possible dropsy in female betta

Question
i have a female betta not sure how old she is but she wont com e up off the bottom of the tank except to grab her food and go back down but she is really really fat and the guy at petco said she may have dropsy....if so how can i help her because she looks just miserable

Answer
Hi Shelley,
Dropsy is a good guess. But typically this disease shows up as a severely bloated fish with raised scales, so when viewed from the top you can definitely see the raised scales on the sides. This disease is often said incurable but I've had a different experience. If you catch it early enough with an antibiotic you can often cure it. But only if you are lucky.

However, I don't think your female betta has dropsy. My first guess would be Swim bladder disorder. This is an EXCELLENT article explaining it. Its very common in bettas and some other types of fish. It is curable and not life threatening. Read here-

http://flippersandfins.net/SwimbladderDisease.htm

I hope this helps and best of luck!
Karen~