Ok so a day ago I noticed that my betta's eye had a white colored "film" over it. It doesn't seem to be swollen, it just looks like a cataract or something, and he doesn't seem to be able to see out of it. He is eating normally, swimming around actively, and just all around seems healthy. I just NEED to know what to do about his eye! If he is sick I need to know what sort of medicine to buy.
Here are some photos I took:
As you can see, it is just his right eyeball, and it isn't really swollen, maybe just a teeny tiny bit. I am at a loss right now, I have no idea what is wrong. I change his water every week, and he has a filter in the tank. I use filtered tap water and dechlorinater as well, specially for betta fish. I keep his tank light on during the day and turn it off at night time, and I feed him tetra betta pellets, and occasionally bettamin flakes.
Please, if you know what is wrong, let me know what to do asap! THANK YOU!!
Hey, can you fill out as many questions as possible? Thanks ^^
Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?
Well, I have got a lot to learn still, but I know clean water by frequent water changes always helps, along with warmer water temperatures in the low to mid 80s, and a bit of aquarium salt for 10 days will help anything.
But some medications you could use that I think are okay is Betta Revive, it helps all kinds of illnesses in bettas. Jungle has medicines that are good for bettas i've heard, and Indian Almond leaves.
Housing
What size is your tank? 2 gallons
What temperature is your tank? not sure (yes I know this is bad, I AM buying a heater and a thermometer TODAY, but my guess is about room temp, so 68-70 degrees)
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no, my bette hated the airstone I bought, it really distressed him
Is your tank heated? not yet, buying a heater today
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? I did buy two cory cats, but they died for unknown reasons, I think my betta killed them. I cleaned the tank well after they died.
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Betta pellets and occasional bettamin flakes
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 pellets twice a day
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once a week, but after reading I am switching to twice a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 90%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? dechlorifyer tablet. Last week I tried petco crystal clear because the water was cloudy, it made the water very very clear, but I discontinued the use, I thought that may have hurt his eye but I am not sure. I just cleaned the tank yesterday.
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
I do not have a testing kit yet.
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? His eye is cloudy and almost opaque
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?He is acting normal as ever
When did you start noticing the symptoms? two days ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? not yet, I don't know what I am dealing with
Does your fish have any history of being ill? I got him only two weeks ago from walmart
How old is your fish (approximately)?I do not know how old he was when i bought him, but I have owned him two weeks.
He must be freezing! D: If your room temp is about 68-70 then the water temp is about 5 degrees cooler, which means he's extremely vulnerable right now, his little immune system must be seriously week, or even if his water is at 70, that's still in the danger zone. Definitely get a heater, asap and get the water up to at least 78, that's where you need to start. I wouldn't advance with any treatment until his water has warmed up, I don't think he can handle any sort of treatment right now. And on a side note since you have a filter you could do 2 50% water changes per week, one just removing water, the second change including vacuuming his gravel, although someone may suggest differently (I personally don't have filters so only speak from what I've read, not personal experience). Cory cats need at least 10g, so in a 2g you can't have any other friends... maybe a snail, but anything more would be seriously over loading the tank.
I am about to go out and purchase a heater in a few minutes, thank you so much for your help, I know I probably seem like a terrible fish owner, but this is my first real time taking care of my own fish. I've always had hamsters and cats (still do) and they are very different.
I will keep you posted on how Zifoof is healing, I will warm the water today, when do you think I should start treating him? And what sort of medication should I pick up?
We all have to start somewhere, I know I made a lot of mistakes when I first started out, and I probably still do make mistakes. XD Bettas are hardy fish and most of the time can bounce back pretty quickly. I would say give him a day to adjust and warm up, maybe even two days. You might as well pick up some aquarium salt, but I usually try and avoid medications unless a simple salt solution doesn't work. I don't want to jump the gun and suggest a treatment yet until he's been in warm water for a good day or two. Then we can see how he's faring and go from there. Ooh and for future reference, I think you should just use straight tap with conditioner, not filtered tap as it might be taking away minerals that are important to his well being. Good luck!
yeah, I suppose you are right, but I still feel bad haha, poor Zifoof and his incompetent owner xD
Well I just returned from petco, I bought a heater for a 2 gallon tank and a thermometer that goes on the outside of the tank. I don't think the thermometer is reading correctly, because my tank is plastic and not glass, because it was reading 80 and my house is only 68 degrees. And the heater I bought automatically goes of when the water is 78 degrees, and kicks on when the temp starts to drop, and it has been heating since I put it in. SO, I think the thermometer is useless.
But in any case, hopefully this heater will help little zifoof, I also picked up a bottle of "Betta Revive" which treats "Protozoan Diseases, Bacterial Diseases and Fungal Diseases". I have NOT put it in yet, I wanted to ask you if this sounds like the right thing to use. Obviously if it is, I will wait until he has had heat for a day or two.
Again, thank you SO much for your help, you are a lifesaver, and Zifoof says a big THANK YOU as well! haha
As long as you are willing to do whatever you can to fix the problem, you're an excellent fish owner. Not knowing something doesn't make you a bad one.
I've heard mixed things about betta revive but have never actually used it, so I won't say anything about that. However, clean water and a bit of aquarium salt can do wonders for a fish. Good luck with him! Keep us posted on his condition!
those plastic strip thermometers aren't worth the money you pay for them. >3> i've seen them get stuck on a temp before. go to walmart, and get one of the $2 glass thermometers. much more accurate.
and, don't beat yourself up. you did really good, and took good care of him. you just didn't have a heater. surprisingly, despite being tropical fish, most people don't know bettas need heaters, and many pet store employees will tell you they "adjust to the temperature of the water, and do fine at room temp!". .__o
OK one question I have is about aquarium salt. I had never heard of freshwater fish needing salt until very recently, so this is a very new concept to me. Is it just regular sea salt that you use on your food, or is it special salt from the pet store? I would have grabbed some earlier but did not see the post about getting it until I got home >_<
Also, an update on Zifoof, it's been a few hours since I installed the heater, he seems to be in a very "good mood", he is slightly more active than normal, I don't think it's fully heated the water yet, I stuck my pinky in just a bit andit felt a little cool, but I'm not sure if it should be a bit cool or not, since our bodies are 98 degrees and what not. But in any case, he seems a great deal happier. Of course, his eye is still looking bad, but I will add the medecine i got in a day or so.
Again, I can't thank you wonderful people enough, thank you for being so patient with a novice like me!
I have the same problem with my betha Nb: it's my first fish...
Housing What size is your tank? 23 litres, around 6 gallons http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/addinfo/fluval_edge_discover.cfm What temperature is your tank? 79F Does your tank have a filter? Yes Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Non Is your tank heated? Yes What tank mates does your betta fish live with? No girlfriends, no friends lol Food What type of food do you feed your betta fish? 3 differents kinds of food… mini bloodworms (1/3 par week), Betta Bio-Gold (pellets) and Niutrafin max (flakes) (3 times par week of each, random) How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 times par day (8-10 pellets)…
Maintenance How often do you perform a water change? One par week (every Saturday or Friday)
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25-50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Each times when I changed the water…I used Nutrafin Cycle, Nutrafin Waste Control and Nutrafin Aqua Plus Tap Water Conditioner (around 5-10 ml each)
Water Parameters: Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
I few minutes ago, i did a check up..there is no problem...
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: around 7,5
Hardness:?
Alkalinity: ?
Symptoms and Treatment How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Notting only his left eye…
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Well, I don’t know…but, it looks down… When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 days ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Non, i don’t know what’s the problem…!!!!
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Mmm non…this is the first time, this is why I freek a little…!!! How old is your fish (approximately)? Not sure, i bought in september...
another update, since putting the heater in, zifoof is going bubblenest CRAZY! He has two nests going and they are getting very large. Is this a good thing?
He could also just be blind in that eye, but if it has happened suddenly, then that's probably not the case.
STORRKOPF: That is way too much food you are feeding you betta!! Most bettas only need up to 4 pellets a day, 2 in the morning and two at night, (or some flakes in the morning and pellets at night) and bloodworms are supposed to be the occasional treat. I would imagine that this is why he is lethargic. He's super full all the time! They eat like pigs, I know, but they don't need that much food and it can affect their swim bladder and immune system if all they're doing all day is trying to digest. A large person eating all day won't want to do much but take naps and eat more, and neither does your betta probably. Try fasting him for 2-3 days and then drastically reducing the amount of food, keep him warm and his water clean, and let us know how he's doing!
And yes, generally speaking bubble nests are a good sign. It means your betta is feeling up to building a nest so they can mate, so the idea is that they're feeling strong and healthy. It's a good sign definitely.
Yeah definitely popeye.
I'm happy to see he's building a bubble nest! That's a good sign, must be enjoying that warm water.
I recommend contacting OldFishLady via private message here on this forum asking her how she would treat popeye. Maybe a salt bath with epsom salt (so many types of salt!), but I don't really know for sure.
Yeah I was very happy to see he was being happy and active, to me (total novice) this is a sign he is FEELING healthy and content, despite his eye trouble. I will definitely contact her, and will also ask about the medicine I got, thank you guys!! I will keep you posted!
i had Dastan with popeye and no idea on medicating him so i just upped his water changes and a week later hes fine.
(i posted an update thread a little while ago)
it looks like some sort of fungus, though i may not have had a betta, it looks exactly like my japenese moor's fungus, he got fungus on his eye, then it shrunk more and more every day untill it was gone, but he lived for a while after that, all you need is some fungal treatment and it'll get better.
Without going through the 3 pages.....sorry if this was already said.....
One eye clouded is usually injury related that can get infected if not already....and with the added corydoras in a 2gal tank without proper water changes I suspect high nitrate too(sorry they died).....little on the cool side...but thats been addressed......
Since he is acting and eating his normal self....I would start by making daily water changes 50% for several days, get your water temp up to 76F and then stay on a every other day 50% for a week...then 50% twice weekly thereafter.....
Once you get the water cleaned up and at the proper temp...his eye should clear up...if not I would do-10 day treatment of Epsom salt 1tsp/gal for 2 days then increase the Epsom salt 2tsp/gal on day 3-10..along with 100% water changes while in QT.....
Thanks everybody, when i read yeasterday all the others posters.. i knew that i feed it to much...i begin reducing his food...
Today, i gave it only 6 pellets in the morning and see that he didn't eat much half of them and i'm not going to feed it until tomorrow....i will feed it like you told me...4 pellers, two in the morning and two in the night...
I see that i have a green water problem...i'"m thinking this is why his mood is down...and his have this sickesss too much food= lot of bad bacteria
thanks again...
p-s: I'm happy for Zifoof, hope that my "Jo"will be happy as you're...
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