# Popeye Treatment



## ant1694 (Jan 22, 2012)

Hi everyone. I woke up this morning and saw my betta, Ace, although acting normal, looked different. His right eye was swolen and cloudy. I believe it is popeye so I did a 100% water change and also went to my lfs to medication. The only one I could find there was Bettafix, so im currently using that to try treating him. Is there anything else I can do? Also, do I have to take the filter medium out while treating?


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Hi there! Sorry your fish isn't well. If you could fill out the questions in this thread:

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

.. it'll help folks figure out the best thing to do for your fish.

(I'd not use bettafix on any of mine, it's a bit risky, imo. Plus, if we don't know what causing the popeye/cloudiness, it's better to figure that out before treating with meds)


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## ant1694 (Jan 22, 2012)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 76-78 degress
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? alone

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? TetraBetta plus pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1-2 times a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once every 2 weeks
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? Bettasafe or API Stress Coat plus

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? yes but recycling

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? right eye cloudy/swelling out
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? slightly more lathargic
When did you start noticing the symptoms? morning of 6/22/2012
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? yes; 100% water change, cleaned tank, and Bettafix antibiotic
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? 8 months-1 year(general area)


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## ZackyBear (Dec 1, 2011)

Bettafix should be used only as an emergency as it can cause harmful fin melt or even death.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73333

It's the illness on the top, I hope this helps :3


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

25% every two weeks isn't enough water changes to keep your fish healthy. The ammonia built up in the water can lead to infections.. which is what pop-eye is. Keep his water scrupulously clean with 1 x 50% water change and 1 x 100% change per week to help prevent him getting worse/anything else. 

You said you're re-cycling his tank? With the fish in or out? I keep small tanks, and I know very well that they are very hard to cycle (especially with no filter..) and keep stable. The only cycled one is a heavily planted 3.5 gallons, and I watch it daily like a hawk for any signs of imbalance.. The others are all changed to that schedule above, and that keeps the ammonia down.

So the water quality needs improving and to be kept steadily that way. If you follow the directions for treatment in the sticky and keep an eye on the water for ammonia and nitrite buildup, I'm sure he'll be better in no time.

Bettafix isn't an antibiotic, btw, it's an antiseptic that may not help an infection much once it's set in. There's some good antibiotics recommended in the sticky.


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## ant1694 (Jan 22, 2012)

I will start changing the water more every week and he is in the tank while it is being recycled. I am keeping a close eye on the ammonia count, however. Meanwhile, i went and bout aquarium salt and mardel maracyn two. Will either of these help?


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Did you read the sticky thread ZackyBear linked you to? The instructions for treating pop-eye are in there. If you have any questions about it, please do ask the forum.

Just don't use salt and medication at the same time. One or the other. 

I wouldn't bother about cycling a 2.5 gallon, it will never be stable unless heavily planted and even then it's risky. Just do two changes a week, at least, 50% and then 100%, and that will do a lot to keep his water cleaner.


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## WiggleSwim (Dec 31, 2011)

When you say do not use salt and medicine at the same time, do you mean only aquarium salt or both aquarium salt and epsom salt?


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