What Is Betta Fish Dropsy?

Of all the diseases a betta can suffer from, betta dropsy is one of the most disfiguring, and can cause significant distress on the part of the owner. A betta afflicted by dropsy can appear to be ill with tuberculosis-it can either seem to waste away, struggle with diminishing appetite, lose color, swim listlessly-or can even endure the opposite; namely, a belly swollen to such proportions that its scales protrude. Either way, if untreated, death is certain.

Dropsy can have plenty of potential causes. It can be triggered by stressful conditions, such as poor diet, unclean water due to lack of water changes, and so on. Such conditions can in turn lead to an infection by a particular species of bacterium or virus, which itself can cause dropsy-such as Aeromonas bacteria, for example. While some of these causes are treatable, others, such as dropsy that can bring about organ damage-especially significant kidney damage-are far too often fatal. This makes it all too necessary for dropsy to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Bettas that are discovered to be suffering from betta dropsy should first be placed in treatment tanks and isolated from all other fish and/or invertebrates that they may be sharing a tank with (easy for male bettas that are kept separately from other fish). This is because many of the medicines that are used to treat this disease can be harmful or even fatal for other fish, plants and invertebrates. Also, some companies make and sell medicated food to help treat fish afflicted with dropsy-food that may very well be expensive and should not be 'wasted' on fish that do not need it. Once the fish has recovered, it can be returned to the main aquarium. (There is often, however, little guarantee that a fish afflicted with dropsy can be restored to perfect health if it is too far gone before any treatment regime has taken place, which makes early diagnosis and treatment exceedingly important.)

However, many precautions can be taken to prevent a betta from getting betta dropsy in the first place. Firstly, the water must always be kept as clean as possible, to prevent the bacteria and/or viruses that can cause dropsy from gaining a foothold. Next, one should take care not to feed one's bettas too much to avoid fouling the water and making it a haven for bacteria. Sources of stress, which can also weaken a betta's immune system, should likewise be avoided-no scaring of fish by tapping their aquarium!

Chris Toal has been caring for showstopping Siamese Fighting Fish for over 25 years. For more great information on Betta Dropsy [http://www.bettainformation.com/betta-dropsy/], visit www.BettaInformation.com [http://www.bettainformation.com/].