 1/2 the dose you did before. I have had fish bloated for a couple of weeks before pineconing. Unfortunately, in my case they had columnaris though and outward signs showed last. This probably is not the case with yours though.

 

[BettaMomCdn]

If he reacted like that, I wouldn’t put it in his home tank. Perhaps try 1/2 the dose you did before. I have had fish bloated for a couple of weeks before pineconing. Unfortunately, in my case they had columnaris though and outward signs showed last. This probably is not the case with yours though.

Thank you! Won't put Epsom salt in his home tank. I'll try Epsom salt bath at 1/2 dose.

To answer your question: nothing else seen on Sam. No sores, no spots, no fuzz.