Quick question about housing for my sick fish?

[wildmagic713]

So Mister Fishy has popeye (As you all probably know) and right now I'm doing 100% daily changes on 5 gallons w/ Epsom salt.

Could I just do the full 10 gallons in his tank and change 50%-75% daily? (So 5- 7.5 gallons a day). It would make it a lot easier to do because then I could actually use the gravel vacuum instead of a container (For some reason it won't work in just the 5 gallons) which would make it go a lot faster than it does.

So can I do that? He's the only fish in his tank.

[baylee767]

Well if you did that you'd be starting a fish-in cycle. It's your choice, do you want to cycle or not?

[wildmagic713]

Well, I will be once he's better. Currently I'm not running the filter because I heard that I shouldn't do that while he's sick, but he shouldn't need it with 50-75% daily changes. His old tank was cycled.

[Oldfishlady]

Can you not QT him in a smaller container and float it in the heated tank...would make treatment so much easier......however, if you want to treat in the display tank I would do the 50% daily water changes and add back the required Epsom salt

How much Epsom salt are you using? With popeye I like to start with 1tsp/gal for the first 2 days and on day 3 I increase the Epsom salt 2tsp/gal and will usually start to see improvement within 5 days- but will continue for a full 10 day treatment-
I also like to use tannins in my pre mixed treatment water-I use a 1gal jug-add the Epsom salt (dechlorinator if normally used) and 10-12 crush naturally dried and fallen from the tree Oak leaves and let it steep for at least an hour before I use-the longer it sits the more tannins are released and the darker the pre-mixed treatment water will become...sometimes it gets so dark you can't see the fish...lol....but they seem to love it....you can also use IAL or the blackwater extract and in a pinch decaf green tea bags will work

Good that you turned off the filter-but it would be easier if you QT....

Keep us posted.....

[wildmagic713]

I have one container (Largest) that is a little under a half gallon (Like, 0.49 gallons). Would that work? And isn't it a bad idea to have him in the tank with a lid on 24/7? The container will probably end up sinking if there's no lid to trap air for buoyancy in my tank.

I'm doing 1.5 tsp/gallon right now (I did 1 tsp/gallon for the first couple days), but it doesn't seem to be doing much good (I've been treating him since last Friday). Maracyn Two didn't either. Aside from his eye, he's behaving normally. Swims around, his appetite is normal. So I'm starting to wonder if it's just how his eye will be and if I can't do anything about it.

This is the best picture I have of what's going on with his eye: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45952151@N04/5267732174/

He's not that skinny anymore- he wouldn't eat for a little while so he lost weight, he's been eating again.

It's hard for me to get good pictures.

So what should I do?

[Oldfishlady]

I couldn't really tell much by the pic..it may be my computer....does his eyes look to be bulging out of the socket????

If so- and you are at 2tsp/gal I would go up to 3tsp/gal on the Epsom salt-since the antibiotic didn't help either...but if the eye are not bulging from the socket....then it may not be popeye...especially since he is acting normal....

When I use QT I attach it to the side of the aquarium I am floating it in so it doesn't sink...I am a big duct tape fan...lol.....

How many days have you been treating...

[wildmagic713]

No it's not bulging from the socket.. It's just what's above his eye. It's not on his eye, it's above it.

I treated him last week from Saturday (Not last Saturday, the Saturday before that) for 6 days with Maracyn, it didn't help. My filter was broken so I got a new tank (I had a 10 gallon unused filter sitting around, and so I got a 10 gallon) and put him in there and started him on Epsom salt that night (Last Friday, so a week ago tomorrow).

I also have the glass fishbowl he came in... It's about 3/4 of a gallon, maybe a full gallon, I'll check, and I could just put in in the tank and set it on the gravel and keep the tank heated, and then I'd only have to change the bowl, plus I wouldn't have to worry about attaching it to anything... Would that work?

[wildmagic713]

It's 1 gallon filled to the brim, so I probably have a little over 3/4 of a gallon in there. I put in a 2 tsp/gallon dose of Epsom salt (1.5 tsp) and put it in his tank (I had to drop the water level in the tank a little so the top wasn't submerged and it would sit firmly on the bottom, but he's in it now, and it'll be easier to clean.

[Oldfishlady]

If he is otherwise acting normal....you may want to just keep him in his 10g tank and watch him for awhile...just keep up with your twice weekly 50% water changes in the unfiltered 10g tank...remind me...is the 10g planted? if so-one weekly 50% should maintain water quality...

[wildmagic713]

No, it's silk plants... I've had some bad luck with live ones (Our guppy tank became INFESTED with snails when we had it planted, and I mean INFESTED, so I'm antsy to use live plants, and I'd rather not for convenience purposes).

I'll just keep him in there until the last day of Epsom salt treatment (Sunday), and I'll probably just let him into the tank after that, but IDK what I'll do about his eye....