Klane wrote:
Now when a fish shows this much swelling (you stated that it's swelling
evenly throughout the fish's body and not just the belly area where one
would first think eggs), there is little chance for saving that fish.
However, you'll be wise to figure out why this happened to this fish
and correct it (if possible).
I would keep the fish in quarantine, and do a 40% water change on the
main tank she came from.

It isn't the entire body, just the "chest" area. How big would they get
with eggs? Seriously she is huge there and now she's having problems
swimming, she has to really wiggle in an exagerated manner to swim
someplace. We do have a male betta but he's kept across the room in a
smaller tank.

Klane
Hi there.

Here's the thing..... (lol, I sound like "Monk") = )~
Fish with Dropsy symptoms may not look like the fish next to it with
the same symptoms. Sometimes they look like they swallowed a pinecone.
Other times they are so swollen in the belly that they look like
they're going to exlplode. The skin becomes kind of see through from
being stretched so far. Other times it just an even swelling from
behind the gill area down to like 3/4's of the fish's body. This is
better viewed from above.
It's becomes quite obvious where the fish is swollen.
Several months ago I had a new female in quarantine that did that. She
didn't look right, a little puffy all over. I took her of the QT tank
and into a jar and sure enough.....she was swollen on 3/4's of her
body. She pineconed right before she died.
I was sent a picture of a female Betta who's belly are only was so
terribly swollen it looked like she was going to explode any minute. It
was horrible to look at.
Actually, I think it was on here that this female Betta was being
discussed. Anyway, I just checked and I don't still have that picture
anymore. I wish I did though.
It was a good example of just how swollen a fish can get and still eat
and swim too.
Now for a female with ripe eggs, she's going to look like fatter in the
belly area. She may look like she swallowed a pea to downing a whole
pizza (like a marble in her gut).
I have a good picture of a lovely female, ripe with eggs (not huge with
them, as the amount of ripe eggs will vary) and her egg tube showing
nicely.
I can email it to you if you like. Just let me know.