Popeye update - but still have questions

[lharpster]

INFO: 2.5 gal tank, heater, deco filter, water params: all perfect ph is high (but it's always stayed the same) I do a 30-40% water change every Sunday. His tank is perfectly clear! I hand feed him and vacuum his rocks every Sunday during the water change.
It has been 6 days since I discovered his Popeye. He has gotten better, ie he has a good appetite and is playful and some of the swelling has gone down. I decided to continue using the Maracyn 2 for an additional 5 days, although I had to do a small water change on Thursday because his nitrate was a tad high. The lady at the LFS told me to remove the cotton and carbon media from the filter while medicating him so I did that. I determined that he must have injured himself on his cave, so I removed that from his tank and put a smoother surfaced cave in its place. My question is, will he ever look normal again? I don't want to keep medicating him if this is never gonna go away! I plan to medicate him for the next 4 days to complete a 10 day medication period as suggested on the Maracyn 2 box. What do you guys think I should do after that if his eye swelling never goes down? Should I remedicated with something else or what? I'm so frustrated and I feel horrible with the thought that he may be hurting!
Sorry this post is so long,
Lori

[iamntbatman]

You say it's been six days? Was the popeye in both eyes, or just one? I had a kribensis cichlid living in pristine water conditions who developed popeye in just one eye. I determined it was injury-related and not caused by poor water quality, so I just double the water change schedule to keep the nitrates down and the fish recovered. I think it was about two weeks before the swelling really started to disappear, and now she looks completely normal.

As long as you treat the cause of the problem, the swelling should go down and the eye should return to normal.

[lharpster]

[quote="iamntbatman"]You say it's been six days? Was the popeye in both eyes, or just one? I had a kribensis cichlid living in pristine water conditions who developed popeye in just one eye. I determined it was injury-related and not caused by poor water quality, so I just double the water change schedule to keep the nitrates down and the fish recovered. I think it was about two weeks before the swelling really started to disappear, and now she looks completely normal.

As long as you treat the cause of the problem, the swelling should go down and the eye should return to normal.

Do you think I should still continue with the maracyn 2 or just double up on the water changes? I too believe that he injured himself. Thanks for the encouraging advice.

[iamntbatman]

I think it would be safer just to continue treatment. Good luck!