# Pineconing and popeye



## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Ray Charles, my blind fish, is pineconing and has popeye. I've changed his water, and have put 2 teaspoons of Epsom salt (one teaspoon for each gallon) in the tank, along with stresscoat and prime. I haven't dealt with either of these things before (that is the above mentioned symptoms), and I'm scared for my poor boy, and I need to know if I am doing this right before I add him in; and if not, then please, please help me.


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## darkangel (Jun 11, 2013)

I read that dropsy is hard to recover from =(. But I read Epsom salt is suppose to help? Im not too familiar with it so maybe someone else can help you.

you can treat popeye with a antibiotic like jungle's fungus clear, I bought my at walmart, my betta had a swollen eye when i first got him, i used it for a week and it went away.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Thank you. Even hearing a little bit of advice is good. I'm hoping hoping HOPING it isn't dropsy, it's only on his head....my poor boy...


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## Kiara1125 (Feb 1, 2011)

I would give him daily salt baths in a 1g or so bowl/container. 3 teaspoons per gallon and leave him in the bath for 20 minutes. I cured 3 bettas with dropsy this way. It's a great method. IMO, I would keep the aquarium water just clean, freshwater. No salt.

Also, popeye isn't caused by fungus, so I wouldn't use that to treat him. Can you possibly get a picture? If he's not pineconed all over with a swollen abdomen, then it's not dropsy. It might be a severe case of popeye. It'll be hard to tell without pictures.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

My camera is awful, and the lighting in my room stinks, but here is a description: He does have popeye, and there is pineconing occurring on his head (mostly around his eye) but most definitely NOT on his belly. He is otherwise active and looks fine besides these awful symptoms. And you're sure that the fact that this hasn't spread to his belly is a sign that he doesn't have dropsy? Can anyone else please help verify this?


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## darkangel (Jun 11, 2013)

dropsy looks like this:










does you fish look like that?

if the head is swollen it could be fluid building up around the eyes. my betta had a really swollen left face.

jungle's fungus clear is a broad antibiotic not an anti-fungus, it treats both bacteria and fungus.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Oh jeezus no, he doesn't look like that! :shock: 
And I thought as much (about the build up of fluid.) It's on the right side of his face, with pineconing on the top of his head, but not on the left side of his face. The rest of him looks fine. Unfortunately, I have to be in many different places this Father's day weekend, but I'm taking him and a hospital tank with me. In it I have: 
the Epsom salt, my travel sized prime, stress coat +, food, a heater, thermometer, his food ring, and his resting leaf.
I'm pretty sure I have everything I need, and I'll take a look at that Jungle fungus clear; I'd like to hear more feedback from different people though, before I buy a bottle of it. I'm hoping a mod will show up.


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## Kiara1125 (Feb 1, 2011)

I've never heard of bettas getting that before. I mean, my female CT ended up getting a swollen gill/gill plate and she was getting flaky with her scales. I treated her with an Epsom salt bath once and she healed in 3 days.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Dropsy? Oh man, I've never experienced it, but it's just awful; it's pretty much a death sentence (for the most part; there are reports of people curing it.) 
Ray Charles is doing fine right now; I've set him up in the hospital tank at my mother's house (who I'm visiting), and while the ride here was bumpy he was none for the worse. He's still active and is eating, so it looks as though the Epsom salt is relieving his pain. I'm taking this as a sign that the healing has begun, though it's hard for me to tell if there is any visible difference yet.


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## tngirl92 (Jul 16, 2012)

You are doing the right things with epsom salts and stress coat, but I would also personally treat with an antibiotic for a bacterial infection. He has something internal going on, and while the salts will treat for the outer symptom of popeye and swelling, it will not do anything against the underlying bacterial infection. A lot of people lose fish this way because they think that once the epsom salts cure the popeye, the fish is completely cured. He has something going on inside of him that's making that eye swell. 

http://nippyfish.net/sick-betta/popeye/


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Oh thank you! I actually asked for your help on another thread. Thank you for coming to mine though. I really, most truly appreciate your help. And it says Maracyn and Marycyn Two combined will do the trick? Can they be correctly applied in a two gallon (that's the size of the hospital tank)?


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

So the fluid retention appears to be in the head and eye area - but not around the abdomen? Is that correct? Look at him from overhead. Is there any sign of bloating or pineconing around the abdomen or midsection?

Your dosage of 1 teaspoon Epsom salt per gallon was a good call. 

If there is pineconing in the head (but not abdominal) region, I would treat this as an external infection and use a gram negative antibiotic. Again, your call of Jungle Fungus Clear is an excellent choice. It contains two furan antibiotics which are effective against gram negative bacteria.

Edited because we were all posting at the same time.... Yes, Maracyn 2 is another good gram negative antibiotic. Maracyn is a gram positive antibiotic, which can be combined with either Maracyn 2 or Jungle Fungus Clear.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

So I should definitely pick up Jungle fungus clear? Or the Maracyn and Maracyn Two? Or just one? Or everything, and combine it? I'm a noob when it comes to medicine, because up until now all my fish have been healthy (except for a brush with ich Neil had in the beginning.)
As of right now, I have only introduced the Epsom salt, but I will have no trouble obtaining these medicines. 
After careful observation, no, here is no pineconing near his abdominal area; it's restricted to his head, more so near the afflicted right eye then his healthy left. Also, it looks as though the magnesium sulfate is doing it's job; his eye (the right one) is looking less bulbous. This doesn't mean I'll let up on the attack though! Ray Charles will get better


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Option 1: Maracyn and Maracyn *Two*
Option 2: Maracyn and Jungle Fungus Clear

Either option is ok.

(Do not combine Maracyn Two with Jungle Fungus Clear though.)


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Got it! Thank you all so much. I really, really appreciate all the help everyone has given me. Tomorrow I'll go retrieve the medication and start the antibiotic treatment.


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## tngirl92 (Jul 16, 2012)

Glad to be of help! I successfully treated my 2.5 gallon tank with the maracyn and maracyn 2 combo, but it was a little complicated because their powder packages are designed for ten gallon tanks. I basically used measuring spoons to measure out the proper divisions. It was not too hard once I got the hang of it. 

Good luck!


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

I have a little measuring cup (the kind used for medicine), and it measures out in teaspoons and half teaspoons. I'm absolutely TERRIBLE measuring stuff, so I'm always nervous when it comes to this sort of thing.


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## tngirl92 (Jul 16, 2012)

Well truth is, it is not hard to eyeball it, either. A little more or a little less will not hurt betta. How has he been doing recently?


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Much better! I've only been using the Epsom salt, because I just got a hold of the Maracyn Two, but the petstores around here stink.  I've been to two already, and neither have Maracyn. Will he be okay if I just use Maracyn Two?


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Yes, try the Maracyn 2 alone. It will treat the majority of aquatic bacterial illnesses. So that's the better one to use anyway.

Glad he's doing better!


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Thank you! I added half of one packet to his tank, and tomorrow, I'll add a whole packet. He looks fine, but his eye is still protruding. Definitely better than when I first came crying for help, but still, his scales aren't raised anymore, and I consider THAT to be the biggest improvement


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