Having a bit of trouble...

[Wills]

If any more fish start to show the same symptoms, take them to a fish vet and get them necropsied (animal autopsy). Get the vet to send cultures off to a lab and find out what it is. It could be something minor and easy to treat or something horrible like Fish TB. Until you find out what it is, I wouldn't add any more fish.

Thanks Colin I’ve tried to find fish vets in the past and there is no one any where near me that is interested

 

[Fishfunn]

I would be wary of using dechlorinators with water changes and not waiting 48 hours before dosing with medicines. Some dechlorinators react with the medicines.

From their FAQs:

Question:
Can I use water conditioners with eSHa products and how am I supposed to provide my fish with safe water without them?

Ans:
Tap water conditioner / chlorine / heavy metal & slime coat protection generally do not interfere much with eSHa products.

However, these products contain chemicals which are designed to attack, bind or coat other molecules. When your tap water is clean or if you overdose the tap safe, these chemicals build up and eagerly wait to react and then can reduce or even neutralize eSHa products.

 

[Colin_T]

Thanks Colin I’ve tried to find fish vets in the past and there is no one any where near me that is interested

If you have a department of agriculture in your town, they usually have a fish health section and can do necropsies. If not there should be a department of agriculture in the country and they might know of a fish vet that can do the job. The other option is a college or high school biology lab. Sometimes the teachers can do it or know someone who can.

 

[Wills]

If you have a department of agriculture in your town, they usually have a fish health section and can do necropsies. If not there should be a department of agriculture in the country and they might know of a fish vet that can do the job. The other option is a college or high school biology lab. Sometimes the teachers can do it or know someone who can.

It would take some digging but you have just reminded me that the university here has a big aquatic dept and I’ve heard rumours of a dedicated interest in lake Malawi - could be an option I don’t know how I’d get in touch though

 

[Colin_T]

It would take some digging but you have just reminded me that the university here has a big aquatic dept and I’ve heard rumours of a dedicated interest in lake Malawi - could be an option I don’t know how I’d get in touch though

call them or go down there in person and have a chat to someone.

 

[GaryE]

Things seem different in Australia.
I lived in a city with four excellent Universities, and untold numbers of vets. None would look at fish. Even though I was a lecturer at one of the universities for 10 years, I couldn't get anyone. They would put me in spare classrooms at the biology building, and no one would look at a fish.
I met one veterinary student who was training to work the salmon farms, and he would have checked a fish quite happily. While I knew him, my fish were going great with no questions.

Here, there's a paywall. If anyone would look, the cost would be high.

 

[Colin_T]

Things seem different in Australia.

We are fortunate to have the Department of Agriculture office near Vic Park and they have a fish health section. We also have Dave Morgan at Murdoch Uni, and Doctor Richmond Loh who used to come into the shop and look for sick fish so he could take a look at them under the microscope. Dave specialises in natives fishes of Australia and has a number of students that are also interested in them. Murdoch Uni is also a vet teaching university and they are open to the public so anyone can go down and either talk to the student vets or ask for a fish vet. But universities and the Ag department are the first places to call if you can't find a fish vet. If that fails, kill the fish and cut it open and look for any weird lumps.

 

[GaryE]

Looking at ANGFA and other Australian fish study groups, I see a lot more cooperation between scientists and serious aquarists. Here, we have no local aquarium species of note, and the scientific side tends to orient toward industry. We've had a few aquarist/science hobbyists over the years, but the tradition and accessibility are very different.

The one fish interested vet in Montreal used to charge $75 to say hello to her, and any meds or tests that followed were crazily priced.

 

[Wills]

Now having an issue in another tank - my 8 gallon nano which has Rosy Loaches, Cherry Shrimp and Red Dwarf Rasboras.

I've found a dead shrimp - which could be a failed molt... looking at it but one of the Rasboras has definite dropsy. I've added the NT labs medication - not sure what to do about the fish in question, they are active but gasping and definite dropsy.

No new fish added to this tank for months (maybe a year?) but I did rescape it last week (maybe week before) and I used the water change kit from my other tank, sort of hoping for the best when I did it but now urgh... big mistake.

I've never had a fish with dropsy before. This is all very disheartening. And to make matters worse I go on holiday for a week on Friday... dreading what I'll come back to now.

I have a third tank up and running that is due a water change but I'm loathed to use the equipment I've got...

Wills

 

[Colin_T]

Is the rasbora eating?
What does its poop look like?

If it has stopped eating and done a stringy white poop, euthanise it.
If it's still eating, try to get some medicated food into it. However, that will probably cost a lot more than just replacing the fish.

A lot of dropsy cases are isolated to that particular fish. However, if it's Fish TB there's nothing you can do about it anyway so go on a holiday and enjoy yourself and if more die while you're away, so be it. Sorry if that sounds harsh but you can't identify internal issues in fish before they happen so you just try to keep the tank clean and the fish well cared for and let them be.