# Betta with popeye in one eye and not eating



## luananeko

I have a betta that I think bumped his eye on some driftwood about a week ago (had a red raw spot under it initially and some ruffled scales) that now is having popeye in the eye he bumped. I gave him a dose of marycyn the night I noticed it to tide him over (I panic when my favorite fish gets sick :x ) until I could get to the fish store when it opened to ask for help. They sent me home with furan-2 and aquarium salt. I separated the betta from the community tank in a 5 gallon tank, starting with the original tank water and then doing a 75% change several hours later, including a tablespoon of the aquarium salt and the first dose of the furan-2. That was early this morning, and now he's showing zero interest in food and just is hovering at the top behind the filter intake pipe. No spunk at all 

I'm kicking myself for not coming here first, but sadly I thought our fish specialty store folks would have the answers and went with their advice... After I got home and did some research to double check to soothe my nerves I got conflicting answers... I'm almost positive now I went about it wrong and don't want to screw things up anymore  It's only been half a day, but I've had a terrible track record at treating sick fish and I'm scared I'll lose this guy...

Back story if it helps:
About 2 weeks ago, I added some new guppies to my community tank that my male betta lives in (he was already living with 3 guppies and never showed any signs of aggression to any other fish than his reflection). Unfortunately, I think I added too many at once, and it threw my water levels off, which were exacerbated by my heater spazzing on me and going into overdrive during one of our hotter days, leaving the temp all the way up at 85 for a couple days before I could get it cooled back down to 80. Been doing about 15% water changes every 4 days since to try to keep the water clean while the levels settled. During this time, the betta started hiding under the driftwood I have for my pleco, and apparently bumped his eye (as mentioned earlier). I isolated him in a floating hospital chamber so he wouldn't have the other fish bugging him and so he would have calm waters to rest in, and he seemed to get better. Still was active and eating, though still hiding other than food time, but I attributed this to the fact that the water levels were still off (not as severely as before however). The total loss in appetite started tonight.


What's the best way to fix this situation? Please help!


----------



## holly12

Not sure if the eye injury is from bumping it, or from water conditions (when params' went wonky really quickly.)

Aquarium salt and increase of heat sometimes helps with illness and injuries. (Do you have a heater in the quarantine tank? (Don't use Bettafix - hurts the labyrinth organ.) I've read that Ampicillin can help with pop-eye if it's caused by infection and not injury.

This site gives some tips on what to do if you have a sick betta (Steps 1-4). Hope it helps. betta diseases

Good luck! Keep us posted!


----------



## luananeko

Yeah, most places I'm reading say popeye in one eye is from injury, but since his eye seemed to be healing for a while before this happened I wanted to give him antibiotics just to cover my bases.

That was the first site I looked at to see what to do, but the info seems really out of date. They're no longer in business, so I can't pick up the BettaZing/Bettamax (is that the same as Bettafix?) or Ampicilin there. The fish store here said Ampicilin is super regulated these days so he hasn't seen any in stock anywhere, and that Bettamax makers went out of business a long time ago. 

I have Melafix, but I had heard about how it hurts Bettas, so I only use it on the community tank after I've pulled him out to a separate tank. One of the tetra's in the main tank isn't swimming as well as normal (is resting on plants, swims a little wobbly), so I've started a round of Melafix in there while the Betta is being treated in the other tank.


----------



## majerah1

I think it could be from injury and then the params setting in infection.the best thing for him is stability and good clean water.When I spawn and have injuries,I keep my boys or girls in tank of temps 86 and up.This speeds recovery.They get daily 100% waterchanges,and the addition of salt and indian almond leaves(or oak leaves,or even peat extract)the point is they need warmth.80 is ok,but 84 is better for him long term.86 is good fro injuries,as long as he is warm.IAL has an antibacterial property that helps sooth them and the darkness of the water makes them more content.They are blackwater fishes,so keep this in mind.

Forgot to add.If he goes a few days without food he is ok.He may be too stressed to eat.Get some frozen bloodworms and entice him with those.Thaw them out and use a toothpick to kinda make them "swim" for him.he may bite out of instinct.Once he eats one he will love them.Only give him about three at a time,and even if he eats only one,he will be ok.


----------



## luananeko

Ahh, I didn't realize such high temps were actually good for sick Bettas... I knew they liked things on the warmer end, but since 84 is way above the labeled "safe" area on my tank thermometer (75-80) I thought it was too high. I'll bump the heater higher then 

I have lots of bloodworms since I have a freshwater variety frozen food that I feed to my ADFs in the main tank (it alternates between bloodworms, brine shrimp, and two other variety mixes), so I'll pick out some worms from there to try to tweezer feed the betta. 

Stupid sounding questions but... When doing 100% water changes, do I just take the betta completely out of the tank in a bucket or jar while I refill? Or would that stress him too much? I have rocks in the isolation tank too, so 100% changes are somewhat difficult since I can't just dump the water out, I have to siphon till there's too little water to siphon more... Should I take the rocks out? There's also a bit of algae on the sides since when the isolation tank isn't being used I have it just sitting there running so the filter bacteria doesn't die off between uses... Is that bad?

And is it good to keep using the aquarium salt? Some of the websites I read said that epsom salt was best for popeye, and that aquarium salt actually made it worse because it makes them absorb more fluids... But then other people say its good for fungal infections (which I think popeye is?) and that it promotes slime coat building... I'm so confused *Conf*


----------



## majerah1

I would remove the gravel to make the changes easier.Yes remove the fish to a cup long enough to dump rinse and refill.Most use nets to catch the betta;I use my hands.Its easier on the fins and the slime coat.Takes practice though.

The salt is more for soothing the wound.His eye is swollen from the bad water.If it was popeye,it would be both eyes,so his is due to injury and the bad spike you had.I use it every day on my 100% changes healing breeders and have never had an issue with it.I do not however use it full term when they are recovered.

The bloodworms I am talking about are frozen not freeze dried.Freeze dried anything is not good for bettas because the shape of the stomache.So keep that in mind.The frozen are about five or six dollars and will last a long while.Im sure the ADFs will like frozen ones too.


----------



## holly12

Edit: this post was an accident.... oops.


----------



## holly12

*luananeko*: I'm impressed that you can get your ADF's to eat brine shrimp! Mine like blood worms and glass worms. They will 'bite at' daphnia, but since daphnia is so tiny, they hardly get any in their mouths.



*Majerah1:*


majerah1 said:


> When I spawn and have injuries,I keep my boys or girls in tank of temps 86 and up.


 LOL, YOU spawn?! Hahahaha, I know what you meant, it just read out funny.


----------



## luananeko

Alright, I'll pull out the gravel when I do the treatment/water change at lunch. Might look odd, but should be easier to keep the tank as clean as possible  I'll keep adding the salt too, thanks!

I used to use a net when transferring fish, but lately I've been using a small plastic cup since they don't tend to run from that and it minimizes the chances of their fins getting hurt, so no worries there. Heck, half the time they actually swim into the cup so there's no risk of me pinching anything against the glass when cornering them.

Also all of my food is frozen, not tubifex. I read about about tubifex and freeze dried being dangerous back when I was researching how to feed ADFs before I brought them home 

Phew... I feel much less stressed that I'm doing this wrong now... Thanks so much!


----------



## holly12

Tubifex are bad? (I just bought a package of freeze dried Tubifex cubes for my community tank.) The ADF's are in that tank, but I doubt they will nip at the cubes since they are nocturnal and the cubes are being stuck to the sides near the top...... I hope they aren't bad for the fish..... I've heard live ones can carry parasites. And freeze dried isn't good for ADF's you're right.


----------



## luananeko

holly12 said:


> *luananeko*: I'm impressed that you can get your ADF's to eat brine shrimp! Mine like blood worms and glass worms. They will 'bite at' daphnia, but since daphnia is so tiny, they hardly get any in their mouths.


My ADFs are pigs, I've never had troubles with them eating any type of frozen food  I usually cut the frozen cubes in half and then mix them with warm water in a turkey baster till they loosen up and then squirt the loose parts near the top to feed and distract all the other fish. The more clumped parts end up getting stuck(ish) in the nozzle, so I then wave that around in front of the frogs and they happily yank out pieces to munch, no matter what's in there. After they get their chunks I put the rest on a clay plate that they climb into and scrounge on. The only food I haven't been able to do this with is actually glassworms, since those float to the top too much on me. None of my fish seem to care for them actually, so I've just stuck to the "Freshwater Variety" frozen food cubes that Petsmart sells.


----------



## majerah1

Haha,Holly.Seems in my haste I didnt read what I wrote.Ah well,ya know what i meant,lol.

Most who have mixed foods is freeze dried.Glad you have done your research!

And you are most welcome!


----------



## luananeko

holly12 said:


> Tubifex are bad? (I just bought a package of freeze dried Tubifex cubes for my community tank.) The ADF's are in that tank, but I doubt they will nip at the cubes since they are nocturnal and the cubes are being stuck to the sides near the top...... I hope they aren't bad for the fish..... I've heard live ones can carry parasites. And freeze dried isn't good for ADF's you're right.


It's been a while since I read about it, but I believe I saw somewhere that it was... Then again, I was researching about them with the intent of feeding a betta at the same time since they were going to be tank mates in the 10 gallon tank I started in (have since upgraded to my current 30g). I might have just ignored it as a possibility since I knew the tubifex would be bad for the betta.


----------



## holly12

Fresh water Brine Shrimp.... hmmm.... doesn't 'brine' mean salt? I guess I just have picky frogs, lol!

One eats like a pig and the other takes like 1 little worm and then isn't interested anymore, lol. He's always been that way. Sometimes he doesn't even want to eat. They are both fat and happy though.... so I don't know what he's eating.....


----------



## majerah1

Holly,They are raised in saltwater,but if you rinse them they may eat them.I dunno,my bettas are pigs and eat everything.I think they take lessons from my cat,who drinks sprite(is funny watching her nose get tickled)and eats brocolli.


----------



## holly12

This may sound really dumb, but how do you rinse them? (Put them in a strainer and run water over them?) Lol, I always do things the hard way, then someone points out a really simple way to do it and I'm like, "yeeessss.... weeelllll....." lol!


----------



## majerah1

OK well mine come in cubes(dont know if you have the giant chunks or cubes.)I place the cubes in a cup I use just for frozen foods.Let them thaw.Once thawed,I add some cool tap water,and place a coffee filter over the cup to drain.Then I add a little more tap and rinse a second time.Then I feed.


----------



## holly12

Ah, see.... here I would be trying to find a sieve with small enough holes, when all I have to do is use a coffee filter! Lol, see?! I do EVERYTHING the hard way, ahahahahahaha!

And, do you think the freeze dried tubifex cubes would be bad for my fish? (I'm supposed to press one against the side of the tank and I guess it swells and breaks up, then the fish pick at it. Haven't used it yet.)


----------



## luananeko

So I finally finished removing the gravel and giving the entire tank and gear a thorough scrub down in super hot water, then refilling with the clean, salted, and medicated water and the betta is doing MUCH better now! His eye still looks all icky of course, but he's actually swimming and acting more normal and happily chomped down the blood worms. Even started blowing a bubble nest, so I guess he can't be TOO bad off if he's horny *r2 

Back to being off-topic I guess, but hey it's my thread and I don't care  So I was remembering my food label names wrong since I was at work posting before, it's Petsmarts "Freshwater Multi-Pack". It has 4 different types of cubes to pick from in it:
Spirulina Brine Shrimp, Freshwater Frenzy, and Emerald Entree.

Here's the actual ingredients in the last two:
FF: blood worms, brine shrimp, watercress, cyclops, daphnia, various vitamins and other stuff
EE: brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, krill, plankton, spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, spirulina, various vitamins and other stuff.

I don't strain any of it 'cuz I figured the tiny bits would get lost that way, but should I? I didn't even think about it since it was labeled as a freshwater food... *Conf* The community tank has 3 ottos, a bristlenose pleco, 3 ADFs, 7 black neon tetras, 6 rasboras, 6 guppies, and 2 regular neon tetras (I've given up on restocking their school since they're so sensitive to water changes, and I think the frogs might be snacking on them because they keep vanishing on me). I figure between the variety I have in both fish and the food it works out so everyone's happy


----------



## majerah1

Luananeko,yours should be fine without rinsing.Holly just said hers wouldnt eat it because maybe the salt.IIRC,brine shrimp are packed in saltwater,so it makes sense.

And dont be surprised if the fish loses an eye,because it does happen.I had a female arrive with a damaged eye,from what I suspect rough handling of the package.I medded her but she lost it anyways.She did fine for three years afterwards and even spawned no issues.

Holly,my fish would never touch the tubifex worms.So I honestly couldnt tell you if they are ok to feed or not,lol.


----------



## luananeko

majerah1 said:


> Luananeko,yours should be fine without rinsing.Holly just said hers wouldnt eat it because maybe the salt.IIRC,brine shrimp are packed in saltwater,so it makes sense.
> 
> And dont be surprised if the fish loses an eye,because it does happen.I had a female arrive with a damaged eye,from what I suspect rough handling of the package.I medded her but she lost it anyways.She did fine for three years afterwards and even spawned no issues.
> 
> Holly,my fish would never touch the tubifex worms.So I honestly couldnt tell you if they are ok to feed or not,lol.


Yeah, I heard they sometimes lose an eye... Hopefully it won't happen, but if it does I'm sure he'll adapt... As long as he's alive and healthy I'm happy 

Ahh that makes sense about the shrimp. You mentioned you strained it for yours, so I wasn't sure if it was because yours didn't like the salt either, or if it was for sanitation concerns...


----------



## majerah1

NAh I just do it to do it,lol.No reason behind it really.I also feed freshly hatched BBS and I strain them in a coffee filter and add to fresh water,then use a syringe to suck some up and squirt into the tanks.No reason behind that either,the amount of salt I would add is so minimal,lol.My fish are not picky at all.I actually squirt the shrimp directly into Berthas mouth,haha.She loves them so much its funny.

Also have you seen a three inch fish with a very large mouth,eating baby brine?Thats the funniest thing in the world.If I can Ill tape it next feeding.

This was my girl with the missing eye:








It was the other eye

And as you can tell it didnt bother her:









It was never seen as a weakness:








Can kinda tell its missing in this pic.

Please excuse the water its full of Indian almond leaves,lol.


----------

