Hey guys,
My betta fish, Swarley, has dropsy. I noticed on Thursday that he seemed bloated, so I stopped feeding him. Friday I came down with the flu and was too sick to really do anything until yesterday (Sunday). Now his scales are "pine coning" and he's quite pale and lethargic. He hovers near the top of his tank and occasionally swims around, but that's about it. He won't eat.
I'm normally quite good with water changes, but as I am a university student and got incredibly busy I will admit that I haven't done the best job keeping his tank clean these past few weeks, which I am sure is what contributed to it
. He lives in a 2 gallon tank that is filtered and heated. No other tank mates.
I've bought some epsom salts and about an hour ago I tried doing a "salt bath" (put him in the cup that he was in when I bought him and added about a tsp of epsom salt for 15 minutes), cleaned his tank and put him back. Anything else I can try? How often should I do the salt baths? The guy at the pet store said that their antibiotics won't do much for him.
I also realize that there isn't much hope for him at this point. Just wondering if anyone has had any success with treating this. I also know that dropsy is a symptom of another problem, most likely a bacterial infection.
My betta fish, Swarley, has dropsy. I noticed on Thursday that he seemed bloated, so I stopped feeding him. Friday I came down with the flu and was too sick to really do anything until yesterday (Sunday). Now his scales are "pine coning" and he's quite pale and lethargic. He hovers near the top of his tank and occasionally swims around, but that's about it. He won't eat.
I'm normally quite good with water changes, but as I am a university student and got incredibly busy I will admit that I haven't done the best job keeping his tank clean these past few weeks, which I am sure is what contributed to it
. He lives in a 2 gallon tank that is filtered and heated. No other tank mates.I've bought some epsom salts and about an hour ago I tried doing a "salt bath" (put him in the cup that he was in when I bought him and added about a tsp of epsom salt for 15 minutes), cleaned his tank and put him back. Anything else I can try? How often should I do the salt baths? The guy at the pet store said that their antibiotics won't do much for him.
I also realize that there isn't much hope for him at this point. Just wondering if anyone has had any success with treating this. I also know that dropsy is a symptom of another problem, most likely a bacterial infection.