Topic: Oh no. Popeye.

[knifegill]

He is in a cycled ten gallon with no substrate. There is a little hidey on a stone cube. The betta I had in it before was healthy and happy for two weeks.

This is the betta I bought from Frogs'n'bettas. He is eating and everything, but his left eye appears to be protruding slightly. Frogs'n'bettas, did you notice either eye being larger than the other? I'd hate to treat a healthy fish. I can't really tell from the picture because he might be looking in a direction that conceals it.

I have added melafix to the tank. What is the best med for the job?

[Squeek]

Pop eye can set in rather quickly since it is a bacterial infection..can take a few hours.  Melafix is infact not an antibiotic and wont really help out with the pop eye.  Great meds to treat him with would be a maracyn and maracynII combo, just isolate him from the cycled tank while the treatment is taking place...to keep the cycle going in the 10g (if he was the only fish in there) you could add snails or food or ammonia to provide the bacteria with the food source.

[knifegill]

Is there a cheaper singular med known to be effective? I only have a few dollars!

[Squeek]

hmm maracyn plus, tri sulfa, oxytetracycline

[frogsnbettas]

Nope, he was fine... and I used clean new water for the bag... poor guy.  I'd get the Maracyn Plus if you can find it.  He should be fine in a week or so.

[knifegill]

Okay. I've got him at 82? in a 5 gal with salt, melafix and ampicillin (sorry. couldn't wait for more responses and the treatment chart says it cures it). He is being acclimated right now. The eye is definitely wonky and this is so terrible. I mean awful. He is the most beautiful fish ever and I manage to get him sick. It just doesn't make sense. The other betta from that tank is still doing great in his bowl-in-tank setup. The stress from being shipped must have weakened him. I made him sick by buying him! I'm evil!!!

Since I'm hitting this with everything, though, I'll bet he'll be okay. This happened so soon, though. I can't imagine how he's feeling, though he is so active and responsive you'd only know he was sick by looking oh-so-closely at that eye.

[PhoenixFire]

Don't be so hard on yourself.  It can happen to anyone.  It isn't your fault!  You are not evil.  He will be fine.  I am sure you will have him back up to speed in no time.  Keep us updated and good luck!  

[Jessie226]

Aw poor fishie. Good luck!
Tetracycline treats popeye too.

[frogsnbettas]

Hey, you probably caught it early and saved him from some serious pain.  You're doing the right thing here.  Hang in there.

[knifegill]

Good news. His eye has looked exactly the same since I began treatment. No worse.
Question. Since I have one tablespoon of salt in there, when I change 25% of the water to add more meds should I just let the salt dilute or attempt to keep it constant? I'm going to buy a hydrometer tomorrow (payday) so I'll be able to track it but which course would you recommend tonight? How stressful are salinity fluctuations? My jewel reacted badly when I tried to treat him with salt. His slime coat totally went hazy almost instantly and didn't get better for a day after I did a 75% W/C.  I take it that I should probably attempt to keep the salinity constant. How bad would a little excess be, though? Anybody know?

Also, he is still incredibly responsive and active. I really think I've nipped this thing. Yes, in the bud.
The med says to treat for five to ten days. Should I go a week? Assuming his eye becomes normal on the sixth day of treatment, should I go the full ten? I'm not used to treating fish with hardcore meds so I guess I'm a bit shaky at the helm. I've done it once or twice but since every med might have its own quirks.....