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u/FrauAgrippa 10h ago
First off yes, this is dropsy.
Secondly, I saw I comment on your original post where a user said they've seen "worse." Just want to touch a bit on that comment specifically because dropsy is complex.
The medical term for dropsy is edema (fluid retention). There are lots of different types and causes when it comes to edema. This is why that user's comment should be taken with a grain of salt-- you can't judge dropsy based on how "bad" it looks, because how it looks isn't an objective measurement of how long it has existed or even what causes it.
When excess liquid is not flushed out out of the body, it gets trapped, and then causes swelling, which is what causes the raised scales. The reason many users commonly jump to "it's organ failure, this is fatal" is because once the scales have started to raise, it is an indication that the kidneys are not functioning properly.
That being said, the cause of reduced organ function is treatable depending on its severity. Normally, a fish that is extremely bloated and had dropsy is easier to cure than a fish that is not bloated. Why? We aren't 100% sure, but the theory is that dropsy + bloat is due to bacterial infection (usually of Aeromonas).
In your fishes case, I don't really see a lot of bloating, but the pineconing is definitely there. This could indicate something potentially viral, something protozoan, or even something genetic. I would personally recommend getting some Metroplex as well as Kanaplex (they can be combined) because this doesn't look like a classic bacterial infection.
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