# Wag platy with dropsy



## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

So this weekend, another member, out of ignorance, sold me a wag that had dropsy.
none of the other fish in his tank exhibit the classic symptoms. So I'm thinking that this is not the contagious kind.

Left untreated this wag, will eventually fade away. However, I don't have a quarantine tank... I have raised the temperature as high as I can without cooking the fish.

What other solutions can I try? I know that there are medications available. But I don't want to kill my other fish by medicating the whole tank......


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## seanyuki (Apr 22, 2010)

High nitrates are one thing to check. Internal bacterial infections, including fish TB, are other possibilities. If there are no water quality problems, you may want to attempt antibiotic treatment in a separate tank.

There are multiple possible causes. Usually caused by kidney damage. Kidney damage may be caused by overuse of drugs or a disease. Eventually the swelling will cause the scales to raise, giving the fish what is called the "pine-cone" appearance.

You can best see this by viewing your fish from the top. Fish may also stop feeding, appear off-colour, become listless and/or lethargic, have sunken eyes, and hang at the top or stay at the bottom of the aquarium. 

Treatment:

Treatment of this disease is difficult, as by the time it is recognized, permanent damage to the internal organs of the fish will have occurred. Immediate treatment must be performed if there is to be any chance for survival. Metronidazole (Flagyl) and or Clout are the best medications for treatment of Dropsy. Notwithstanding, not much is known for certain about the etiology of this disease and some experienced aquarists use antibiotics to fight Dropsy. For oxytetracycline, baths of 20-100 mg/litre for five days is suggested. For tetracycline hydrochloride, treat with baths of 40-100 mg/litre for five days. And for minocycline hydrochloride a dilution of 250mg/10 gallons of water is recommended. On day 2 change all the water and add the medicine again at the same dose for another 2 days. Increase aeration during treatment. Do not use minocycline a third time in a row. Caution: tetracyclines are photo sensitive so turn the tank lights off during treatment and cover the whole tank with a blanket. If the fish is still eating, you can soak the food in a concentrated solution of the antibiotic before feeding.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

I swear you copy and pastd that from the internet. I don't think its my water. as it was already like that when I bought him.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

The most common cause of Dropsy in Livebearers is the lack of hardness in our water supply. The lack of minerals causes the fish to fill with fluid, caused by the inability of the fish to osmoregulate, (balance fluids in the body).
Most hobbyists in BC are unaware of this problem and don't correct it. Whomever you got the fish from probably has super soft water in his aquarium and livebearers are raised in hard water conditions overseas.


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## seanyuki (Apr 22, 2010)

imo always check water first and follow by treatments.........did the rersearch in the web how to treat dropsy......posted here for you....you bought a sick fish not me


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Rastapus said:


> The most common cause of Dropsy in Livebearers is the lack of hardness in our water supply. The lack of minerals causes the fish to fill with fluid, caused by the inability of the fish to osmoregulate, (balance fluids in the body).
> Most hobbyists in BC are unaware of this problem and don't correct it. Whomever you got the fish from probably has super soft water in his aquarium and livebearers are raised in hard water conditions overseas.


that's interesting he has another wag in the tank that he also gave me and it doesn't have dropsy.... hm...

Would changing water hardness harm the other fish in my tank?


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

No, as long as it is done slowly over time. Oc course I don't know what your other fish are, and I am assuming your levels are zero. In the case of livebearers, they prefer medium to high hardness. We keep our livebearers in a KH of 7-8 and they thrive.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

I have cories, danios, couple of tetras, in the tank.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

They would all be content with a KH and GH around 6.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

what do I use to increase water hardness


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

Alkaline buffer for KH and we use Replenish for GH but many hobbyists use epsom salts. A small amount of marine salt is very effective as well but too much will irritate your cory cats.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Edarion,
Sorry to hear about your platy. DirtyDog manages an emergency tank service here, you might be able to get a loaner tank to use as a quarantine tank from one of the members if you contact him.

If you are in Vancouver, I can give you some Seachem Equilibrium that you can use to increase hardness. Just PM me. If your platy survives, you can buy some more and keep using it, and if your platy doesn't make it, you won't have wasted any money.


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Bump TTT any other ideas?


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Looking into my tank today. I saw these really really long strings of poo along with something that looks like a fish skeleton and fish skin....
Without a doubt. The Platy died. and then was probably eaten my all the bottom dwellers.

coincidently, I was also fasting my fish for a couple of days this week i wonder if that had to do with anything

So looks like the medication did not work.

But now I'm left with one platy. anyone want to take him for trade or a donation to my fish fund would help


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## ibenu (Apr 21, 2010)

Edarion said:


> So this weekend, another member, out of ignorance, sold me a wag that had dropsy.


IMO you are not in a position to say another member sold you a sick fish. I would suspect it became ill under your care. And I think its rude of you to Call Francis out as "copying from google" when you quite apparently don't do your own research and he was so kind as to do it for you.

You are being rude to other members, accusatory, and now you have a fish for sale? From the same tank>?

People here have been very very kind to you, offering advice, giving you their time. Try to bear that in mind the next time you post a return message, on this thread of others. This may be "your" thread but this is a community board.

Lisa


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

Dear Dear Lisa, 
Stop running into arguments through which you are not prepared. 
Please please stop picking on ME!. 
The member that i bought the fish from is ****( PM me if you want to know)
. I messaged him almost the same day of the sale. And he conceded that the fish was sick. I can show you copies of the message. To prove it to you!

I wasn't aware that it was Professor Francis. And to your information My exact words was not " Copied from Google"

But since you said google. I did run a google search and this is what I found

http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/disease-fw.html
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/dropsy/

I have nothing wrong with people using information from the internet to answer questions. But at least show your sources. Otherwise, There is a name for that behavior.
its called plagiarism.


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## ibenu (Apr 21, 2010)

Edarion said:


> Dear Dear Lisa,
> Stop running into arguments through which you are not prepared.
> Please please stop picking on ME!.
> The member that i bought the fish from is ****( PM me if you want to know)
> ...


Q: Why is my fish sick and how do I prevent more illness?

A: Probably 80-90% of diseases in captive fish can be prevented by avoiding stress. Stress weakens fishes' immune systems, leading to increased susceptibility to disease. Actually, diseases and pathogens are almost always present in tanks, but a healthy fish's immune system will prevent them from being a problem. Some of the most common stressors for captive fish are:
Poor water quality: measurable ammonia or nitrites, or very high nitrates.
The water temperature is fluctuating more than 2 deg F/day
Incompatible species in the tank.
Too many fish in the tank (5 adult angelfish in 10g tank).
The tank is too small for the fish (foot long fish in 10g tank).
The water is too warm or too cold for the species (goldfish vs. tropicals).
wrong pH for species (Discus vs. African cichlids)
pH fluctuations greater than 0.2 units/day.
Insufficient cover or hiding places present.
Wrong water hardness for the species (Discus vs. African cichlids).
Insufficient oxygen in the water.
Improper fish nutrition (wrong food, foods not varied).

Thats copied from one of the links you provided above... 
and it seems to me you have done many of them, at your own admittance..Between this board and the last I have read of quite a few. You can appreciate how I may have assumed it was you and not the seller, I hope you realize its not a picking on you, rather upset for fishies dying in your care, and what appears to be a cavalier attitude of same. My intent is to stand up for others on the board, as well as be an advocate for the animals we keep.

Lisa


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

My bad, we all make mistakes. 
I probably have run into my share of arguments without knowing all the facts.
In this particular instance, Unlike, the 4 BN pleco death which was my fault hands down,I'm really not to blame for this one. As upon purchase it had the raised scales in pine cone fashion. 

I raised the temperature to the help the fish combat the illness, And made sure that all water parameters were within range. 

At any rate, By getting rid of the platy its actually a good thing. realizing that my tank is probably overstocked. This will give the other fish a big more room. As opposed to buying another platy. 

My apologies, If i sounded harsh in my previous post. Twas not my intent.

Colin


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## eternity302 (Apr 22, 2010)

Edarion said:


> As upon purchase it had the raised scales in pine cone fashion.


Not flaming or anything Edarion, but why would you buy it in the first place if you already knew it wuz sick? I just find that disease extremely disgusting!


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## Edarion (Apr 21, 2010)

the deal was $13
5 Zebra danios
4 lamp eyed tetras
2 Red Wag platys

good deal.
he had all the fish in one small bag. i really couldn't see all the fish.
but i figured heck for $13 bucks. even if one or two are sick. it can't be all that bad.


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