Tetra really swollen! Help!

[StripySnailGirl04]

Hello,
One of my cardinal tetras are really swollen. It started a few days ago but the situation is really bad right now. It also can't swim properly and is breathing very heavily. It seem like it is very stretched and the scales are starting to come off. If it has constipation, this is very severe. My cardinals don't like peas so I'm not sure how to help at this point. Some pictures but they are not very good:

Is there anything I can do to help it? All the other fish are fine apart from the fact that they seem very active and will start swimming rapidly at random times...

 

[seangee]

If the scales ares ticking out its likely dropsy. I know some people have successfully treated this but in my own experience once the scales start sticking out the fish never survives .
Quick search showed up this article. I would ignore any of the advertising links as they won't work.
It is NOT constipation

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

If the scales ares ticking out its likely dropsy. I know some people have successfully treated this but in my own experience once the scales start sticking out the fish never survives .
Quick search showed up this article. I would ignore any of the advertising links as they won't work.
It is NOT constipation

Thank you!
It appears that the scales aren't sticking out and I think at this point it is unlikely that the tetra could be treated.

 

[AilyNC]

I'd find it very hard to see if a tetra had scales sticking out but with swelling like that I'd wouldn't rule out Dropsy.

However I would suspect NTD (neon tetra disease).

Either of those & the fish is doomed. I'd also worry about infection spreading.

Personally I'd remove the fish from the tank do big water changes for a few days keeping an eye on remaining fish & I'd probably lash in some salt or melafix.

 

[seangee]

I'd find it very hard to see if a tetra had scales sticking out but with swelling like that I'd wouldn't rule out Dropsy.

However I would suspect NTD (neon tetra disease).

Either of those & the fish is doomed. I'd also worry about infection spreading.

Personally I'd remove the fish from the tank do big water changes for a few days keeping an eye on remaining fish & I'd probably lash in some salt or melafix.

NTD is unlikely to affect cardinals. Its one of the reasons I originally chose cardinals over neons, and the pic is definitely of a cardinal

 

[AilyNC]

NTD is unlikely to affect cardinals. Its one of the reasons I originally chose cardinals over neons, and the pic is definitely of a cardinal

Oh good to know! And learn from!

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. Try adding a little plain (not flavored) psyllium to the flaked food. I use the plain psyllium in capsule form. I just take apart a casule and mix some the fiber into the flaked food. It works for people, so it makes sense a tiny bit will work for my fish. So much easier to use than cooking peas or whatever else has been used in the past.

10 Tanks (Now 11)