Re: [Killietalk] dropsy advise

[ROBERT ELLERMANN <ruevenm at sbcglobal_net>]

I agree 100% David. When I over feed and/or fail to change water is when dropsy appears -- usually in SAA's and Callo/Fundulopanchax. Chopping blackworms and red worms into small pieces helps ALOT!!!!!!!! I am a chronic over feeder and killies are a pain with that  because of their predator eating habits. I have balanced out the fault by trying to just use worms and beef heart for growing fish and conditioning fish when breeding them (I rest annuals at times) and I just use them 3-6 times a week depending on the species. I try to make brine shrimp, bloodworms and daphnia the standard diet but even bloodworms can cause problems -- especially if they are fed too often and especially in SAA's -- they bloat Gnatholebias very easily. I try to get killies to take good dry food to get around this problem and use a salmon/shrimp based frozen food too. Over feeding and poor water changes is deadly.
 
Bobby

David Ramsey <djramsey at earthlink_net> wrote:
Whatever the bacteria or creepy crawly thing is that causes dropsy, if it is
everywhere then there has to be a trigger. I find it will happen in a tank
that I am really pushing the food to, especially if the tank is a little on
the cold side. With the cooler weather, all my tanks on the bottom rows
without heaters would qualify. Particularly to fish that have no 'off'
button. Blue Gularis will eat blackworms or earthworms until they look like
puffers laying on the bottom of the tank. I pulled a corydoras out yesterday
that was huge from overfeeding. But the cories in the tank were spawning
this morning. They have been getting absolutely huge amounts of live food,
with virtual 75% water changes every day to trigger spawning. It worked. But
it also has me with one fish that will probably not be able to clean out
their system and get rid of the bloat. Have all that food putrifying in
their system and in a couple off days it will have the classic 'dropsy'
look, complete with the distended scales.
I think that kind of 'bloat' that can not get cleared through the system
will act as the trigger for what we visually call 'dropsy'. My picky eaters
never get it. Only the pigs.
David Ramsey Lawrenceville, GA
djramsey at earthlink_net


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