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Dropsy or bloat

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
Hi all!

today i spotted one of my copellas with dropsy or bloat like symptoms. It is now moved to a hospital tank.
so now i am reading up how to treat it, as i have had a few other cases of this or something similare within the last couple of months.
I have one question though. Could this be caused by a parasite/bad water quality build up in my outdoor water barrel, where i get all my tank water? -i’m asking because it occured in two of my tanks.

-r
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,958
Location
Germany
That's quite little info. On other forums I would ask you to fill out something like a disease / emergency template.
Too many variables from what you are saying.
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
thanks MacZ! -ye, i know it's not much. I haven't tested my water values, so i can't give much info there.
I feed frozen food (daphnie, cyclops, artemia, black/white mosquito larvaes) once a day. They also get live daphnies every once in a while, from my water barrel.
The dominant A. atahualpa have had a matte eye a couple of times, which i read could also be sign of one of the bloat diseases. This however fades away after some days. -maybe it's just been unlucky with a few scratches on the eye?

I have spotted a lot of dead snails on the more stagnate part of the water surface, which i first saw a sign of too low ph, for them to build up their houses and there died or so...
yesterday i read that protozean cultures strives in more stagnate waters, so it could also be that happening. i guess these parasites, if it is that attack all creatures in the tank and not only fish.
i have now increased the water flow and rinsed the filter sponge.
i am thinking of getting some RO water for my next few water changes, instead of using from the barrel.

these are all just ideas, hunches of what i see in the tank.

-r
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,958
Location
Germany
Usually I would ask for water (quality and parameters), maintenance schedule, stocking, feeding, recent (3 months) changes and a picture of the whole tank and the affected fish.

The dominant A. atahualpa have had a matte eye a couple of times, which i read could also be sign of one of the bloat diseases. This however fades away after some days. -maybe it's just been unlucky with a few scratches on the eye?
Have something similar with my A. hongsloi. The grey shadow can be either an injury, glaucoma, chronic gill flukes or a bacterial infection. So a lot of possible causes.

I have spotted a lot of dead snails on the more stagnate part of the water surface, which i first saw a sign of too low ph, for them to build up their houses and there died or so...
Besides pH this could also be starvation. I have found snails that can withstand low pH often just strave due to lack of aufwuchs.

yesterday i read that protozean cultures strives in more stagnate waters, so it could also be that happening. i guess these parasites, if it is that attack all creatures in the tank and not only fish.
I would be wary of that without a microscopy. If you have extremely soft, low pH water the protozoan count is usually almost as low as the bacteria count.

i have now increased the water flow and rinsed the filter sponge.
Good call with the flow, but I wouldn't have actually rinsed the sponge. Or do you mean you just gave it a little squeeze? Instead a waterchange is always my first action, when something is wrong.

i am thinking of getting some RO water for my next few water changes, instead of using from the barrel.
Good idea just to see whether it's the barrel.
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
Thanks again Mac!

-I haven't thought of the snails issue as "just" starvation, but ye! that could be the issue, though there is plenty of leafs etc. to build up aufwuchs.

-The filter i just squeezed in cold tap water to get the majority of dirt out. i thought there where no point in using the tank water, IF that is what causes the issue.

I'll let you know, how things turns out.

-r
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,958
Location
Germany
though there is plenty of leafs etc. to build up aufwuchs.
I noticed some species of snails thrived in that, some didn't. I had some bladder snails going nuts for a short time, then dying off, though there was leaf litter all about. The two Neritina I had for a while instead munched on that stuff, but seemed lethargic, until I moved them to a completely different tank.

-The filter i just squeezed in cold tap water to get the majority of dirt out. i thought there where no point in using the tank water, IF that is what causes the issue.
You thought I referred to chlorinated tap? Not at all, I'm aware the water in both our countries is not chlorinated. But the "dirt" was likely mostly bacteria. You still send a lot of them down the drain. Cleaning filter media (however you do it) is not a good idea usually and may cause instabilities.
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
I noticed some species of snails thrived in that, some didn't. I had some bladder snails going nuts for a short time, then dying off, though there was leaf litter all about. The two Neritina I had for a while instead munched on that stuff, but seemed lethargic, until I moved them to a completely different tank.


You thought I referred to chlorinated tap? Not at all, I'm aware the water in both our countries is not chlorinated. But the "dirt" was likely mostly bacteria. You still send a lot of them down the drain. Cleaning filter media (however you do it) is not a good idea usually and may cause instabilities.
sorry for the confusion. I just tried to say this time i used tapwater instead of rainwater. Based on my assumption that it might be the water.

Normally i only clean the filter sponge when it starts to clog the filter. And then i squeeze it in tank water from the water change.

-r
 

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