# Now my rainbow shark has dropsy



## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

2 weeks ago one of my mollies had popeye but after a day or two the swelling in her eye had gone down, a week later she had some white patches on her which also have seemed to have gone away and she is doing quite well now. However now my rainbow shark has dropsy. One of his eyes are popping out and his scales are protruding he has that pine cone appearance.

I'm wondering if perhaps what had affected the Molly has affected him. If the two conditions are related then I guess it's a bacterial infection but the Molly never showed any dropsy symptoms. I don't know how to treat him because he is a bottom feeder and trying to get him to eat is not easy. 

Once again, none of the other fish are sick and that Molly is looking just great now. What should I do? Please advise if you have any idea.*c/p*


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Pineconing is a general symptom of many things.Poor water quality,organ failure,parasites or bacterial.Check him to see if you see anything on him under the scales,look for ich,check you water params with a master test kit.Many fish do not survive the pineconing,so most of what you can do is make him comfortable.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

"Frequently, the fish's scales stand out from the body, giving it a pinecone-like appearance. Hence, the Japanese name for the problem — "matsukasa disease" is "pinecone" disease. Sometimes dropsy can be accompanied by another sign of disease commonly referred to as "pop-eye," in which one or both eyes can bulge outward.

Both of these signs are symptomatic of the same basic problem: a dangerous buildup of internal pressure. A tumor or swollen organ may be the cause. Or fluids may be building up in the internal cavity, the result of bacterial or viral infections. A massive infestation of internal parasites can produce dropsy. An intestinal blockage can produce signs of dropsy. Bloating, scale protrusion and pop-eye can also befall female fish that are ripe with eggs."

Here's the site where I found this (it may have tips on how to cure it - and if not cure it, at least how to stop the other fish from getting it): Dreaded Dropsy


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## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

Well I decided to put my rainbow shark down this morning. :-( He was not getting any better and from what I read, when a fish is actually pine coning it's too late. On top of that the Molly is showing some signs of sickness again. I've added some myxazin and some special kind of salt to treat the tank and hopefully kill the nasties that have invaded... Not happy!


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