While any fish can get Dropsy, it seems to affect Betta Fish and Goldfish the most. I’m not sure exactly why that is but I have some speculations. First, I suspect there is something about their physiology that predisposes them to organ failure. What that is, I couldn’t say. Perhaps it is that both bettas and goldfish have been so intensely bred for their physical traits that they have become more susceptible to stressors. Secondly, these fish may be exposed to poor water conditions more often than most other aquarium fish. Bettas and goldfish are both commonly kept by beginner aquarists and may then be open to more mistakes made by new hobbyists. The other major stressor both have in common is that they are frequently kept in tanks too small for them. Fish stores often sell bettas in small bowls without educating the buyers to the dangers of
The symptoms of Dropsy are many; bloating, extended scales, color loss, loss of appetite, lethargy, clamped fins, swim bladder disorder, etc. I want to focus on the two tell-tale signs – bloating and pineconing. I regularly receive emails from readers indicating that their betta has one symptom but not the other. It is important to understand that these symptoms are not mutually exclusive. Your betta may have one or both or maybe even neither of these symptoms but could still have Dropsy.
SEVERE BLOATING
It could also be that your betta is severely bloated but does not have Dropsy at all. Bloating can be the result of overfeeding, or in females, can be that they are bound with eggs. In rare cases the bloating could be a tumor. Very severe bloating of the abdomen is usually the result of organ failure and caused when fluid builds internally. In my experience, I have not seen bettas with both pineconed scales and severe abdominal bloating. Do not discount Dropsy just because you do not see protruding scales.
PROTRUDING SCALES – PINECONE
Protruding scales, commonly referred to as pineconing because of the appearance, is the most common symptom associated with Dropsy. This symptom is prevalent in both bettas and goldfish. Pineconing indicates a serious problem. In bettas, it often indicates severe organ failure and death to follow. In some cases bettas will appear to recover from this state. Once the internal organs have been damaged, symptoms of Dropsy usually return within a few months. To my knowledge, pineconing is not associated with any other betta fish illness. I see it is a positive sign that the fish has Dropsy.
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that is so sad
my betta dorey died 2 days ago from dropsey. i honestly feel so crushed and as if it was my fault. he was bloated, had pine coney scales, and didnt eat for 2 days before his death, i never fed him everyday but since i saw he didnt eat the day before i tried to feed him the next day. but i do have a question that is probably a hard one to answer but, IS DROPSEY A PAINFUL DEATH? i would like to know i just feel so guilty, i hope its not.
I must point out a piece of incorrect information about goldfish here.
Goldfish actually need FAR more than 10 gallons per fish. If you keep a goldfish in 10 gals you will without question, stunt it's growth horrifically.
Goldfish require 40 gals for the first fish, and a further 20 gals for each additional fish afterwards in fancy types ( moors, orandas ect ) So for a pair of orandas for example, you need a tank of 55+ gallons with seriously excellent filtration and a very very dilligent water change system to keep these messy fish from being stunted or becoming diseased.
Ordinary goldfish with the usual single tail and long body shape, require around 70-100 gallons per pair when kept in tanks, but these types of goldfish actually should be kept in a large pond, as they are pond fish ( as are all goldfish in fact being a colour morph of the aisian carp, but fancies cannot be kept outside in more temperate climates as they do not thrive in very low temperatures )
As for keeping bettas healthy, 5 gallons bare minimum is needed for swimming space, and the tank must be thickly planted to provide cover , since these fish come from heavily vegetated waters in Thailand ( rice paddies, slow streams ect ) . They absolutely require a filter just like any other fish, as being able o breathe air has nothing to do with being resistant to their own watse products. They will become diseased like any other fish without a filter.
My Betta fish has dropsey too, my mom and i where trying to find out what was wrong with him. His Symtoms are… He lays on his belly, his scales are like pine cones, HIs belly is REALLY fat, and last he can barly come up to the top of the tank to get air. Dropsey is either Kidney or Liver failure. It is very sad. My Betta fish is multicolored and is so pretty but her has dropsey:( because we just relized that he has dropsey we cleaned his tank out and emptyed it out and we put him in a little jar or cup and put a little bit of water in it but enough that he can kind of swin but he still can come up to get air easly but he has to work very hard to go up sometimes my mom or I will have to go up to the jar and shake it so he will know that he needs to get air. He doesnt come up for it on his own though so we have to do that so he wont die of not getting air.
my betta had dropsey and he was also multicolored. but he died last night:(:(:(:(:( his name was speed fighter “s.f” because he was fast and a good fighter.
You do realize that fish get oxygen from the water right? Because they’re fish? They’re not mammals and they don’t actually breathe air. And shaking a jar with your fish in it is traumatic and abusive, as is keeping your fish in a tiny jar that he can barely swim around in. That’s like if you had pneumonia so someone put you in a tube filled with water and shook it up every now and then to make sure you were breathing. Good lord.
Bettas are one of the few fish with a special labyrinth organ which means they need to get a portion of their oxygen through 'breathing' in air from the surface. While I agree shaking isnt the best idea, they were right in the fact he needed to go up and get air. Also quarantining a fish when they are sick is good practice to make sure they focus their energy on getting better and not swimming around needlessly. This also prevents poisoning the tank if they were to die overnight.
Betta need air, too. They swim to the top of the tank to breathe air, not just get oxygen from their water.
Betta need air, too. They swim to the top of the tank to breathe air, not just get oxygen from their water.
I have a crowntail. His tummy has been bloated for a couple weeks at least! his name is teeto! He seems fine as he is swimming, eating, flaring at the other betta when i put them close, and even building a bubblenest! his tummy is not THAT bloated but still looks uncomfy! underneath it seems to be rough and white.. only a small patch! Helpp please!
My fish does the same thing he is a beta and his belly is bloated and won't eat fur he still swims and come up to get air. I don't know what to do!!
Mine is the same way and I don't know how to fix it or what to even do about it, it's been that way for a few months now and he still has an appetite and energy most of the time, tho there is days where he's really lazy and will sleep a lot, but idk what exactly is wrong
I have a crowntail too. He gets normal tank changes at least once a week. I cleaned his tank on wed, he was unusually happy on wed and thurs. He was making bubbles and very active. Then all of a sudden on friday he looked sort of swollen and he wasnt eating as much. Saturday he wouldnt eat at all. Sunday (right now) he is totallly lifeless and randomly darts around, he floats at the top and refuses to eat. his scales are pineconed out and he is very swollen. He definitely has drospy. Right now he laying on his side at the botttom of the tank. I feel so bad but I really dont know what went wrong…his temperature has been normal. He went from great to horrible in a matter of 2 days :( I think he is about to die
My fish fred had dropsy. I had him for a year and a half and today he passed away. Poor little guy. He looked horrible. He is in a better place now. He just looked like he was suffering alot. Sad to loose him but happy hes not in pain.
I want I betta fish a few and i know males cant be together but girls can so how many girls should I get and how big of a tank .What should I feed them ,what do I need. Where do I get the stuff to test the water. I have researched a little bit about bettas and a lot of people say different things so I’m not sure what to do help please.
If you don’t know what to get or how many fish to put in a size tank. I think that you should consider reading a bit more. Personally don’t buy 2 female Betta fish when they are in separate jars. They will not be used to each other. You can buy them but you have to do this…… Place the two fish in there jars side by side. Then place a fue cards in-between the jars for a minute then remove tue cards and see what they do. If they just look at each other and mind there own business, balance them in the water till the water tempatures are the same. Let one out then see her reacting swimming around and looking at the other fish. Of it is all clear the let the other fish out. If they get along well that’s good. If not consider a devider or one fish. I have a 10 gall. With my one crowntail male. He is very healthy. If you want your fish to service for a long time then I say having one fish is good enuf. You could also get some snails. That’s what I did. Also you can spoile that one fish and make sure he/she are happy and healthy.
Also I recommend the Betta book! Good luck.
go to petco or petsmart thay have evry thing you need even bettas! +thay are chep
No, no, no. What you need is 3-5 females in at least 10 gallons. You need an odd number because they will need to establish a sorority pecking order and if there are only two of them they will likely not get along.
First step is to release one fish at a time. Give each fish plenty of time to explore and choose a territory before adding another. This will help them greatly to get settled in and get used to each other whilst still feeling safe and not too stressed. Otherwise, it's a mad free-for-all and nobody knows where is safe to call home.
You need wayyyyyy more than 10 gallons for a group of bettas. For the hierarchy to form, one needs to obviously be bigger than the others, and the rest need to be all similar in size (but not babies). Make sure none have same color, because I've heard that they can be jealous of fish with the same color fins.
Imagine this: 7 fish are put in a tank which really is the proper size for just one betta, but six others are crammed there too. They are hostile fish by nature, and will fight for territory. If there isn't any room for one to run away to or hide in, or for each fish to have her own territory, it would be a constant battle until only one fish lived. Sound like the hunger games? 7 bettas in a 10 gal would be a fish hunger games.
Two girl bettas still can fight. As with all fish, it depends on the individual fish, and they can fight. These fish are very violent within their own species. I know it can be done, but you would need a tank over 50 gal to do this successfully. One day they could decide they don't like each other and go after each other. If you do this (which I'd say is probably not a great idea, but I'm sure it's doable), make sure you have LOTS and LOTS of space, many hiding places, lots of living plants, and feed both frequently (although I'd separate to feed, since they may argue about who gets food first, and one may steal from another). Be very careful, observe a lot, do ur research, and have a 5 or 10 gallon tank ready in case they need to be separated. I'd also get a breeder box, or a tank divider too. It doesn't hurt to be too prepared. Good luck!
Hi fishy lover, Glad to hear you’d like to keep some bettas! They are beautiful fish and can be great pets to keep. I’ve been keeping bettas for the past 11 years so i can tell you a bit about what you need to know.
To answer your question, you should keep at least 5 female bettas together. Any less and they will fight as they need to build a hierarchy in order to coexist. You should have about 5gallons of water per fish, and try to keep some plants and ornaments in your tank as bettas love to have spaces to hide in.
You should get a filter, and a heater if you live in a country where temperatures go below 20 degrees Celsius. Bettas are tropical fish and they need warm water to thrive.
As for food, you can feed them pellets (if you get larger pellets, you should crush them smaller), or flakes. In my experience, bettas tend to prefer flake food. You should also get food that is produced specially for bettas as these can improve their colour and growth. You can also get bloodworms (freeze dried or live) or brine shrimp to feed them. Keep in mind live food is very messy and you will need to clean out the tank more often if you feed them live food often, to prevent eutrophication.
You should be able to get test kits from your local pet store. If you do everything right, they should live up to 3-4 years.
Hope this helped! :)
Solid advice Jenn. Thumbs up!
Dear Jenn, I just lost all 6 of my bettas to dropsy. I am willing to try again, I think I have learned a few things. My specific quesiton is – I bought a new male, I have a 10gallon tank and will put only him in it, with a heater. I DID have a small submersible filter for the other bettas to help keep the water clean, and even though I had it on the lowest setting, it creates movement in the water, and I think it stressed them out ! I don’t understand – if Bettas need filters but aren’t strong swimmers, isn’t a filter a bad thing ?
Dear Jen and Christie,
Another thing I don’t understand is how to treat with the medicine for dropsy. (i.e. Maracyn antibiotics) I heard that a filter eats up all the medicine so the fish doesn’t get it…..but also that if you put the medicine directly into the water, the fish doesn’t absorb it either !
I am starting over with a new male….I want to get it right this time, and if he gets dropsy, to treat him immediately the proper way. heelllllp !
I got a Betta fish two days ago, I fed him a small amount of BettaMin Tropical medley flakes in the morning, when I was doing my summer work I looked at him and noticed that his belly was swollen. I haven’t kept a Betta since I was nine and that ended with a fatal accident when the water wasn’t treated correctly. I’ve never tried very hard to keep fish, and since I’m older now I’m reading up on how to keep him since I would like very much to have him as a companion when I leave for college in a year.
If there is any pineconing on his scales it is very slight… He is very active and still responds to my movements out side his bowl and also ate when I fed him. And the swelling seems to have decreased over night.
The store that sold him provided a two-week warranty for him, so I need to find out if it is dropsy or not, as if it is I can’t take care of him properly but if it’s overfeeding I would like to try. I’m getting a filter for his little tank today and I’m going to try to get a larger tank for him as soon as I can.
Pineconing is only a symptom of Dropsy and will not develop due to constipation. If you are seeing pineconing you can be pretty sure that it is Dropsy. The best way to view the scales to see if they are protruding (pineconing) is to view your betta from the top. On the other hand, if there is no pineconing and you noticed slight swelling that followed a feeding (like you described) and the swelling reduced over time, then he probably just had some minor bloating from his food. (Nothing to really worry about.) If you are unsure if your betta is pineconing you can email me a clear photo (viewing down at him from the top). I can try and take look for you. My email is betta@nippyfish.net
Hi, my beta of 2 years appears to be suffering of Dropsy. I thought his lethargic behavior with lack of appetite was something relating to him just getting older until last week when the scales looked puffed out, the “pinecone” effect mentioned here was noticed. I’ve been giving him treatments of Tetracycline and putting a little bit of salt in his water for the past four days hoping it might help him. I’m afraid I waited too long without knowing he was truly sick, any recommendations for any other methods I should try that could help him? Should I continue more doses of the Tetracycline for awhile? Thank you for your help!