Cloudy, Swollen Eyes?

[Alchaeon]

Housing
What size is your tank? Split 10gal
What temperature is your tank? 80-82 F
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? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta Bits
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice daily; 3 in the morning and 3 at night

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%, we did a 100% change last night
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? AquaSafe Water Conditioner


Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Eyes are clouded and swollen, slightly paler than usual.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? When I first got her she was very aggressive and flared at the male on the other side of the tank. She now spends all of her time resting on the bottom of the tank and hasn't eaten in two days.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About three days ago, when I got home from work.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Added Aquarium salt to the tank, but nothing beyond that.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? I've only had her for about two weeks.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Bought her from Walmart, so I really have no idea.


I did a 100% water change and took out all of the plants and decorations and scrubbed them with vinegar and hot water. Everything is clean in the tank, the water was conditioned, but I don't see any improvement. Her tank mate looks like his eyes are a bit swollen too but they're not cloudy at all.

Any ideas?

[Sakura8]

I can't say for sure but it looks like cloudy eye which is caused by poor water quality. But you have a filter and you've been changing the water, right? Okay. Let's see. First of all, I just learned that big water changes (like 100%) in a cycled tank can kill the bacteria. Maybe that's what's wrong? Try changing only 25% of the water but change it every day. If your tank was completely cycled, you may have to do a mini-cycle later. Continue with the aquarium salt and test every day for ammonia and nitrite. If you get a test result that's over the safe zone, usually .25 ppm for ammonia, do a 25% water change. If her eyes stay cloudy after a few days, then there may be something else going on. Is she eating okay otherwise?

[Pataflafla]

Originally Posted by Sakura8

I can't say for sure but it looks like cloudy eye which is caused by poor water quality. But you have a filter and you've been changing the water, right? Okay. Let's see. First of all, I just learned that big water changes (like 100%) in a cycled tank can kill the bacteria. Maybe that's what's wrong? Try changing only 25% of the water but change it every day. If your tank was completely cycled, you may have to do a mini-cycle later. Continue with the aquarium salt and test every day for ammonia and nitrite. If you get a test result that's over the safe zone, usually .25 ppm for ammonia, do a 25% water change. If her eyes stay cloudy after a few days, then there may be something else going on. Is she eating okay otherwise?

She has not been eating. The last time she ate was while she was in a salt bath a few days ago. She only ate 1 pellet of food. She is also going to the surface for air more frequently than a normal betta would and afterwards she dives straight for the bottom to sit.

[Sakura8]

I would suggest doing a 25-50% water change every day for at least a week to keep the water as clean as possible. If there's no improvement, it's possible she has a secondary infection in which case we can try meds or aquarium salts.

[Pataflafla]

She has not improved any despite being on the last day of a 5 day treatment of Sentry AQ Mardel's Maracyn She has been getting the full 10G does each day since she has remained in her side of the 10 gallon tank.

She is looking quite bloated and is starting to lose more color. Instead of her vibrant greenish blue from the first few days she has turned into a dull brownish green with her head turning a dark grayish color that has spread to her dorsal fin. Her stomach area has turned into a pale yellow.

There has been no improvement for her eyes other than the swelling decreasing. They are still just as cloudy and I fear she cannot see. Her behavior remains lethargic and she has not eaten since before her treatment started.

Should I change her water tomorrow and start another course of maracyn or should I try some other medication? I am willing to do additional salt baths but if she goes on maracyn again I cannot do water changes while she is being treated.

[Sakura8]

Ugh, this isn't sounding so good. I don't like the fact that she stayed on her side the entire time. At this point, I would PM Oldfishlady. She'll have a much better idea of what to do. I'm worried about the bloating in your girl. I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help but I'm pulling for you and your girl. I hope she gets better really soon. Hang in there!

[Pataflafla]

Originally Posted by Sakura8

Ugh, this isn't sounding so good. I don't like the fact that she stayed on her side the entire time. At this point, I would PM Oldfishlady. She'll have a much better idea of what to do. I'm worried about the bloating in your girl. I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help but I'm pulling for you and your girl. I hope she gets better really soon. Hang in there!

Thanks for you advice. I'm going to go to the store to try for some parasite medication since it doesn't seem to be popeye. Probably go for maracyn-2 since it says it treats internal infections.

[Pataflafla]

Originally Posted by Pataflafla

Thanks for you advice. I'm going to go to the store to try for some parasite medication since it doesn't seem to be popeye. Probably go for maracyn-2 since it says it treats internal infections.

We may not get the chance to treat her since she has started to pinecone. We have her in a quarantine tank with epsom and aquarium salt that should be getting to around 80 degrees or so any time now.

Is there anything I should worry about for Ratchet's sake? He was on the other side of the 10 gal while all of this was happening and I don't want him to get sick again since he's just getting back to health after walmart care.

[Sakura8]

The best thing to do is clean the tank really well. Wash it with hot water and vinegar. Rinse it really well and let it dry in the sun a while. That should sterilize it. After that, all you can do is keep an eye on Ratchet. If you feel comfortable with the idea, you can also add 1/2 tsp per gallon of aquarium salt to the tank as a preventative measure.

I'm sorry about your girl. If it seems like she's suffering and you want to put her out of her pain, post immediately and we can discuss euthanization methods. I'll be checking in until probably 2 AM Pacific time. Otherwise, get her in the salts and keep her comfortable.

[Pataflafla]

Originally Posted by Sakura8

The best thing to do is clean the tank really well. Wash it with hot water and vinegar. Rinse it really well and let it dry in the sun a while. That should sterilize it. After that, all you can do is keep an eye on Ratchet. If you feel comfortable with the idea, you can also add 1/2 tsp per gallon of aquarium salt to the tank as a preventative measure.

I'm sorry about your girl. If it seems like she's suffering and you want to put her out of her pain, post immediately and we can discuss euthanization methods. I'll be checking in until probably 2 AM Pacific time. Otherwise, get her in the salts and keep her comfortable.

My sister wants to try a day or two with epsom salt and maybe some parasite medications, but otherwise we're considering clove oil since it seems the most humane method for euthanization. It all depends on whether we can find any in town or not. She's willing to order some though, so we probably won't have to resort to any of the more brutal methods.