# Help, Betta with bulging eyes!



## WDW Donna (Jun 28, 2009)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 5gal
What temperature is your tank? 80
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? just put in two ghost shrimp two days ago

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon Betta Food 
How often do you feed your betta fish? two pellets morning and two at night

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once a month
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? was using Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus, ran out so just used Prime brand in water change yesterday

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
I only have ammonia test kit right now.
Ammonia:0.50 (API Ammonia NH3/NH4 test kit)
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Her eyes are popping!
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? no change
When did you start noticing the symptoms? about three days ago. today noticed one eye is significantly bigger than other. Like a bubble over it
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Just put in API Melafix.It's all we had at the moment
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no. 
How old is your fish (approximately)? we bought her in Jan 2012 at Petsmart


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## cjconcepcion (Jun 7, 2012)

She has popeye, can you post a picture so we can see how bad it is? Go to the store and get maracyn, take her out and put her in a qt tank, get her out of the melafix, (someone correct me if im wrong but melafix can damage their labyrinth organ and kill them)


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

I have not heard about the melafix damaging the labyrinth organ specifically; I use it double-strength and have had good luck with it- but I have heard some fish are sensitive to it, and I have used it on two fish (along with neomycin, methylene blue, etc...) that did die... but they had significant infections, and probably would have died anyway. Thats still not going to help for popeye, though, and you need to get her the above treatment right away. Popeye takes a long time to heal, and sometimes they lose an eye or both if one waits to long. Good luck with her!


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## WDW Donna (Jun 28, 2009)

Darn it, I can't go anywhere until tonight!  Thanks for the info. Will post a picture when I can.


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## WDW Donna (Jun 28, 2009)

Here is a picture. I know it's not the best. It is only her left eye. I am wondering if the ghost shrimp we put in with her damaged her eye. I did not see them fight, but Lily was awful curious of the shrimp.


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## cjconcepcion (Jun 7, 2012)

popeye is caused by a bacterial infection. sorry if i didnt clarify enough or im not sure if you did this but you have to take her out of that tank and qt her, if you added the melafix to the tank with the ghost shrimp youve gotta take those out two and do a 100% water change and rinse everything to get it out of the water


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Shouldn't you use the aquarium salt treatment first? I mean, you should try that before all the medicines. Avoid any products that have -fix in their names. They are known to hurt the labyrinth organ. You really need to do more water changes. Like 50% per week.


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

Yes, they are correct. Bacteria means LOTS of fresh water is needed, strong antibiotics, and QT. Use something where you can make the water level about 4 inches or so, so she can easily breathe. If you have leaves, extra tannins will help to some degree (Indian almond leaves, and even oak leaves have tannins, please double-check this first, though, because I am not sure what else does). Just be sure not to use any salt for more than 10 days, and like I said, LOTS of water changes! The shrimp probably had nothing to do with it, but be sure to read up on how to get rid of the bacteria in the tank as well. Remember, bacteria live in filters, gravel, plants, and even the sides of the tank. Also, be patient; popeye takes a long time to heal.


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

Usually salt is a good first step for mystery illness, however in this case, popeye is quite distinct, and we know what causes it. this also means we know what won't fix it, and what will. Skip the salt-only time period; it won't fix it alone. However, a little AQ salt in the QT tank can make it easier to breathe for a sick betta. But I would go straight to the antibiotics mentioned above; thats her only shot. And as for Melafix- I heard again yesterday that it is not good for labyrinth fish... guess I wont be using it any longer. Glad to know that!


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

So for Popeye, it won't have much effect? Sorry, I have a tendency to keep thinking that the 2 salts are better than fish meds.


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## WDW Donna (Jun 28, 2009)

ugh, Kinda confused but I will put her into a seperate bowl and keep the water clean and start with that. I can still use a little aq. salt right?


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

I also tend to start out with a good dose of salt and lots of clean water and good food before resorting to stronger meds. However, from what I have read, salt cannot be used in high enough concentrations with fresh water fish to kill the bacteria on a scale which would resolve popeye, but it will help her breathe. Just dont use it longer than ten days, and watch the concentration; salt does not deactivate or evaporate, so only add it with fresh water to avoid it building up too much. But, popeye can be treated. http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm (scroll down to the popeye section, but this is a great site for reference on betta disease in general). Good luck, I hope Lily recovers soon!


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## WDW Donna (Jun 28, 2009)

Thanks ChardFish. that helps.


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

I hope so! How distressing to see your fish like that!  Good luck with her!


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## cjconcepcion (Jun 7, 2012)

i wouldnt use aq salt to treat popeye, it might just irritate her, clean water, then medicated water as sooon as you can get it

edit: sorry i keep confusing you :/ the aq salt wont heal her, put her in it for a day just to "rinse everything off" and then put her in fresh water again until you get the medication. epsom salt will treat popeye, but it wont get rid of whatever caused it in the first place, popeye is a symptom, not a disease itself


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

Well said, thank you cj for the clarification!


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## WDW Donna (Jun 28, 2009)

Ok, got it. We have her in a bowl with clean water that will be changed every day. Her eye seems to have gone down but starting meds anyway.


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## cjconcepcion (Jun 7, 2012)

follow the directions on the package, i think it says to treat for 10 days, regardless if her eye goes back to normal within the first 2 or three, continue with the 10 day treatment just to make sure all the yuckies are out of her system. best of luck to you! keep us updated


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

Glad to hear she is doing better! Keep us posted, poor little lady.


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