# Put down gourami with sever dropsy..precautions to take with tank he came from?



## mags2313 (Nov 25, 2008)

My powder blue gourami is gone now. We euthanised him with clove oil..
He had severe symptoms of dropsy... Very bloated and very pineconed... These visible symptoms must have happened over night since I did not see it last night... BUT we have noticed he has not been eating for the last three days...

I HAVE 5 ANGELFISH, A siamese algae eater, otocinclus, burmese zebra loaches and a banjo catfish in that tank he just came from. Can anyone give me advice on what I can do for this tank to ensure that the dropsy won't spread? 

I changed out three gallons of water right away (its a 55gal tank)

We have noticed irregular markings on the skin of two of our angelfish, they look alot like scrapes or something...but not bloated and no scales sticking out

PLEASE, ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED... LUPIN... HELP!:-(


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

I have had a few fish come down with dropsy, but the cases of dropsy have been far between. Dropsy can be the result of different conditions, and is not a "disease" in itself.
So, not necessarily contagious. I would just fit in some extra water changes and watch the fish closely. More than likely, the other fish, will be fine.
Sorry you lost the gourami.
I am sure Lupin will give some good advice. I find myself asking Lupin for advice as well.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

I guess it's my lucky day to be reading disease threads this afternoon here.:shock:

Twistermom has it right. Dropsy isn't necessarily a disease. As it happens internally, diagnosing the actual causes is very tricky however we can pin this down as we look into your tank's history. This is the only way we can do it unless you still have the dwarf gourami and can perform necropsy to determine which body organ is damaged or abnormally swollen, etc.

One of the main causes is excess proteins. Please note that almost all commercial foods have very low fiber content. 2-3% of fiber is ridiculously low. This is why for the most part, greens are added in the diet. Fiber helps flush out excess foods that cannot be utilized by the body system for developments. If the excess proteins remain trapped in the body system especially as it is very difficult to digest, it can clog the GI (gastrointestinal) tract of the fish. The use of acidophilus included in foods, fasting or high fiber diet will help rectify this issue.

The second possible cause is abundance of internal parasites. Lately, I find it common for interna parasites such as tapeworms to occur without being detected especially as they live inside the body system of the fish. One way to find out the presence of internal parasites is by checking the appearance of the poop and your fish's appetite. You mentioned your fish had not been eating in the last few days. How did the poop look? The poop should not have a white stringy appearance. Have your fish been treated with anything before? Assuming you had previously seen the poop looking white and stringy, then you need to treat all your fish with praziquantel. Praziquantel does not come cheap but it is available either as Prazipro or Droncit. Droncit is a dog dewormer so ask the nearest vet if he has it in stock. Prazipro can be obtained from petstores or online sites. There are many meds that carry prazi but pure praziquantel is your best bet. I am not sure about Canada's regulations against meds though. There is another treatment that could be used but must be administered with caution in a separate tank: epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). It is best used as a bath and can be obtained in pharmacies.

Thirdly, check for possible internal bacterial infections. Any other outward unusual symptoms? For suspected internal bacterial infections, what you can do here is hit the problem by allowing the fish to ingest something. Either buy medicated foods especially by Jungle or make gel foods and use the small portion as medicated food wherein you combine kanaplex, tetracycline or a combination of Maracyn and Maracyn 2.

The last possible cause of this issue is improper acclimation procedure and this is almost instantaneous. From your post, I do not think this is the culprit if you are acclimating your fish properly.


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