His left eye doesn't look swollen compared to the right, but there's a white thing on it. Is this the beginning of popeye? Some other eye infection? What should I do?
Ammonia and nitrites are 0, nitrates are low. He ate well this morning (frozen daphnia) and has been very active. He is in a 5g tank with plants and I did a water change a week ago. I was planning to do another water change tonight.
The second photo does show a slight enlargement of the right eye compared to the left eye but could it just be the angle? Do you notice that the eyes have changed? I asked because some betta eyes can look a little pop-out but it's normal for them. Are the eyes cloudy? See if you can take an actual photo of each eye?
I only just got him, so I'm not sure if this is his normal state or not. He is a delta tail, if that helps.
I changed the water yesterday morning (~70%) and now the weird white hanging-on thing is gone. However, one eye (his right, my left) looks a little cloudier than the other. It's hard to tell, though... it looks OK when you look at it straight on... but it looks cloudy at an angle. I'll attach pictures in a moment.
(I don't think he likes the camera much... I turned off flash, but I think the orange focus light scares him.)
I understand it's hard to know since he is new to you. Generally in my experience, the eyes (the transparent cornea) should be quite clear at all angles. So if you think the eyes look a bit cloudier than what you would normally seen, I would probably suggest putting in epsom salt treatment to see if that clears it up. In case you haven't done this treatment, I will give you the steps.
1) dissolve 1 tsp of epsom salt (unscented and uncolored) to same temp 1 gal of preconditioned water
2) add stress coat if you have any
3) mix well and put in a small QT tank
4) leave betta in there
5) repeat steps in 24 hours
6) observe for other signs of the body and also if the cloudiness is decreasing
Thanks for the epsom salt treatment steps. I have epsom salt, stress coat, and a QT tank, so I will go ahead and do that as soon as I get home from work tonight. I should leave him there for a full 24 hours, yes? (Not just a dip?)
Here's pictures of him, very unhappy about the camera. As soon as I stopped taking pictures, he went back to normal swimming around and playing in the filter.
IMG_1641 - his right eye, looking clear from this angle
IMG_1642 - his right eye, looking cloudy
IMG_1643 - his left eye, looking clear
OK, there's definitely a spot of fuzziness on his right eye. I have read that this might be fungus or bacteria. I don't believe it's popeye as the eye hasn't swollen at all. D=
OK, there's definitely a spot of fuzziness on his right eye. I have read that this might be fungus or bacteria. I don't believe it's popeye as the eye hasn't swollen at all. D=
I hear your frustration Cloudy eyes can be caused by bacteria and in rare cases by fungus. Since you are seeing fuzziness, we can assume it's fungus. Is he on treatment yet? Have you got aquarium salt on hand? Try PM OFL, Sakura etc for second opinion.
I went ahead and moved him into a QT with aquarium salt at 1 tsp/gal and also stress coat. Looking at the stickies in this section, it seemed like that was recommended for both fungus and popeye. He's behaving normally so far, ate dinner as usual. Here's hoping this will help... and I'll PM Sakura8 and OFL.
In the meantime, I think I will give the main tank a thorough cleaning... I don't think it really cycles anyway, with so many plants, and maybe there's something in there that caused this =(
I went ahead and moved him into a QT with aquarium salt at 1 tsp/gal and also stress coat.
Good you have AQ salt handy and already started him on treatment.
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Looking at the stickies in this section, it seemed like that was recommended for both fungus and popeye.
Technically, pop-eye is treated with ES AQ will treat cloudy eye.
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He's behaving normally so far, ate dinner as usual.
Acting normal and eating are always good signs
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In the meantime, I think I will give the main tank a thorough cleaning... I don't think it really cycles anyway, with so many plants, and maybe there's something in there that caused this =(
OFL among others is an expert on this. Hopefully your tank will cycle properly so you get to sit back and enjoy without all these worries.
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Help! Something on my fish's eye - popeye?
Cloudy eyes can be caused by bacteria and in rare cases by fungus. Since you are seeing fuzziness, we can assume it's fungus. Is he on treatment yet? Have you got aquarium salt on hand? Try PM OFL, Sakura etc for second opinion.
AQ will treat cloudy eye.
