My Beata Fish has Dropsy

Question
I have had my fish for 6 months, and he has been living in a tank that is about a liter big.(Along with another beta,they are on opposite sections meaning that there is divider in the bowl/tank) At first he was an active fish, and then in the month of December, he stopped eating, so I stopped feeding as much as I had. Now I read on prior questions, and yes, he does look like a pine cone from the top. =(  I have moved him to a different area with warm water... I am wondering for more information on how to cure my fish.   
Thank You

Answer
Hi Dasha;

I wish I could help but there really isn't an effective treatment for dropsy. It's because dropsy is a symptom and not actually a disease in itself. The body of the fish swells with fluids and it's usually caused by advanced kidney failure. Sometimes it begins as an infection but once the kidneys fail and the dropsy appears, nothing can really be done. Sometimes a fish will spontaneously recover, but it's very rare. Here are some web pages about it with possible treatments to relieve symptoms;

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article24.html

http://www.healthybetta.com/fish-dropsy

http://www.aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=128

Unfortunately, your other betta is in danger of getting sick too. Not only because he was in the same water and the cause could be contagious, but because your tank is just too small, even for one betta. I'm so sorry you weren't informed as to what bettas need. It is a myth that bettas can live in such small amounts of water. The water gets dirty way too fast for them to keep from being poisoned by their own wastes. You would have to be making a water change at least 3 times a week to keep the water clean in such a tiny tank. Each betta should be in at least 4 liters (about a gallon) of water all to itself. Get a larger tank to help avoid your other fish from getting sick too. If you can get one with a filter, that's even better. Bettas are just fine with filters as long as they are slow-flowing. Those operated by bubbles seem to work best. Don't buy the additional myth that they should not have filters in their tanks. Here is a good web page about the basics of betta care and keeping;

http://www.bettatalk.com/basic_care.htm

On the same site, a page about proper housing for healthy bettas;

http://www.bettatalk.com/housing.htm

Good luck. I wish I has better news about your sick little friend...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins