How to Treat Dropsy in Goldfish

A goldfish with dropsy typically has a swollen abdomen, bulging eyes and raised scales all over its body caused by bloating in the underlying soft tissue. Advanced dropsy is usually fatal, but if you spot the symptoms early, you may be able to save your goldfish. Dropsy is caused by a bacterial infection, parasitic infestation or simply poor water quality. Maintain a healthy environment for your goldfish, feed quality fish food and change at least 30 percent of your tank water each week to prevent fish diseases. Goldfish produce a huge amount of waste and consequently require diligence when it comes to hygiene and keeping their home healthy.

Things You'll Need

  • Water dechlorinator
  • Anti-stress fish medication
  • Epsom salts
  • Anti-bacterial fish medication
  • Anti-parasite fish medication
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove half of the tank water and replace with fresh, dechlorinated water. Add some anti-stress medication to improve your goldfish's slime coat. This a protective layer that covers a goldfish's scales and provides resistance to bacteria and infection. When a fish is sick or exposed to dirty water, the slime coat is weakened and the fish becomes vulnerable to disease. The swelling in dropsy occurs when fluid leaks into the fish's internal organs and soft tissue. Repairing the slime layer helps to slow down the bloating and give the organs a chance to recover if they are only mildly affected.

    • 2

      Add a dose of Epsom salts to your goldfish tank. Use 2.5 teaspoons per 10 gallons of water, taking care not to overdose. The active ingredient of Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate, which helps to draw out water from the fish's internal organs and reduce bloating. Aquarium salt is sodium chloride and does not serve the same purpose.

    • 3

      Choose an anti-bacterial medication and follow a complete course of treatment according to the instructions on the bottle. A bacteria-related infection leads to kidney failure, so try this treatment first if you are unsure of the cause of your fish's dropsy. If the treatment is unsuccessful, change half of the tank water and dose with Epsom salts for a couple of days while the previous medicine dissipates.

    • 4

      Treat your goldfish with an anti-parasite fish medicine. It is very difficult to pinpoint the origin of dropsy even in the later stages of the disease, but you should never combine bacteria and parasite treatments as you will cause further stress to your goldfish. Finish one course of treatment before embarking on the next.