Updates on dropsy in betta.

[Navfish]

Let me start with....I hate coming on this sub forum basically every day because it means something is wrong.
-however, this is an incredible site because I can rely on someone to reply to my emergency unlike some other fish forums.

It's troubling because everytime I get a betta, something always happens.
-I have other tanks which are perfectly running for months now with other types of fish. (guppies, tetras, snails...) ... i'm not sure why what's afflicting my betta now and my previous bettas.

Due to the possibility that my fish has dropsy, I came here.
gave the info and they stated that it looked like my betta from the top does not have dropsy.

however...someone informed me that it seems like he has prolapse instead.
-just need more conformation if this is right since I have not heard of this disease/sickness before

He is in a 10 gallon planted tank, 2-3 weeks old, pretty new tank. (cycled)

he was transferred from a 5g tank a couple days ago

SYMPTOMS: Noticed bloated and stomach turn white and see his organ starting a couple days ago (the day before I put him in new tank
-eating well and the last time I saw him poop was 3 days ago and it was brown
-Also he is lethargic, not at bottom but in the little floating brown log.

No pineconing from top so im assuming its not dropsy.
-also he was dealing with internal parasites a couple weeks prior to this happening.

current treatment: water changes every other day 50% starting yesterday
+kanaplex and epsom salt everyday starting 2 days ago .
-Should I stop this treatment?
-this was the treatment assuming it was dropsy.

Plz help determine what he has and what treatment should start??!?!!!

water parameters:
Ammonia/nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

Photos

What do you guys think?


In the second photo the white part on his stomach is a little bloated and you can see his organ on mainly his right side.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong - doesn't look like dropsy though, you're right there. Not swollen and pineconed.

When you say that you're having a lot of problems with bettas - I think bettas are becoming generally quite weak and unhealthy now, to be honest. Especially the really large finned, and the really popular, customer grabbing varieties - not helped by the way they're often kept when raised/farmed/in stores. So might not be anything you're doing wrong.

I'm sure that @Colin_T can give better advice!

 

[Navfish]

I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong - doesn't look like dropsy though, you're right there. Not swollen and pineconed.

When you say that you're having a lot of problems with bettas - I think bettas are becoming generally quite weak and unhealthy now, to be honest. Especially the really large finned, and the really popular, customer grabbing varieties - not helped by the way they're often kept when raised/farmed/in stores. So might not be anything you're doing wrong.

I'm sure that @Colin_T can give better advice!

thanks for the reply! I feel very passionate about keeping bettas in particular and it just sucks that they are genetically weak. Especially since I'm having bad luck with them. I may have to stick with keeping other kinds of fish sadly, if this one passes.

But if im doing something wrong, I just don't know what!

Maybe this betta has organ failure or something..very odd!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

thanks for the reply! I feel very passionate about keeping bettas in particular and it just sucks that they are genetically weak. Especially since I'm having bad luck with them. I may have to stick with keeping other kinds of fish sadly, if this one passes.

Bear in mind that it's just my opinion that they're genetically weak now. But if you search the forum for sick bettas, you'll see just how common it is for them to have health issues even when conditions otherwise seem perfect. A betta breeder friend of mine also had a lot of problems with sickly bettas, and I know for sure that his water quality was great and he worked really hard to try to save them.

If this one does pass (which is not a sure thing! Might well recover!) and you want to keep trying with bettas, then I'd definitely look for some bred by a local hobbyist, rather than getting one from a store. Join betta clubs in your area, find out who the respected breeders are, see if you can source a betta that way. Likely to be healthier than one farmed abroad and shipped to a store. Or look for one on ebay, bred by someone relatively close by, for the same reasons.

Or you could dive deeper, like @Crispii , who keeps some really, really beautiful wild type bettas. They're not overbred and deformed to have huge fins or wild colours, but going back to what the wild fish is all about.

 

[Navfish]

Bear in mind that it's just my opinion that they're genetically weak now. But if you search the forum for sick bettas, you'll see just how common it is for them to have health issues even when conditions otherwise seem perfect. A betta breeder friend of mine also had a lot of problems with sickly bettas, and I know for sure that his water quality was great and he worked really hard to try to save them.

If this one does pass (which is not a sure thing! Might well recover!) and you want to keep trying with bettas, then I'd definitely look for some bred by a local hobbyist, rather than getting one from a store. Join betta clubs in your area, find out who the respected breeders are, see if you can source a betta that way. Likely to be healthier than one farmed abroad and shipped to a store. Or look for one on ebay, bred by someone relatively close by, for the same reasons.

Or you could dive deeper, like @Crispii , who keeps some really, really beautiful wild type bettas. They're not overbred and deformed to have huge fins or wild colours, but going back to what the wild fish is all about.

Will do! I got this one from a 5 star local fish store and surprisingly, he was the only one in his one little 5 gallon planted tank!
-but yes, I know a lot of online betta breeders which have good quality bettas..we'll see if maybe one day I get one from one of these shops. (hopefully not thou )

 

[Navfish]

Bear in mind that it's just my opinion that they're genetically weak now. But if you search the forum for sick bettas, you'll see just how common it is for them to have health issues even when conditions otherwise seem perfect. A betta breeder friend of mine also had a lot of problems with sickly bettas, and I know for sure that his water quality was great and he worked really hard to try to save them.

If this one does pass (which is not a sure thing! Might well recover!) and you want to keep trying with bettas, then I'd definitely look for some bred by a local hobbyist, rather than getting one from a store. Join betta clubs in your area, find out who the respected breeders are, see if you can source a betta that way. Likely to be healthier than one farmed abroad and shipped to a store. Or look for one on ebay, bred by someone relatively close by, for the same reasons.

Or you could dive deeper, like @Crispii , who keeps some really, really beautiful wild type bettas. They're not overbred and deformed to have huge fins or wild colours, but going back to what the wild fish is all about.

unfortunately, I see some pineconing today but i'm happy that I started treatment the day (3 days prior to this thread) right after I saw bloating without pineconing. The ONLY time my impulsivity has helped me!

I hope I have success with him. He has still been eating and energetic for the most part.

My treatment: Doing Epsom salt baths daily (10 minutes) for 11 days and treating his main tank with kanaplex + water changes every other day 50% + Indian almond leaves
I'm on day five of treatment.

I'll update in a couple weeks letting everyone know if he recovered or not.

 

[GaryE]

Just remember those treatments are physically stressful. If it is dropsy, then that's generally a secondary symptom of an internal infection. Epsom salts are for constipation, and it's beyond that. Almond leaves are mildly effective against skin problems.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

unfortunately, I see some pineconing today but i'm happy that I started treatment the day (3 days prior to this thread) right after I saw bloating without pineconing. The ONLY time my impulsivity has helped me!

I hope I have success with him. He has still been eating and energetic for the most part.

My treatment: Doing Epsom salt baths daily (10 minutes) for 11 days and treating his main tank with kanaplex + water changes every other day 50% + Indian almond leaves
I'm on day five of treatment.

I'll update in a couple weeks letting everyone know if he recovered or not.

Dang, I'm sorry to hear he's gotten worse
I can't help with any further advice I'm afraid. But it's good that he still has an appetite, and while it's rare, it's not unheard of for someone to bring a fish back to health that had dropsy. Those that did usually caught it early, so crossing fingers for you and your betta!

 

[Navfish]

update 1: still continuing treatment. I’m on day six. Pineconing and swellinng has not gone down. Along with that, he spits his food out 3 hours after I feed him. But he still eats the pellets, but idk how much he spits out and how much he has digested. Dosing kanaplex and doing salt baths…he has lost color…

As for behavior, he acts relatively normal and isn’t always at the bottom (as in resting his body fully on substrate). Irratic brief swimming sometimes….

At this point, idk if he’s going to make it but going to continue treatment.

 

[Navfish]

update 2: Day 7

He made it through the night and I did a 50% water change and dosed kanaplex along with an epsom salt bath (15 min)

Very Lethargic (sudden change from yesterday) but pineconing is almost gone (at least from the top view of him).

He eats...but only pellets, nothing else

As for color, still a little pale.

 

[Navfish]

He passed away I loved him so much. I think I'm finally done with bettas. Love them but can't deal with losing another



As I said above, he was behaving normally this whole time and ate food but suddenly, he was at the bottom one morning. Wasn't eating, moving, nothing. Passed away a day or 2 later. No wonder they call it the kiss of death