Dropsy

Dropsy, or the pine-cone disease, will make your fishes scales raise up until eventually the fish looks like a pine-cone. It should not be confused with pearlscale goldfish that have naturally large scales. Dropsy is actually a symptom caused by malfunctioning kidneys. The kidneys are not functioning properly and the fish is unable to expel fluids from its body. Essentially, the fishes body is so swollen from fluids that the scales start to raise. You can compare it to the buttons on your pants popping off because your too fat or the pants are too tight. Often this also causes constipation, floating, or sinking. Many things could be causing the kidneys to malfunction, including bacterial infections, or just organ failure. Unfortunately, by the time most fish keepers see their fish beginning to swell and raise scales, it's usually too late to save the fish 99% of the time. Average medications will have no effect on dropsy and treatment can be costly or difficult. If a fish gets dropsy the best option is to put the fish down. However, if you do wish to save the fish then, the most effective option is an injected medication called Baytril. The antibiotic Baytril will kill any bacteria that could possibly have infected the kidneys. This is done by injecting 3-5 ml into the dorsal muscle of the fish at a 45 degree angle. If the dropsy was caused by a bacterial infection the dropsy should go away after the bacteria is killed.