Dropsy in fish: description of the disease, causes, treatment and reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Dropsy in fish is an extremely dangerous disease that in most cases leads to the death of the animal. It has an infectious nature, which means it can infect all the fish in the aquarium in a short time. Consider the essence of dropsy in fish? Its symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention.

General information

Dropsy in fish (ascites) is an infectious disease characterized by the appearance of fluid-filled edema. With dropsy, the belly of the fish increases significantly in size and takes on a rounded shape. The scales begin to bristle, the eyes pop out of their sockets. Bacteria that cause ascites live in all aquariums, but with proper care, and strong immunity in animals, they are not dangerous. The disease manifests itself in case of poor conditions or sudden changes in the aquarium.

Although under normal conditions the bacteria causing the disease is harmless, the disease itself in most cases leads to the death of the fish. Most often, treatment is ineffective, so it is important to create conditions so that the disease does not manifest itself. ATIf one fish is infected, the disease can very quickly affect other inhabitants of the aquarium. Therefore, when a sick animal appears, it is important to take timely measures that will prevent the spread of infection.

Most often the larvae are affected by this disease. It manifests itself in the swelling of the yolk sac and filling it with a blue liquid. Also, the disease is more often observed in labyrinth, carp-tooth and viviparous fish. However, under poor conditions, it can affect other types of fish.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of dropsy in fish can most often indicate other diseases. For the purpose of prevention, a sick animal must immediately be deposited in another container. We list the main symptoms of dropsy in fish:

• bulging eyes;
• very bloated belly;
• tubercles on the body;
• drop in activity and lethargy;
• gills turn pale;
• anus swells up;
• sores on the body;
• white feces and mucous discharge from the anus;
• refusing food;
• rapid gill movement;
• decreasing color brightness;
• koda stretches and scales rear up;
• curvature of the spine;
• the fish is at the very surface of the water.

All these symptoms together may indicate irreversible changes in the internal organs of the fish. In this case, the treatment is no longer able to help. The animal must be euthanized, and the aquarium must be urgently disinfected. BloatingBelly in fish can also occur before spawning or from exposure to internal parasites. The main symptom indicating dropsy in fish is bulging scales. At the same time, the skin of the fish is clearly visible through it, it swells and turns white.

Background

The appearance of dropsy of aquarium fish is promoted by:

• poor quality and wrong chemical composition of water;
• untimely change of water and cleaning in the aquarium;
• poor quality and monotonous food;
• lack of oxygen;
• inappropriate containment conditions;
• prolonged stress;
• a sharp fluctuation in temperature in the aquarium;
• genetic predisposition;
• other diseases;
• fish old age.

It is precisely the unfavorable conditions of detention that affect the sharp decrease in the immunity of fish. It becomes vulnerable to all kinds of viruses and bacteria. Once-harmless micro-organisms are having a devastating effect.

Reasons

Dropsy in fish can appear from:

• bacterial infection;
• viral infection;
• infection with protozoan parasites;
• lowered immunity in fish.

If several fish get sick at the same time, then we can talk about a bacterial infection. It can come from bacteria called Mycobacterium and Aeromonas. They can accumulate in an aquarium that is rarely cleaned. They can also be introduced with new fish or food.

Treatment

The most common treatment isineffective, which is why many experts advise euthanizing sick fish. The aquarium needs to be disinfected, and the rest of the fishermen should be closely monitored.

Among the reviews there are some useful tips. For example, if other animals show signs of the disease, they must be urgently deposited in a quarantine container. To reduce the number of harmful bacteria in the aquarium, antibiotics are often used internally and antibacterial drugs in the water. For example, "Oxytetracycline" (judging by the reviews, it is very effective). True, these drugs are more aimed not at treating dropsy in fish, but at preventing the disease in other inhabitants of the aquarium.

It is also necessary to normalize the quality of food and water in the aquarium, remove possible causes of the disease.

Antibiotics to treat disease are given to sick fish along with food. If the disease is at an early stage, then there is a small chance of overcoming it. If the fish are fed live food, antibiotics are added to the water.

Prevention

Prevention of abdominal dropsy in fish is to maintain optimal conditions for their maintenance in the aquarium. It is necessary to clean the aquarium in time, constantly check the quality of the water, adhere to the optimal temperature. You should not settle nervous and shy fish along with active ones, because they will become a constant source of stress. Before acquiring new species of fish, you must carefully read all the conditions for their maintenance. In this case, special attention should be paid to the compatibility of individual species. It is necessary to try to avoid a sharp change in the conditions of detention, because it can also cause stress. The diet of fish should be varied, and you should not save on quality feed.

If you notice a fish that has begun to behave strangely, or it has symptoms of the disease, it must be urgently transferred to a quarantine tank and continued monitoring. Sick individuals should not be left in a community tank, as the disease can spread.

Thus, dropsy in fish is a contagious and dangerous disease. It is connected with improper conditions of detention or their sharp deterioration. The stomach of sick fish is filled with liquid, which causes deformation of the internal organs. Treatment in the early stages of the disease can be effective. If it has moved to the last stage, the fish must be euthanized and the aquarium urgently disinfected to avoid infecting other individuals.