Dropsy

[BigTallV]

I have a case of Dropsy on my hands.

Had 4 "Neon Barbs" that ultimately one by one have surely died. The last one is currently in a quarrantine tank I purchased yesterday (10 gal). It has a heater and a single airstone, the filter is hang-on tank style - but I did NOT put the filter pack in). I filled the quarrantine tank with water from the main tank and started on dosing with Mardel Maracyn-Two last evening. The lone fish was fine on Saturday, Sunday morning it appeared bloated (no pine-cone effect though). It is still eating and active. Was starting on gasping but has settled from what I can see today.

This morning status-quo, however upon return from work this evening - one of my red stripe torpedo barbs has died. It appeared slightly bloated but was difficult to diagnose based on it being the larger of the 4 in the tank. I immediately removed him.

MAIN TANK:
46G column style (30" high) running 6 months on Eheim 2217 cannister, 3 plants (swords, etc.), Pagoda Stone, plain gravel, token shipwreck ornament, gravel substrate

2 Pearl Gourami's, 1 Golden Gourami, 1 Dwarf Gourami (Colisa Lalia)
3 Red Stripe Torpedo Barbs (was 4)
2 Boesmani Rainbows
1 Dwarf Neon Rainbow
1 Siamese Algae Eater
1 Otto
2 Cardinal Tetra

I've done 10 to 30% water changes with a python previously, but due to unexplained deaths after any given water change, switched to aged/aerated water. Did 20% waterchange Saturday after losing 2nd last Neon Barb, did another 20% Sunday afternoon/evening in order to fill quarrantine tank for the lone Neon Barb remaining.

My nitrates were usually high (30 to 40ppm) but am skeptical of my test kit (API Master/Freshwater) as it's a couple years old now. Tested nitrates Sunday evening and was sitting around 5ppm (good level).

QUARRANTINE QUESTIONS:
1) Do I perform water changes on the quarrantine tank?
2) When is it safe to put last/suspect Neon Barb back into main tank?
3) Is Dropsy contageous? Could he reinfect others?
4) Do I add in a filter to pump in quarrantine? I'm dosing Maracyn-Two, so suspect to not put one.

MAIN TAINK QUESTIONS:
A) Do I treat main tank now due to losing a red-stripe torpedo barb (suspect it had Dropsy - bloated/hiding/lathargic but did eat)?
B) Should I do yet another 20% water change?

Temp is 78C in both tanks. Main tank has had a few bouts of Ich, treated with API's Super Ich Cure weeks ago. No other meds. I do sometimes use Big Al's Multi-Purpose Aquarium Water Conditioner or Prime as a dechlorinator if I don't have the water aged long enough to rid it of chlorine.

I've always done minimum of 10% water change and at most 35 to 40% (after Ich bouts). I gravel vac'd with the Python every time. About 3 or 4 weeks ago I tried doing 10% water change twice weekly with buckets instead but didn't gravel vac. Now I gravel vac with Python but fill with aged/aerated water.

What to do? Your help and advice is appreciated.
/BTV

 

[WILDER]

A nitrate reading of 30 to 40 is not high, what your tap nitrate reading.
Yes you must increase aeration with meds.
Dropsy can pass onto another fish if they peck on the body of a dead fish.
Any other symtoms being show apart from dropsy.
Like
Sores, going thin, flicking and rubbing.

 

[BigTallV]

A nitrate reading of 30 to 40 is not high, what your tap nitrate reading.
Yes you must increase aeration with meds.
Dropsy can pass onto another fish if they peck on the body of a dead fish.
Any other symtoms being show apart from dropsy.
Like
Sores, going thin, flicking and rubbing.

Will open up the air line some more, QT has a single stone on a small pump. Main tank has a fairly long bubble wall/wand.

No other symptoms, behaviour seems good aside from that. Have observed Ich and its associated behaviours pre and post visible. Fins all good, no sores or lesions, all inhabitants eating, etc.

Unfortunately due to timing of death being either overnight or during workday, I've either woken up and removed them or came home and removed them. Usually it's whatever remains. Sometimes just the eyes were taken (boy do they go for that first or what...), other occasion it was underbelly area.

Tap water is ~5ppm. I thought ideal is 10 to 20ppm. It seems if I do a 10 to 20% water change weekly, I can only keep it to about 30 or 40ppm.

One inhabitant is thin (dwarf neon rainbow), but this occured because of surviving 3 bouts of ich and meds and is still recovering (eating, swimming better, challenging for food, etc., not just hovering over a leaf like an animated hair). Aside from that exception all others are "appearing" healthy. But I'm keeping an eye on the red stripe torpedo barbs.

Do I leave out any filter on the QT tank for now and keep up dosing on it?
Do I begin dosing big tank?

 

[WILDER]

If you have a low nitrate reading by the tap you are not doing enough maintance.
I would remove ornaments and hoover as waste can build up underneath them.
When did you last maintain your filter sponges.
If you are losing alot of fish to dropsy I would add a bacterial med to the tank.


The fish thats skinny is it due to him not eating, as in can indeciate something serious.

 

[BigTallV]

If you have a low nitrate reading by the tap you are not doing enough maintance.
I would remove ornaments and hoover as waste can build up underneath them.
When did you last maintain your filter sponges.
If you are losing alot of fish to dropsy I would add a bacterial med to the tank.


The fish thats skinny is it due to him not eating, as in can indeciate something serious.

Tap is 5ppm Nitrate. Tank typically is reading 30 or 40ppm (hard to say based on the lousy differential in those red stripes on the API freshwater master test kit). I thought ideal is between 10 to 20ppm, but am not an authority on that... need some input on what is deemed "acceptable" level.

I typically gravel vac open/reachable areas weekly whilst changing 10 to 20% of water weekly. Periodically, every few changes or so, I'll move or remove an ornament and vac underneath it. More recently I moved to a regimen of changing the water only (10% via aerated/aged bucket) twice weekly but every couple of weeks vac'ing the gravel out with the python and filling from the buckets. I was trying to isolate if warm water from the tap was causing issues, or if chlorine in the tap water was causing it. Typically I would remove water, partially dose with dechlorinator (Big Al's Multipurpose or Prime or Ammo Loc 2), fill half way outstanding with python/tap water at correct temp, then dose final amount of same dechlorinator and fill outstanding balance of water with python/tap water at correct temp.

Filter sponges, Eheim coarse (blue) haven't done anything, there's only one of them. The mechanical (coarse rings )and biological (cintered glass) balls I've left along so far. The top fine sponge (white) I've squeezed out (under tank waste water in a bucket) a couple of times since new (recall this is 6 months of ownership since receiving the Christmas gift tank/pump/stand). The charcoal filter has been removed during Ich bouts when medicating with API Super Ich Cure and replaced with new charcoal filter when done course of meds. I do shut the pump down for 5 to 10 minutes while I do the water change as water splashes out from the spray bar sometimes.

I figure I've lost 3 or 4 to dropsy so far. The others seem okay, but the next few days will determine that I suppose. I'm watching one of the red stripe torpedo barbs very carefully, call it a hunch that he'll go next if anyone. A previous RSTB went yesterday - so I'm thinking they may be on the outs if it's spreading.

What of the single neon barb in the QT? Do I add him back into the main tank once course of meds are finished? Can he infect others that are otherwise healthy? Should I just leave him in the QT for now and start cycling that tank once he's apparently mended? I didn't really want to have a QT running fulltime, I'd rather put it away and take out whenever needed for medicinal/recovery or whenever purchasing new stock for isolation/examination. Just worried about reinfecting the others in the main tank if they're all okay.

 

[rabbut]

hi

Dropsy is contagious, so if one fish has it, most of the others probibly do. For this reason I would treat both tanks, regardless of whether the occupants look fine. Preform waterchanges in you QT, arround treatment dosing. Once the medication for your isolated fish is finished, and his symptoms have cleared, you should leave him "in situ" for between 2 and 4 weeks, to observe, and re-treat where nessisary. Likewise with the main tank. Needless to say, you should not be adding any new fish at this time, as it puts them at unnessisary risk.

regards

 

[WILDER]

Look under dropsy.
http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm