OH OH ! Mufasa is in trouble !

[luistwentyone]

My lion fish that had lost its appetite and then all of a sudden started to eat again. Well, I noticed his belly starting to swell, and it has gotten to a serious swelling. I did some research on the internet and it appears to me that he has Dropsy, he has stopped eating again, his belly is real swollen, and there is a small white hard looking discharge coming out his butt.

I have read several different remedies but am unsure as to how to tackle this issue. Also, I have read different reason for the cause, from constipation to poor water quality, but it definitely appears to be Dropsy.

Anybody ? advice ? what do you all think ? Tonight I will be taking it out of the tank and putting it in a quarantine tank that I have yet to put together. I will take about 15 gal of water from my current tank and puting in 3 gal of salt water and 2 gal of RO\DI water into a 20 gal tank, I will then throw in some penicillin or whatever I can get from the LFS.

HELP !

[Gina]

Common Name: Dropsy, bloat
Scientific Name: none
Organism: bacterial/viral/nutritional/metabolic/genetic

Signs: Fishes so affected often have a swollen belly, and scales may stick out at 90 degree angles from the body, giving the fish the appearance of a pinecone. A red vent and ulceration's may also be present, as may long, pale fecal casts. Fluid may accumulate within the body cavity.

Occurrence: Since dropsy may be caused by one or more factors, it is difficult to point to one common cause.

Treatment: Once the first signs of dropsy are noted, the infected fish should be started on a 14 day regime of antibacterial medicated food. A 24 hour bath in 2 PPM nitrofurazone is also indicated. If you can bring the fish to a vet, you may wish to administer ceftazidime at 30 mg/kg IM for three treatments, each two days apart. Since this is a rather expensive treatment, it is usually reserved for larger and more expensive fish. If it is a bacterial problem, this should clear it up. At the same time, an examination of the fishes environment should be made. How is the water quality? Is the diet adequate for this species, and is it being fed a variety of fresh foods? If after 14 days this condition does not reverse itself, you have to consider that the problem is either viral, metabolic, or genetic, none of which are treatable. In some cases, the kidneys of the fish may simply shut down, causing an accumulation of fluids. The best thing to do here is to painlessly euthanize the fish. The best way to do this is to place it into a small container of water, and place that in your freezer. The fish will painlessly "go to sleep" as the temperature drops, and all body processes will stop.



I went on google and did a search for you and this is one of the articles I found. I am personally unfamiliar with this disease. Maybe someone who has first hand experience with it will see your post! Good luck! From what i read it doesn't sound promising!