Fat? Pregnant? Deformed? Sick?

[capewind]

Here;s the baby comet that I am questioning. Double checked size too... almost dead on 3"... Hatched somewhere around late April through mid May.

 

[j.w]

Someone else had one like that on here not long ago and it died eventually and they opened it up and it was full of a liquidy stuff. Thought it could be egg bound before it died and they opened it up and that wasn't the case. Don't know about yours either.

 

[Waterbug]

Looks like a fluid imbalance to me. More common too.

 

[capewind]

You both likely have better guesses at treatment options to try... What would you suggest? I have a vacant, but cycled 30 gallon tank still set up that I can throw it into to isolate. If your suggestion includes salt, can you also tell me how much to add (in cups)? Still havent gotten a meter to check salt since we really dont use it.

 

[fishin4cars]

Looks like a fluid imbalance to me as well. Wouldn't hurt to put it in tank and observe. I doubt salt will help much but really don't think it will hurt either. I'm not sure of the amount for .3% maybe waterbug can figure out. I loaned my refrence book out and don't have acsess to it tonight. I'll try to google and see if i can locate. Can you get medicated food? Possibly pet smart? I know they some pellets that are small for goldfish. I really don't think egg bound looking at the pics.

 

[Waterbug]

I've never tried to treat for this...originally I didn't know what it was, but after a few autopsies finally figured it out. I haven't read of any treatment that fixed this, so I never tried. I have read of using salt because that does effect fluid movement. Seems to be a "salt affects fluids" "this is a fluid thing" so it should work. But I think it's a genetic thing kind of to be expected with how these fish were created. If so, then salt might change the symptom but I don't see how it could fix the problem. Just my thinking, not saying it's right.

I just let them live whatever life they get and put them down when they can no longer swim. Fish with a fluid problem always seemed happy and hungry right up to the end. They can live more than a year, or blow up pretty fast.

Another thing lots of people think that kind of swelling would be is constipation. People like to feed mashed peas for that. But to me, if that's from constipation I'm thinking the fish doesn't have long to live as it would have moved beyond simple constipation. But some fish like peas so that couldn't hurt.

The last thing people will often say is that this is dropsy. But dropsy isn't a disease. Dropsy is just another way to say "bloated fish".

 

[fishin4cars]

I've always thought dropsy was a bacterial condition??? not that the fish in question has it. the scales aren't protruding outward like dropsy. I'm more thinking toward the genetics, and holding internal fluids. really not a lot that can be done. I agree salt and peas are a shot in the dark, they would be a better treatment than trying medications, IMHO.

 

[Waterbug]

Dropsy can be caused by bacteria, but yeah, just a fancy way to say fat. I do think that a fast swelling, like in a few days, is what causes the scales to stick out, which bacteria would do. To me that's what dropsy really means, fish that got fat fast. But most people seem to consider any major bloating to be dropsy. This fluid thing, and I don't know what the cause is or if the cause is always the same, that I've seen is slow enough that the skin grows rather than stretching so the scales stay flat.

 

[capewind]

I think I'll just ask hubby to take care of it after work. Just went to check on it, and it was hovering below the group... as soon as I put food in the water, it swam off. Dont want to see the poor thing suffer. Thanks for the input.