Betta with Popeye. How to treat?

[mykidsmylife]

Yesterday at our LFS (I now work there) we got in a shipment of bettas and this beautiful crowntail guy came in with popeye. I was afraid the weekend staff wouldn't keep up water changes on him so I bought him and brought him home to treat (I know, I'm a sucker for a sad case). On to treatment.

I have temporarily placed him in a half gallon vase. I know...don't slam- I did it for a reason. I can keep the water at a warmer more constant temp in this vase and with daily 100 % water changes it will be kept emaculate. He will live in my 75 gallon if he pulls thru this. My quaranteen tank is full of Lake Katubu Rainbows right now.

So far all I have placed in his water is some Melafix and a bit of stress coat. What else can I be doing for him? The tank temp stays at a constant 82.

 

[Roan Art]

You are doing fine with what you are doing

If you don't noticed any improvement in a day or so, consider adding some Epsom salts to the water. It will dehydrate the fluid buildup behind the eye -- and the betta, too. So be careful.

I don't know what the dosage is for this -- anyone? I bet TMQP will know.

Roan

 

[mykidsmylife]

Thanks Roan. I had to transfer him to a bowl floating in the big tank. I noticed that the heating matt I had the vase on was acting funky.

His eye does look a bit better today and he is much more active. Of course I brought him home immediately after taking him out of those tiny shipping bags. Poor things. They are shipped in tiny little bags with maybe 1/2 cup water.

I pm'd Mighty Queen. She will know exactly what to do and I figure she has a busy weekend and may not be on the boards much.

 

[liv2padl]

Popeye or exophthalmia is a symptom, not a disease in itself and it can have a large number of potential causes. some of these causes are incurable while others can potentially be cured on a sporadic basis.

the bulging or protruding eye(s), as the name 'popeye' implies, is symptomatic of this condition. potential causes include --- infrequent water changes which results in a buildup of dissolved waste products in the water, Ichthyosporidium -- a parasitic fungus, Ichthyophonus, 'worm cataract disease'-- a function of the invasion of parasitic trematodes or flukes, bacterial infection, parasite infestation -- eye flukes and internal metabolic disorders.

since the causes of popeye are so varied, the treatment is difficult. some success has been noted in treatment of Ichthyosporidium using one percent phenoxyethanol at about 50gm per gallon of water.

treatment for bacterial disease would best be accomplished using Tetracycline or Teramycin added to aquarium water every other day or mixing food at the rate of 100 mg of antibiotic to 4 oz. of food. Feeding should continue 10 days.

Fish tuberculosis can also be responsible for pop-eye. Since fish tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by a Mycobacterium, the same antibiotics can be used in the same manner for treatment if this is the suspected cause. other effective treatments for bacterial exophthalia may include Chlortetracycline, Furazolidone, Nifurpirinol, Oxolinic acid, Oxytetracycline or potentiated sulphonamide. unfortunately these treatments are most effective when injected into the eye socket and less so when used as a bath.

if the fish has eye flukes, malachite green with formalin, metriphonate or copper are good, as are most of the commercial preps for flukes and external parasites.

this disease is rarely fatal and not particularly infectious. it often disappears on it's own in 2-3 weeks leaving no residual trace or may disappear leaving a cloudy eye and worst case, a missing eye.

i've rarely found that aquarists have 'cured' a case of 'popeye'. rather, some have gone from medication to medication and never found one that works. this is likely due to the fact that the cause was never differentiated.

i think i'd give it at least two more weeks and see what happens. it may resolve itself.

bear in mind that many of these treatments will negatively impact your biological filter so treatment in an isolation tank is best.

 

[mykidsmylife]

Thank you liv2padl!!! I had no ideal of all the cause of popeye. He is of course isolated from the rest (Floating in a container in my 75 for warmth...no water being transimitted between the two). I will wait a while using the melafix and see if it corrects on it's own. If not I will search out new treatments.

I have no ideal of what conditions he was kept in. As I said above I literally brought him home straight from his shipping bag. My guess would be incredibly poor water quality.

Thanks again. I love learning new information!!!!!!