Causes of Fish Dropsy

Dropsy is an internal bacterial infection that can be caused by different factors. The abdomens of fish affected by dropsy fill with fluid at a quicker rate than the fish can lose it. Their scales eventually stand out from their body, and these fish become lethargic. Fish suffering from dropsy exhibit unnatural swimming behavior and typically stop feeding. The main cause of this condition is unacceptable water quality, such as a high nitrate concentration. Dropsy also can be brought on by cancer or internal organ damage.

  1. Symptoms and Treatment

    • Fish suffering from dropsy have a noticeably distended abdomen due to fluid build up. These fish exhibit a "pinecone" appearance and become discolored. Veterinarians often will prescribe antibiotics to treat this condition. Aquarists usually administer the antibiotics orally by adding it to the fish's food. If possible, remove the fish with dropsy from the aquarium or pond, and place it in a quarantine tank. The main reason for quarantining the fish is that any uneaten antibiotics will destroy the beneficial filter bacteria in the main system.

    Poor Water Quality and Contaminated Food

    • Bacterial infections often are associated with dirty water. Fish release metabolic waste into their water on an ongoing basis, and unless the aquarium or pond is correctly filtered water quality deteriorates quickly. Fish become stressed in dirty water, and their immune systems become impaired. The bacteria aeromonas can then easily infect these fishes. Contaminated foods are also a prime source of bacteria. Never allow dry fish food to become moist, as disease-causing bacteria thrive in these moldy conditions.

    Kidney and Liver Failure

    • Fish can develop the symptoms of dropsy after experiencing liver or kidney failure due to a bacterial infection in these organs. Kidney infection often occurs before infections in other internal organs. The majority of fish diagnosed with dropsy die as a result of this condition. This is because irreversible damage has already occurred to their internal organs by the time the aquarist becomes aware that the fish have dropsy.

    Cancer

    • Dropsy is associated with an internal bacterial infection. Chronic dropsy occurs in fish that have cancer. In these cases, the fish's abdomen swells over a period of time as the cancer affects and progressively destroys the various internal organs. Goldfish are slightly more prone to dropsy than other species of fish.