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My male guppy came down with dropsy and I knew that it was too late for him (already into the pinecone stage ) so we euthanized him. BUT is there anything I should do for the other fish in the tank...
10 gallon lightly planted with 6 pygmy cories, two female guppies, 1 WCMM (only about 3/4 of an inch he was a hitch hiker from the LFS) and 2 two and half week old guppy fry.
Weekly 20% water changes.
Water parameters
nitrAte 20ppm
nitrIte 0
KH 300 ppm
GH 300 ppm
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0
78 deg F


Please Help
Amanda

That's an excellent question, Amanda, that very few hobbyists can accurately answer...

I've seen the "disease" limited to just one fish in a tank and I've seen the disease in two trops in a tank.

Is the disease contageous?? Probably not. But, and there's always a "but", if another trop should come down with Dropsy, a diseased kidney problem, that's the time to be concerned it may affect other fish.

Pop-eye can be a precursor to Dropsy so be aware early on what may develop into Dropsy.

--garyroland.

Thanks Gary, I didn't want to go dropping in meds when there is likely no point (besides creating a toxic soup).

I was just worried that there would likely be an outbreak affecting everyone in the tank. I'll keep a watch out for anything unusual and I will be posting for help if need be.

Amanda


Last edited by beachbabe13185 at 13-Dec-2004 19:08

DROPSY IS NOT A DISEASE, IT IS A CONDITION!!!!

Dropsy (Oedema) is caused by renal failure in the fish, in which the kidneys can no longer process output of water and so it builds up in the body cavity. It is a sign of systemic organ failure, and is normally untreatable.

Organ failure can be caused my massive bacterial infection, old age, viruses or protazoa. If too much salt is used in a tank, it can cause kidney failure and hence dropsy, so you must ensure you are not overdosing salt.

If the tank has experienced a cycle recently, dropsy can result from poisoning by ammonia/nitrite, but this is less common.

If everything is fine in your tank, it was probably just one of those things, but keep a close eye just in case.

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

Yea, we know that Tiny...

Every Dropsy case that's posted you make sure to post that somewhat useless and inaccurate info.

But I have news for you...Dropsy along with Malawi Bloat are both termed disease maladies in every diagnosis you'll find.

Nobody, including myself, know the exact cause of this disease. Be it bacterial or viral, the best of the experienced hobbyists are at odds on the cause.

Both maladies are classified as diseases until somebody can come forward and prove otherwise. We realize that kidney failure plays a large role in both diseases, the reason for the fluid buildup starting in the tissues of the fish and eventually almost all the internal organs.

Some trops develop Dropsy in excellent water quality and some in less than perfect water quality so never ask me why trops contract Dropsy or Malawi Bloat, a pesky disease in African Cichlids.

--garyroland.

DROPSY (contracted from the old word hydropisy, derived from the Gr. 6pw~ ii&op, water, and ~, appearance), the name given to a collection of simple serous fluid in all or any of the cavities of the body, or in the meshes of its tissues. Dropsy of the subcutaneous connective tissue is termed oedema when it is localized and limited in extent; when more diffuse it is termed anasarca; the term oedema is also applied to dropsies of some of the internal organs, notably to that of the lungs. Hydrocephalus signifies an accumulation of fluid within the ventricles of the brain or in the arachnoid cavity; hydrothorax, a collection of fluid in one or both pleural cavities; hydropericardium, ~in the pericardium; ascites, in the peritoneum; and, when anasarca is conjoined with the accumulation of fluid in one or more of the serous cavities, the dropsy is said to be general (see also PATHOLOGY).

[link=http://35.1911encyclopedia.org/D/DR/DROPSY.htm]http://35.1911encyclopedia.org/D/DR/DROPSY.htm" style="COLOR: #404040[/link]

Dropsy and Malawi bloat are two seperate things. MOst researchers agree that Malawi Bloat is caused by a protazoa, which lives in the intestine of most fish, but multiplies when the fish is placed under stressful conditions and "punches through" the intenstinal wall, causing systemic organ damage.
[link=http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/malawi_bloat.php]http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/malawi_bloat.php" style="COLOR: #404040[/link]

Malawi bloat would be one instance of a disease process leading to dropsy.

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

I'm familiar with all that info...

It actually has no meaning as to the cause of Dropsy.

Dropsy and Malawi Bloat are related with the same end result and are classified in most diagnostic circles together with varying internal processes.

They are diseases and are always designated as such. Your version has no redeeming value as to the cause or cure of these diseases.

--garyroland.