Hey Annie,

I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss of your little tetra. image It's really hard to make that decision to euthanize.

I don't have any experience with the plant additives so I'll leave that to the others to comment on.

Is it possible that there was some aggression in the tank (not that there was any damage to each other but possibly stressed the fish that eventually died)?

Was any new fish or live plants added without quarantine before the illness outbreak that started in June/July?

Can you describe the bacterial problem you encountered earlier in the summer? Can you describe all the symptoms, and were they the same with each fish? With dropsy, it is usually brought on by a primary infection. The one little problem I can detect that could have contributed to the bloating/"pineconing" is the addition of salt.

You ARE a very good fish mommy! Please don't get discouraged! We'll try to figure this out together! And sometimes things happen despite our good care for them.

Michele