Diseased?

[JoFa]

I recently had my Oscar die from Dropsey and i was wondering if my other fish(Jack Dempsey and Manguenses) are also in danger of getting the disease. They have been somewhat inactive, mostly staying at the bottom of the tank, and haven't been eating like they normally do. Could you please tell me if they are in danger of having the disease and if so what i should do about it.
Thanks.

[AquariumPro]

The condition of Dropsy is rather rare in larger Cichlids, and a brief explanation of the problem is in order:

"Dropsy" is a term to describe a set of symptoms, caused by a number of pathogenic internal bacteria that produce gases as a by-product of their metabolism.

Dropsy itself is not a disease although some books may mislead you into thinking that. The symptoms include a gradual massive swelling of the abdomen, to the point where the scales of the fish actually stand on end. The fish stops eating in the early stages and almost never recover. It is very difficult to treat as it works so quickly that it often kills a fish before any antibiotic can affect it. The bacteria that cause Dropsy are usually spread from one fish to another via the part-consumption of fecal matter of an infected fish.

Dropsy is very common in Goldfish and some Characin species, and it has also been known to affect Gouramis. It typically affects fish with a short, sensitive digestive tracts. In big Cichlids though, most of whom have a tough digestive tract able to digest bones of other fish, it is rather rare. Every case of Dropsy I have ever seen or heard of, all occurred with one thing in common - a very dirty aquarium or the feeding of unclean feeder fish or worms, or BOTH.

Dropsy is best prevented, not cured. The tank should be kept clean, with water changes, gravel vacuuming and filter changes every three to four weeks. Live feeder fish, if fed at all, should be carefully selected. It is usually best not to feed them at all. Feeder fish carry hundreds of diseases. They are raised under very unsanitary conditions. In every aquarium store I've worked in, we lost hundreds of feeders a day to diseases.

Treatment is difficult because the antibiotics should be introduced via feeding. I have had limited success only when symptoms first begin. The tank should be cleaned, but not too much all at once. A 50% water change with a good gravel vacuum is in order. Filter cartridges/media should be changed. Then make a solution of 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt and 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per ten gallons of tank water, dissolved in some tap water. Add the solution to the tank over a six hour period. The fish should respond well to the salt treatment. If the fish will eat frozen food, that should be fed instead of feeders. Penicyllin is the best treatment. Four tablets should be crushed and mixed with 4oz of partially defrosted food, and this food should be fed exclusively. If your fish will only eat feeders, then you can try using Penicyllin in the water, but that rarely works and it could destroy your biological filter causing high levels of ammonia.

I am very sorry to say that most cases of Dropsy usually result in a total loss of some or all of the fish in a tank, and all the hobbysit can do is to sterilize the tank and start over, but with some painful but valuable lessons learned about keeping tamnks clean and not feeding unclean live foods.

Dave - Admin.
Aquariumpros.com