[Ekoyuhale]

Hey all

I made a thread a couple days ago while my betta was being lethargic, and now I think I more know what's up with him. It seems like (mild?) popeye. His eyes are definitely buggy, and he's having trouble properly getting his food. He'll strike at it, but miss.

The left eye seems to have a reddish ring behind it (where I usually see white in the google images pictures xD). They both seem a little cloudy, possibly. It's a bit hard to tell, since at the top of the eye cover, there is definitely something new, but it's the same colour as his scales, and given that he's a metallic betta, I'm worried that it's more his scales potentially covering his eyes than the popeye.

I believe this all started in May, when, due to family tragedy, I didn't pay him as much attention as I should have, and I believe a missed a water change or two. I feel terrible about it, since I know it was my fault. I'm going to try to do everything I can for him now.

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 80F
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? Omega one Betta Buffet
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 pellets twice a day M-F, Bloodworms on Saturday, and fasting on Sunday

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Twice a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Seachem Prime

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? I'll do this tomorrow if requested. I'm starting daily changes today, so the chances of anything spiking are close to nil

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Eyes seem buggier than they should be, possibly cloudly
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Lethargic, laying around the bottom of the tank. Doesn't seem to see well, missing food when he goes for it
When did you start noticing the symptoms? He's been lethargic since the second week of June or so. He started missing food last week. (I should have been more on top of this, I know >_<)
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Aquarium Salts, 1 TSP per gallon. Just put them in today.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? He has a cyst on his right gill cover which has been there since January. It hasn't bothered him so far. He's also quite the fin biter, which we've chalked up to his over-aggressiveness
How old is your fish (approximately)? I got him a year ago so probably ~1.5 years

Pictures: (sorry, he doesn't like sitting still and I'm bad at taking them >_> I can try to get better ones tomorrow)

(He's under a flashlight in this one)

Any help would be greatly appreciated... I've never dealt with anything like this before >_< Fin issues are the only thing I'm good with

 

[lilnaugrim]

Yeah, that's Pop-eye unfortunately. AQ salt isn't going to do much help so I'd remove that when you get a chance. If you don't mind your Cycle crashing then you can treat in-tank, if you care about it then you'll have to use a hospital tank for treating. He needs antibiotics asap. I recommend KanaPlex if you can get it online on Amazon or Drs. Foster and Smith. If not, going to PetSmart/other LFS and looking for Maracyn II will work as well. Or Maracyn Plus if you can't find the other one.

 

[Ekoyuhale]

Figures... luckily it doesn't seem to be horribly advanced. Poor guy =[

I have Kanaplex on hand. Is there any special dosage, or should I just go with the directions on the tube? I'll be sure to do a 100% water change to get ride of the AQ salt before I dose it

 

[lilnaugrim]

Always go with the directions on the bottle when it comes to antibiotics! Follow it to a T, otherwise you run the risk of causing the bacteria to become antibiotic resistant. So go full dose and full duration.

 

[Ekoyuhale]

Gotcha. I'll get on that immediately. Thank you!

 

[Ekoyuhale]

Quick update on Draco. It's the day after his second dose of Kanaplex, and I've seen no change. I'm going to finish the Kanaplex out, of course... but if he hasn't responded after the third dose, what should I do?

 

[lilnaugrim]

You can repeat for a couple rounds with KanaPlex. Are you using Epsom Salt as well or just KanaPlex?

 

[Ekoyuhale]

Just Kanaplex. I have epsom salt around, though. Should I use it? And if so, what dose? I've never had to dose it before (the only thing I usually use it on are my horse's feet >_>)

 

[lilnaugrim]

Yeah, use it at 1 tsp per gallon. You take some of his tank water in a cup and measure out how much you need, then stir it around in the cup to dissolve it. Once it's completely dissolved you can add it to his water over 10-15 minutes to allow him to adjust to the new salinity. It's a laxative as I'm sure you know; helps to reduce swelling and works the same way in the aquarium ^_^ But along with the infection in his eyes, there is fluid buildup (causes the eyes to protrude) so the ES can help the KanaPlex by removing the excess fluid build up.

So, salt doesn't evaporate, when you do a water change and if you want to keep a steady 1 tsp/gal level, then you'll have to watch how many gallons you take out for a change. Say you have a 1 gallon tank, you take out 50% of the water and want to add back in 50% of the water, well you also just took out 50% of the salt and need to add back in .5 teaspoons of ES dissolved. Make sense so far? You can use this dose safely up to 14 days, lower dosages can be used longer terms for other ailments like swim bladder disorders.

 

[Ekoyuhale]

Alrighty, I'll get on it tomorrow. I use a 1 gal bucket when I change his water so that part is pretty easy, luckily.

You said I could continue the Kanaplex after three doses, should I give him a break or just keep going with the every other day doses?

 

[lilnaugrim]

You can give him a day or two of break and then start another round. You can continue to use the ES during the break though, it's not as harsh by any means.

 

[Ekoyuhale]

So, I put in the second dose of the second round of Kanaplex yesterday. I know I may just be being impatient but... I still haven't seen anything that looks like a response. Epsom salts have been in with a 1 TSP per gallon concentration since the day I was told to but them in. I hate seeing him suffer like this. Could this popeye be resistant to Kanaplex? Should I try something else? I'm going to finish this round, of course... I'm at a loss. I feel bad for him

 

[lilnaugrim]

It's not likely resistant but after you finish this round you can let him rest a few days and try something else like Maracyn Plus or Tetracycline.

 

[Ekoyuhale]

All right... Yeah. It's unlikely to be. I guess it's just stubborn. Poor guy >_<