Help Please

Question
Recently I have noticed that my once fiery beta fish Raalow has not been his normal self. For the past couple of days I watched him eat very slowly, when he used to almost jump out of his tank when he saw my hand positioned over his tank. But especially today I looked at him eat and I noticed that he has  either swelling or growth inside of him. What should I do?

Answer
Deangelo,                                                    I am very sorry. It sounds like your fish has dropsy. The first thing you need to do is start feeding him a pea a day. Squeeze it between your fingers. Then remove the husk after abit. Everyday! The next thing you have to do is start Epsom salt baths. 1 tsp per 3 gallons. Do this in a separate container 2 times a day for about 15 minutes. He is holding liquid wastes and is having a problem releasing them. This will help. Most of the time this condition is fatal , but not always.If you a diligent and you caught it soon enough you may be ok. You can also add a mild and all natural antibiotic to his water....Melafix. Treat for 7 days while you are treating with the Epsom salts. Treat him with the melafix in his regular tank. Good Luck , Tina