# Puffed eye, what to do?



## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Hey! One of my mickey mouse platies has a swollen left eye. At first I thought it was an illusion due to the direction he was facing relative to where I was but then got a better look a day or two later and it's still appearing swollen. So, I realized it's not an illusion, it is an infection of some kind. What can I do on my part to stop this? Thanks a bunch.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I would suggest removing the Platy to a hospital tank to attempt to treat with Epsom Salt first. Hopefully it's just something minor and Epsom Salt will be enough to treat it, otherwise it may need some antibiotics to treat it if it is a bacterial infection rather than just a build up of fluid. Start with 1 tsp/gal of Epsom salt (dissolved of course and added slowly to the tank over half hour at least) and observe over a day or two, if still the same or a little worse bump up to 2.5-3 tsp/gal for another few days. Again, if it has worsened or not changed at all stop the salts and get an antibiotic to treat it.


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Is aquarium salt the same thing? I have API Aquarium salt which miraculously completely cured Lemon of Ich... BY ITSELF.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

No, Aquarium Salt is for external issues such as Ich although it's not the best thing to use if you have other options.

Epsom Salt is something you find in a pharmacy not a fish store. You want 100% Magnesium Sulfate, no additives, scents or dyes in it to be safe to use. It is a natural laxative which helps reduce swelling and flush out internal parasites.


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Okay. My father should be bringing it home when he get's back from work today. Meanwhile, if it is anything other than a buildup of fluids, how long would you say I have to correct this problem? Thanks a bunch.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I mean, shes not going to die within a week or anything lol, she has plenty of time, she'll lose her eye before anything else. Pictures will determine how far along she is though.


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Okay. It's good that I have plenty of time. I almost forgot though, I don't have a hospital tank at the moment. I DO have the epsom salt though. Can I just put the epsom salt in the tank with the other guys in there?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

It is preferred not to medicate the entire population if you can help it. Is it possible you can go to a second hand store and see if they have any small containers of any sort to use? That or any plastic ware storage bins from wal-mart would even work for a hospital tank.


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Wow. I feel stupid. There's an empty 1 gallon tank that has been sitting on the floor for weeks and I forgot it was there. I think I'll use that. What do you think? Too small? Or is it fine?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Oh lol, that's okay! I've got little tanks all over as well and I totally forget they are there as well since I focus on the bigger tanks! And yes, a 1 gallon is perfect since you can dose the salt and/or medications usually easier. So as I said, start with the Epsom Salts and hope that it is just a fluid build up. If she/he needs meds, depending on the med type we can use Epsom Salt in conjunction with the medication for maximum efficiency IF it is necessary. If the medication is doing a great job battling infection, then there is no need to add Epsom Salts to just increase stress levels of the fish.

While fish are sick you want to keep their stress levels down or at least try to. I suggest at night covering the QT tank with a towel or blanket, this helps keep the fish calmer and a calmer, happier fish will have a better chance at fighting off infection because the immune system isn't so compromised by stress. That make sense?

Can you still get pictures? Pictures will help you determine if the swelling has increased or decreased through time as well, I always take pics when my fish are sick so that I can compare them and see what is helping and what might not be helping  And to show others to get their opinions as well, two minds are better than one ^_^


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Unfortunately, I have no cameras anymore. I cannot get any pictures. That's one of the reasons I'm trying to get a job, so I can get one but employers value work experience over your training (even if it's the training required for the job). You can have the training necessary for the position, but if you have a very short job history, or no job history at all, they throw your application away. Because of their lack of reasoning or common sense as an employer, I laugh in their faces! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! Ahem. Sorry. The camera's I do have take pictures that are SOOOOOOOOOO blurry, you cannot see what's going on. It's rather irritating actually.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Ugg yeah, I really dislike employers like that, I understand a little from where they are coming from but at the same time, just because you don't have much work history doesn't mean that you aren't a good worker! Anyway!!

What kind of camera do you have? Maybe I can help a little, perhaps there are some settings on there that could at least give us some half-way decent pictures! I assume they are digital? If so, do they have a P setting or Program?


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

It's a camera phone on an HTC android. 

This is how blurry they are:









It's a picture of Freddy when he died of columnaris. You can barely see the white patches on his sides.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Ah okay, nevermind. That's not a terrible picture though, if you get pictures of the Platy over head just to keep and eye on the eye size, that would be enough. It doesn't have to be perfect, just enough that you can log the differences between day to day and have an idea of what might be helping and what isn't.


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

I want to start medicating today but I don't know if the epsom salt I have is safe. Here's a picture from Walmart of the product I have:










Is this safe to use?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yup! That's the one I use. You will see it says Magnesium Sulfate on it, that's good. In the ingredients it should just be Mg Sulfate, no other additives, scents or dyes, it will be white in color or clearish depending on how you look at it lol but all the same, it shouldn't be purple or blue or something. But yes, I know that brand is safe to use


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Okay good. One final thing... hopefully, because I want to get treating, I just remembered why I don't use the 1 gallon tank, without thinking, about a month or two ago, I used it to change water in my columnaris infested tank and I haven't used it for fish since. It's been dry for about that long.

Is it possible that any columnaris bugs that were in there have already died from suffocation and lack of moisture?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

What you can do is get some Rubbing Alcohol from wal-mart or any pharmacy, I use 91% but 70% will do just as well. Then you can (well I put it in a spray bottle for easier application) spray the tank and let it sit with the alcohol for 20 minutes at the minimum. It will be smelly so best to do it in an aerated environment or by a window or something, even outside if you can stand it ^_^ lol and then rinse very well with hot tap water until you can no longer smell the alcohol and then it is ready for use.

The columnaris should have died off though, some diseases will survive such as Mycobacteria but the tank should be safe for now anyway, but if you want to be extra safe, just do the alcohol and you'll be set to use it! I do that after every sick creature that uses a hospital tank if they die or even if they get better, rinse it out with alcohol to sterilize it :-D


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Alright. Thanks. I'll write back in about a week or so to say how things turned out.


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

It must have been a buildup of fluids because it's no longer swollen.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Oh awesome! I'm really happy to hear that! So s/he is all set now, no more build up and is acting fine? Eating fine too?


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## IanHulett (Feb 19, 2013)

Yes. Everything is fine. He's swimmng okay and having no trouble eating. Sorry for late reply.


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