gourami with dropsy

[whogivesaduck1]

i have googled and googled and have decided that my gourami has dropsy. He is really bloated and from above his scales are sticking out a bit. it makes me feel sick!

he has been like this for a few days. what do I do now? can it be treated? HELP!

anyone!? i dont want him to suffer!

I'm sorry but it sounds like theres nothing you can really do , i have never succesfully treated a fish which has got to the sticky out scales stage. You could kill him (using vodka or clove oil) but i can never do this (am too soft) or you can let nature take its course. I would say 'he probably has a day or 2 before he dies'

It's usually curtains when they swell up but you could try antibiotics or an antibacterial treatment (I tried esha 2000 with some success a couple of years ago).

This is a good article about dropsy.

how do i go about putting him out of his misary? he doesnt seem too bad at the moment. but just to be prepared.

thanks for your responces

You'll need a bottle of clove oil, you can get it from a health shop or maybe from a large supermarket/chemist (it'll be with the tooth care stuff, they sell it for tooth ache).

Isolate the fish in a container like a vase or jar, take some water from the tank and put it in a jam jar along with a few drops of clove oil. Shake it up like crazy until the water in the jar goes all cloudy and then tip it in with the fish. Repeat if necessary until the fish is unconscious- it will lie on its side and its breathing will slow down.

To stop it from breathing completely you can either OD on clove oil or use vodka, but please make sure the fish is unconscious first.

It's not nice to have to do but it's the kindest, most peaceful way. :(

so what does the clove oil do? does it hurt?

No, it's an anaesthetic so he'll just drift off to sleep. It acts quite quickly.

thanks eaurouge i did it, it is so upsetting. hate killing something, but then i hate him suffering even more.

Sorry to hear that, whogives. It's always distressing to have to euthanize a sick pet, but I agree that it's kinder in the long run.

it's a horrible thing to have to do but sometimes it's the right thing.

thanks ladies, thanks for your help

my tank looks so empty with out him! bless him.

I lost my dalmation molly yesterday (didn't even look poorly), now i have a guppy on the way out (his swim bladder i think) but i have no clove oil to finish him off so have seperated him so he doesnt get picked on. I have been treating the tank for ich but the 2 fish that have ich seem fine (just the others that seem to be randomly dying) .

im sorry marne, its so sad.

have you checked your water?

Have been checking the water every day and all seems ok (been doing extra water changes), it might be due to treating the tank for white spot, i think the treatment can kill off good bacteria in the tank which might cause it. The poorly guppy died last night and i have one more that looks poorly (but he has been poorly for a while and might just be dying of old age), my tanks looking s bit empty, i have lots of baby's that are almost ready to go into the big tank but i dont want to risk adding them yet so will wait a week or 2.

hope your tank settles soon and everyone lives!