Good day! I’ve been an avid reader of your blog and website and pretty much took to heart everything you noted on Betta care.
I just wanted to share an experience with Dropsy and how my fish unbelievably made a recovery from it. I hope others who have their pets affected by this can benefit as well.I never used to have any problems with my Betta, Manny. He stays in a 2.5 Gallon Tank with a HOB filter, with no substrate or decorations since anything added to the tank other than the filter never seemed to agree with him… whether they be rocks, live plants or anything plastic. He was a happy fighting fish, swimming actively and playing with the current from the filter for days on end. One morning I saw him floating on his side one morning when I came to give him his food. His scales were raised, there was a certain redness under his gills, and his tummy had a slight swell to it… at that point I figured it had to be Dropsy plus some other infection that I couldn’t tell. My first three Bettas all died of Dropsy, and I felt bad knowing I might lose him to this one too. Nonetheless, I took him from his tank and put him in his 16 oz. hospital bowl where I know the measurements of his meds would be more exact. I took out
the aquarium salt (1 teaspoon in 1.5 gallon containers) from his usual water mix, and put in Epsom salt in its place. I also got some Betta Revive and put in a drop to go with the mix. I made the transfer and prayed for the best. He was still floating on his side for the first few days, but he was eating so I figured there was still a chance.I did this routine everyday for two weeks, (despite the fact that the note on Betta revive said it should be discontinued after a week) changing his water every one or two days as I could, applying the same mix. From floating on his side, he started swimming upright and then just lay down on one side at the bottom of the bowl the next few days. I felt sorry for him since he looked like he was in a lot of pain. He would only respond to food, and he wouldn’t really move for the rest of the time. I did see some physical improvements; his scales eventually returned to normal, the redness under his gills disappeared, and his belly returned to its normal size. He still seemed pretty weak, since he still wasn’t moving about.
This morning I checked, and he looked completely normal. Granted, he wasn’t as active as his old self was, but he looked better than he ever had since he got hit by Dropsy. He was eating (dashed off with a pellet of Hikari Bio-Gold in his mouth), and responded quite well when I waved my hand in front of his hospital tank. I have yet to move him in his old tank, but it does seem like he’s made a remarkable recovery.
To everyone that has Bettas suffering from Dropsy… it’s important to catch this very early on. I think I may have been lucky that I got to see this early in Manny, with his scales partially raised and his tummy swelling just slightly. I doubt I could’ve made much of a difference if I caught it in its later stages. There were points that he looked worse before he got better, but as long as he’s breathing, eating, and moving… he has a chance. Don’t give up on his
water changes and inspect his condition every day.For reference, the recovery package included:
– 1 16oz Mini Bowl or Tank
– 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt for 1.5 gallons of water
– 1 drop of Betta Revive per 16 oz.
– Water treated with the usual anti-chlorine and aged for a day or two near the tank so the temperature would be consistent.I live in the tropics, so the temperature often ranged from 27-32 C degrees. I did 100% water changes every one to two days as my schedule allowed, since I got so swamped with work deadlines that time.
I didn’t change his diet with this, feeding him smaller amounts of BettaMin Tropical Medley flakes and (1 pellet, soaked) Hikari Bio-Gold alternately. Fast him every 6th or 7th day to give his digestive tract a rest.
Prayers definitely helped too. 🙂
In any case, I’m moving Manny back to his old tank today. I’ll have to taper off his dosage of Epsom salt so as not to make it sudden. Then I’ll likely reduce the aquarium salt or remove it altogether.
I hope others would be able to use this information. Thanks again for such an informative blog, and I hope this info adds a bit more to help Betta keepers everywhere!
Best regards,
Angelo
There is a great lesson to be learned from this story. Animals are amazingly resilient and have inalienable will to survive. I admire Angelo’s dedication to the treatment of his pet. I too have seen some amazing recoveries and believe deeply that we have a responsibility to care for our fish when they are sick and to take whatever steps are necessary to provide a safe and stable environment for them.
Thanks again for the email Angelo.
A photo of Manny provided by Angelo
View Comments (23)
I thought this condition was most prevalent in arowana. Great information! Thank you!
My Betta "champ" came down with dropsy nearly 2 weeks ago, I have been treating him with Maracyn plus..he did not eat for a week, today he came up and ate a little his color has returned no more swelling, but he has an open are where some scales are missing and the discoloration on fins are mostly disappearing, I think he is going to be fine.
my beta is in advanced stages of dropsy i think. He has just gotten to the point where it looks like his sides are bursting open. Is it still worth treating him?
Always try your best. If it is too late you might as well treat it to make him/her more comfortable before they pass on.
Hi,
My betta has a white fuzzy growth on his dorsal fin. He lived in a 2 gallon bowl. I bought Betta Revive and after I changed the water yesterday and put in a 1/2 teaspoon of aquarium salts( I do this when I change the water) I added 16 drops of revive to the water. He is pretty energized today. I was told to put 16 drops in for at least three days. What I am wondering is if I need to take any water out today before I add the drops. The water is so blue. If I put more in I won't be able to see the little guy. What do you think?
AMAZING!!!!!
Swelling his body shows that the water of tank was dirty that effect his body completely that changed into dropsy.I think its your good luck
I have a Betta Fish that looks like Manny but has a shorter tail at the end and is a bit darker in the coloring of the red. All of a sudden I noticed she was fatter than she was before and her scales were a bit out. I was so scared she was going to die and I cried. But then I looked online and I saw that it was Dropsy. Then I looked at the cause of Dropsy and I found this. I am SOOO glad that I was able to save my fish Martini. She is getting smaller and her swelling is going down now. Her scales haven’t gone in all the way yet but they have a bit. I am soo glad I found this form! Thank you so much guys!
I have two beta fish that both have Dropsy the first one I think I have caught in time thanks to this treatment…. Now my second fish I’m not so sure. I his belly is huge I feel so bad for him it looks painful. He still is energized and eating so I hope he can pull through. I’m so happy I found this because everything I have read so far says there’s nothing I can do and I have no luck saving him. So thanks for giving me some hope for my little guy hope he can pull thru like other one
My betta, Moonbeam, became sick with Dropsy. I realized it was from the sand and seashells I had put in his 2 gallon tank. I was ready to flush him, but after reading Angelo’s letter I became hopeful. I got a small container, much like the kind you purchase them in at the store. Then I put fresh bottled water, one small bit of aquarium salt, and 6 drops of BettaFix. Then I put Moonbeam in the container and placed him in my bathroom where it is warm and quiet. After one week of this, changing the water everyday and putting in the same amount of salt (barely a pinch) and BettaFix (6 drops), Moonbeam’s swelling had gone down considerably but he was still a little “pineconey” looking. I scrubbed out his tank with dishwashing soap and got rid of all the sand and seashells. He now has gravel and plastic plants. I am still using the tiny amount of aquarium salt and BettaFix and will continue until the bottle is gone. However, I do believe Moonbeam is going to be fine. He looks normal, his color is back (a deep burgandy), he’s eating and swimming around his tank…I’m so happy!!! Thank you for all your helpful information.
Hi-
Thanks for the info! With this treatment, did you use 1 teaspoon of epsom salt divided by 12 as treatment for the 16oz bowl since there is twelve 16 ounces in 1.5 gallons? So that would be .083 of a teaspoon of epsom salt? Thanks!