# HELP! Female Molly has popeye.



## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

One of my female mollies has popeye in one eye. The other eye is OK. I have checked the water quality and it's as follows:-
NH3 =0
NO2 = 0
NO3 = 10mg/l
PH = 8.

Does any one have any idea of the cause of this? I did a small water change this afternoon and changed the carbon in one of my filters and now I only noticed this a few minutes ago. Is it possible that this could have been caused by injury since only one of the eyes are bulging, the male molly in the tank has been harrasing her and may have injured her. All the Other fish seem OK at the moment. The Molly is a little subdued but she does still swim around and is still willing to eat but she tends to hide in the back corner at the bottom of the tank. What worries me the most is whether this is contagious and poses a danger to the other fish.

Please advise*c/p*

Any idea, I would hate to lose this fish.


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## Cat696 (Apr 27, 2011)

Stress is a big cause of disease in fish and other aquatics. If the one fish is being harrassed all the itme, it could contribute to a loss of imune function. If you can, I would remove the affected fish so that 1. she is not continuing to be harrassed. 2. you can treat her properly and see if you can cure the condition and help her to regain her strength and health before re introducing her to the main tank. 
Water changes are fine, but it isn't going to cure the condition. You need to medicate her. (hence the suggestion to move her to another tank, hospital tank is very handy and when o\possible, should always have one. They don't take much mainenance when empty, and are a really helpful tool when you need them). A ten gallon tank is fine for most fishes like these. Go to your local pet store and find a medication that you can aford that is used for treating popeye, and use it. remember that copper is a sensative thing. You can NOT use it in a tank with invertabrates.
Good luck!


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Pop-eye may not be caused by infection and there are various causes. Easily identified by the protrusion of one or both eyes. It is commonly caused by excess gas in the system, brought about by super-saturation of gas in high pressure water mains. It can also be associated with Dropsy or Ichthyosporidium. Look for bubbles of gas in the eyes, this indicates the bends, as does nervous upset, distress or just odd movements. If these signs are obvious then lower the temperature slowly to increase solubility of the gas (usually nitrogen) reduce aeration and wait to see if there is any improvement. In marine aquaria, copper poisoning can be one of the causes. Pop-eye can also be caused by hormonal imbalance, for which there is no cure. 


Courtesy of Aquahobby


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## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

Well, I'm happy to report that my Molly is looking so much better. The swelling of her eyeball has come down and she is more active and not hiding at the back any more. I will keep an eye on her for the next few days, hopefully she makes a full recovery... :-D


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## Cat696 (Apr 27, 2011)

Wonderful! Glad you didn't have any losses. Go You!....Hope things continue this way for you.


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