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Please help, am a relative newbie to this fish-keeping! Over the space of a couple of hours today, the water in my 50litre tank has gone cloudy. No new additions to fish or plants, but our Otto developed a case of dropsy so off to the LFS we go who suggested some salts and an anti-internal bacteria product (for protection of the others not likely to save otto). Yesterday added some (3tbsp salt in solution) and 5ml of the treatment, today a further 3tbsp salt (in solution). This afternoon, cloudy water, nitrates and nitrites through the roof after being completely fine until now (have tested every day in the past week and nitrites were 0 til today, when they shot up to 5).

Suggestions please?!?

Thanks!

Either caused by the medicine or chances are the medicine you got kills the good bacteria that keeps your tank cycled as well as the bacteria that causes illnesses. Always check that and use a hospital tank if it's going to do something like that. There's also the chance the oto is dead and decomposing somehwere in your tank. Scaleless fish like otos do not handle regular salt treatments well at all. The only dropsy treatment that has worked for me on otos and other scaleless fish was using epsom salt(not at all the same as table salt) and clout. Clout stains silicone green so again don't use it in your main tank unless you want random items and seals turned green.

Do water changes to try to keep ammonia and nitrites as close to zero as possible, add an ammonia binding agent(your test kit may show the wrong reading for ammonia after adding a binder), some also claim to bind nitrites such as Prime, and I would remove the oto to another tank if you can. 10g tanks are quite cheap and all you'd need is the tank plus an airstone or sponge filter and maybe move 1 decoration so it has a place to hide. You will have to wait for your main tank to cycle again.

Thanks will try moving oto, who's still hangin in there. Will keep up with the water changes too.

I would recommend doing frequent water changes but in small amount. 5% daily with aged water will be sufficient.
Add in activated carbon to absorb the medication would be much better. Do remember to remove your activated carbon after use. (preferably after 24 hours)