http://forum.aqua-fish.net/ A forum devoted to aquarium fish, plants, techniques and fish keeping as a whole. en http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=help-me-prevent-future-deaths-from-dropsy-sbd#1 Hi, My betta fish bloated up about a month ago. His scales were hugely stretched (about 7 times normal size) although he ate and swam normally. I suspected constipation and treated accordingly with the mashed pea treatment. When that didn't work, I tried Epsom Salts (1/2 tsp per gallon). Still, the bloating refused to go down. The PetSmart employees said it was probably swim bladder disease and prescribed MelaFix. That seemed to help for a while, but after I had treated for 3 weeks the bloating was back up again. As a last resort, thinking that maybe he had a bacterial infection, I tried Mardel Maracyn II. No change. This morning, I found he had passed. Can you help me figure out what this is? Swim bladder disease? Dropsy? The scales weren't protruding at all (no 'pineconing') and his eyes weren't popped. I want to make sure my next fish doesn't die of the same thing he did. Basic Info: 2.5 gallon tank w/ filter, heater, light All water quality readings ideal (nitrite, nitrate, chlorine, hardness, pH, alkalinity, ammonia) No tank mates 2 years old at the time of his death BettaLove<3 2013-01-15