Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi, i've had a few fish die recently and this morning i lost one of my bigger koi to it, i believe it is dropsy.

he was all puffed up in the classic pine cone shape. the other fish that died didn't bloat like this guy, however they were just common gold fish.

he's the first koi i've lost to it, and i'm a bit concerned my other ones might be at risk. i've got perfect water quality, ph 7.5 0 readings for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and i've salted to 2ppt. plenty of O2 going in from the return water.

my remaining goldfish that looked a bit suspect i've quarantined in a barrel, but i really don't have anywhere to put the larger koi so they will have to stay in the pond.

my question is, is there anything else i can do? will a water change make this better or worse?

Stop feeding for about 3 weeks.
I would salt to 3 ppt, however 2ppt might be enough.

What food are you feeding them?
High protein food can cause it too.

interesting i didn't know high protein can do it. i might try a different feed

i'll add some more salt, i stop feeding as a matter of course when they are sick.

Im sure I read somewhere that cooked peas can help in loosen the bowel.

May be the same reason I loose goldfish when I put them in the big tank as they only get high protein pellets in there. In the pond I only throw some pellets in maybe once a week

Yep, every time I've feed Goldies pellets... they've eventually bloated and died..

Since goldies are one of the few logical choices for my first (small) setup, that's good to know!
How would you recommend feeding them Rupert?
A low protein pellet I guess?

Yep goldfish food/flakes... pellets maybe, but not everyday...

Difference in protein content is significant... flakes etc are usually about 28-35%.... pellets usually 38-48%....

Crushed garlic is good too, but hold off on the feeding for a couple of weeks first.

I got 3-4 goldfish to start my system over 12 months ago, I had one die from that but the other 3 are going strong, wasting all my fish food. I only feed them my pellets.
I need to get them out and compost them.

Anyone in brissy wan't some big ass goldfish

dropsy is a virus which most goldfish ultimately of Asian origin are exposed to .However it does not tend to show up in a fish unless they cop some environmental stress ,temp being a good one. the salt will relieve the stress and help but once they show symptoms ie pineapple appearance there is not much you can do and it is best to cull the individual.
Every now and then someone pops up with a miracle cure for dropsy but the person who actually does will be very rich.
cheers
Byron

Dropsy has got nothing to do with high protein feeds or pellets. What a load of crap. In many cases, environmental parameters are at fault. In new setups, water parameter issues, such as elevated ammonia or nitrite levels before the nitrogen cycle is complete, can be the problem, whereas in older setups it could be chronically low pH, due to lack of maintenance. Dropsy can also be brought on by the stress of aggressive tankmates.

I think mine died of a combinations of 4mm fish pellets and a 3mm A*hole

I meant high protein foods can cause similar symptoms.
Koi carp and goldfish are primarily herbivores.
Their stomachs are not made for processing high protein foods, so they can get blockages in their intestines.
Symptoms are loss of appetite, swollen abdomen, stringy poo, difficulty swimming, hanging round the surface, all similar to dropsy.

High protein diet is a known cause of Malawi Bloat, especially in Tropheus, which are not actually from Malawi

Humm, I have what is generally described going on here amongst my goldfish (though still not clear on if it's dropsy, swimbladder, or bloat...) It's a death affecting mostly the smaller fish; I had 60, split between two 100+ gallon tanks, of the super generic 13 cent 4-6cm variety. I've maybe lost 10 over the last 3 months. The bigger older ones are up to ~10 cm and haven't lost any of them.

Illness manifestation is a general weakness (half-hearted swimming) and inability to keep themselves upright. They are typically within the top 1" of water if not right on the surface and laying on their side at about a 45* angle. Once they reach 90* (full on their side) they're dead.
Sometimes I notice them having a poop trail, but not often (this is all the fish, not just the sick ones).
Also the joke about 4mm pellet and 3mm arse... Sometimes it does appear the littler ones have a harder time chewing down the pellets, kinda nibble them... could that be a real problem? These are about the smallest pellets available, maybe flakes are better (more nibbley)?

Been feeding a pretty small (I'd say 2-3mm?) "slow-sinking" pellet (which actually half floats and half sinks right away, I guess the average is "slow" though). It has 35% protein.

The issue has been increasing in frequency (1-2 per week last few) so I just got irritated enough to look for a cause and solution. I just boiled and mashed a bit of peas and gave them that. Hopefully that does something for them. I've never done a water test.

Any other comments would be appreciated.