Interesting Frshwater Question

mluntz · 11/29/2013, 10:42 AM

I know this isn't the forum for this, but I'm hoping someone can chime in. My brother in law has a freshwater tank with fish that continuously breed. He has another fish (don't know what kind) that has been swimming upside down and on it's side. Evidently the LFS recommended some kind of filter pad and told him to take peas with the skin off and put it in the tank. I've never heard of anything like that! Any one with any direction or advice would be welcome. Thanks!

FTDelta · 11/29/2013, 11:06 AM

Head on over to www.Fishforums.com. You'll get better luck there.

Beandawg · 11/29/2013, 11:25 AM

Yes, peas help with "Dropsy", but there are also medications for it. I'm not sure what kind of filter pad would help dropsy, unless he has water quality issues too.

Kyuss · 11/29/2013, 11:41 AM

My dad has a FW tank with Oranda's, which are prone to getting dropsy. They end up upsidedown and on their side, and unable to stay down - they kinda float around tumbling, continuously trying to swim to right themselves until they get tired. Peas worked for him, but said he switched their regular food and hasn't had issues with it since.

Silvergryphon · 11/29/2013, 11:42 AM

Peas are also good for treating constipation in fish.

Josh40996 · 11/29/2013, 02:36 PM

Dropsy is a symptom rather than an illness, Dropsy is when the scales of a fish look like they lift up like a pine cone, caused when underlying diseases such as organ failure. I do not think a pea would help and medications I think would only treat symptoms and not the underlying problem.

Swimming on their side to me indicates that the fish has a problem with their swim bladder,an internal parasite or is bloated. So feeding a de-shelled pea may help with constipation, or the swim bladder (I have heard that peas help with swim bladders) but not if its an internal parasite.

Good Luck.

Beandawg · 11/29/2013, 09:20 PM

Dropsy: Does your goldfish look swollen?

Dropsy is a very serious condition affecting goldfish. If you notice your goldfish looking fat, swollen or “about to explode” then the problem is probably dropsy.

Read on to find out more about the symptoms of dropsy, what causes dropsy and how to treat it.

Dropsy symptoms

How do you tell if your goldfish has dropsy? These are the key symptoms of dropsy to look out for:

Extremely swollen belly that makes it look like your fish is very fat – possibly so fat that it almost looks ready to explode!
Scales standing out like a pine cone
Bulging eyes (one eye or possibly both)
Swimming problems causing the goldfish to float at the top or sink to the bottom of the tank or pond
What causes dropsy?

Goldfish have a certain amount of salt in their bodies. This salt level is much higher than the level of salt in the water around them, which causes the fish to lose salt into the water and water to pass into their bodies. This is a normal process that happens all the time.

In order to maintain the salt levels they need to survive – and to avoid filling up with too much water – goldfish must continuously take in salt and expel water from their bodies. Again, this is normal and is a process controlled by the goldfish’s kidney.

Dropsy occurs when the kidney malfunctions. Your goldfish stops being able to get rid of all the water it is taking in from the tank or pond and instead starts to swell up like a water balloon.

Why does this happen? It could be any number of reasons. For example, infection that makes the kidney less efficient, an injury that allows more water into the fish’s body than the kidney is able to handle, or anything else that upsets the natural balance of water passing in and out of the goldfish’s body.

Can you cure dropsy?

We’ll be honest; it’s very difficult to cure dropsy and in most cases it is fatal. By the time you see the symptoms, it’s almost always too late and very few goldfish recover from dropsy.

However, there are steps you can take to give your goldfish some small chance of recovery…

Treating dropsy

To give your goldfish the best chance of recovering from dropsy (even if it’s chances will, unfortunately, still be quite slim) you should:

Set up a quarantine tank away from all of your other goldfish and add the fish affected by dropsy
Try to keep the temperature of the quarantine tank around 25ºC / 77ºF
Add an antibacterial treatment (such as Acriflavine) to the quarantine tank
Add aquarium salt to the quarantine tank (use this calculator to work out how much salt to add – simply enter your aquarium size in gallons or liters, then type 0.7 into the “% salinity change” box, it will then tell you how much salt you need)
Remember to add more salt when you do a water change, as you will be removing salt from the tank along with the water
Keep the fish in the quarantine tank until all symptoms have disappeared and it appears fully recovered
Unfortunately, even fish that appear to recover may still relapse. It all depends on whether the kidney can repair itself during the quarantine tank treatment. As previously mention, dropsy is a particularly difficult illness to cure unfortunately.

jimnchal · 11/30/2013, 07:26 AM

I had an angel fish years ago do that. I believe it is a problem in the swim bladder. QT and feed spirulina, that cleared up the problem.

11/29/2013, 10:42 AM	#1
mluntz Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Millersville, Md. Posts: 727	Interesting Frshwater Question I know this isn't the forum for this, but I'm hoping someone can chime in. My brother in law has a freshwater tank with fish that continuously breed. He has another fish (don't know what kind) that has been swimming upside down and on it's side. Evidently the LFS recommended some kind of filter pad and told him to take peas with the skin off and put it in the tank. I've never heard of anything like that! Any one with any direction or advice would be welcome. Thanks! __________________ 46 Gallon Bowfront, (1)Ocellaris Clownfish, (1)Carpenter wrasse, (1)Coral Beauty, (1)Kole Tang

11/29/2013, 11:06 AM	#2
FTDelta Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Central NY Posts: 1,124	Head on over to www.Fishforums.com. You'll get better luck there.

11/29/2013, 11:25 AM	#3
Beandawg I see whatchu did there. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Central CT Posts: 666	Yes, peas help with "Dropsy", but there are also medications for it. I'm not sure what kind of filter pad would help dropsy, unless he has water quality issues too.

11/29/2013, 11:41 AM	#4
Kyuss Megistered Rember Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 470	My dad has a FW tank with Oranda's, which are prone to getting dropsy. They end up upsidedown and on their side, and unable to stay down - they kinda float around tumbling, continuously trying to swim to right themselves until they get tired. Peas worked for him, but said he switched their regular food and hasn't had issues with it since.

11/29/2013, 11:42 AM	#5
Silvergryphon Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Seattle, Wa Posts: 540	Peas are also good for treating constipation in fish.

11/29/2013, 02:36 PM	#6
Josh40996 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 415	Dropsy is a symptom rather than an illness, Dropsy is when the scales of a fish look like they lift up like a pine cone, caused when underlying diseases such as organ failure. I do not think a pea would help and medications I think would only treat symptoms and not the underlying problem. Swimming on their side to me indicates that the fish has a problem with their swim bladder,an internal parasite or is bloated. So feeding a de-shelled pea may help with constipation, or the swim bladder (I have heard that peas help with swim bladders) but not if its an internal parasite. Good Luck.

11/29/2013, 09:20 PM	#7
Beandawg I see whatchu did there. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Central CT Posts: 666	Dropsy: Does your goldfish look swollen? Dropsy is a very serious condition affecting goldfish. If you notice your goldfish looking fat, swollen or “about to explode” then the problem is probably dropsy. Read on to find out more about the symptoms of dropsy, what causes dropsy and how to treat it. Dropsy symptoms How do you tell if your goldfish has dropsy? These are the key symptoms of dropsy to look out for: Extremely swollen belly that makes it look like your fish is very fat – possibly so fat that it almost looks ready to explode! Scales standing out like a pine cone Bulging eyes (one eye or possibly both) Swimming problems causing the goldfish to float at the top or sink to the bottom of the tank or pond What causes dropsy? Goldfish have a certain amount of salt in their bodies. This salt level is much higher than the level of salt in the water around them, which causes the fish to lose salt into the water and water to pass into their bodies. This is a normal process that happens all the time. In order to maintain the salt levels they need to survive – and to avoid filling up with too much water – goldfish must continuously take in salt and expel water from their bodies. Again, this is normal and is a process controlled by the goldfish’s kidney. Dropsy occurs when the kidney malfunctions. Your goldfish stops being able to get rid of all the water it is taking in from the tank or pond and instead starts to swell up like a water balloon. Why does this happen? It could be any number of reasons. For example, infection that makes the kidney less efficient, an injury that allows more water into the fish’s body than the kidney is able to handle, or anything else that upsets the natural balance of water passing in and out of the goldfish’s body. Can you cure dropsy? We’ll be honest; it’s very difficult to cure dropsy and in most cases it is fatal. By the time you see the symptoms, it’s almost always too late and very few goldfish recover from dropsy. However, there are steps you can take to give your goldfish some small chance of recovery… Treating dropsy To give your goldfish the best chance of recovering from dropsy (even if it’s chances will, unfortunately, still be quite slim) you should: Set up a quarantine tank away from all of your other goldfish and add the fish affected by dropsy Try to keep the temperature of the quarantine tank around 25ºC / 77ºF Add an antibacterial treatment (such as Acriflavine) to the quarantine tank Add aquarium salt to the quarantine tank (use this calculator to work out how much salt to add – simply enter your aquarium size in gallons or liters, then type 0.7 into the “% salinity change” box, it will then tell you how much salt you need) Remember to add more salt when you do a water change, as you will be removing salt from the tank along with the water Keep the fish in the quarantine tank until all symptoms have disappeared and it appears fully recovered Unfortunately, even fish that appear to recover may still relapse. It all depends on whether the kidney can repair itself during the quarantine tank treatment. As previously mention, dropsy is a particularly difficult illness to cure unfortunately.

11/30/2013, 07:26 AM	#8
jimnchal Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 171	I had an angel fish years ago do that. I believe it is a problem in the swim bladder. QT and feed spirulina, that cleared up the problem.