Oranda with Dropsy!

Question
Hi Amber, I am VERY worried about my little Red-Capped Oranda, Allen. He lives in a 55 gallon tank and as of yesterday, he is all alone (we had a comet goldfish in there with him, but she was picking on him, so she has been moved). Anyway, about a week ago, Allen suddenly stopped swimming happily around the tank and took to sitting on the bottom. His Dorsal fin was flat to his back and it looked as though he was too heavy to swim. I did not know what was wrong with him and then on the third day, I noticed that his little face was swelling and that his eyes had begun to bulge. I looked on the internet and discovered that he most likely has Dropsy. We immediately started him on Maracyn-Two and within 24 hours, he was back to swimming around happily. He has now just been given his third dose of medication (of 5 days), and is still swimming about, but I am noticing that the scales at the front of his little body are starting to "pine cone" or portrude. I am worried sick about him. We love him so much! What can we do to make sure that he gets healthy. The ammonia level in his tank seems a little high - is it safe to use ammonia remover with the macaryn 2? Also, should I be using epsom salts to help with his swelling. I am desparate - he is our little friend and we will do anything to make him better! Is it too late? Thank you so much for your help.

Answer
Hello Amy-

Though dropsy is very difficult to cure, it has been done. Continue treating your little guy with antibiotics, and if you want, you can add some Epsom salts to help the swelling go down. Be sure to use Epsom salts, and not table or aquarium salt. Rather than using an ammonia remover, try using some Cycle along with a tiny bit (a half dose) of AmmoLock. I'm not sure if the Cycle bacteria will be killed by the Maracyn, so it would be safest to add a mix of both of the products mentioned above. If your little guy is still eating solid foods, you could try a medicated food which would work much better than a "dose the tank" method.

Hope this helps,
Amber Worman