# "Popeye" and "Dropsy"...?!



## Aquarius (Dec 5, 2012)

Hey everyone. I have been running one of my tanks, 16gallon bow front, for ~1 year. I also got another tank about 6 months ago, 29 gallon long. Both tanks are freshwater and have been running quite well with minimal casualties. About one month ago, I lost my male angel which was 1/2 of a breeding pair. He went from totally healthy and spawning to bloated and dead within 24 hours. The weird part was that his right eye was bulging out and had a weird looking white spot on the top of the cornea. He was in a breeding tank with only the female angel and a pleco so I don't think it was injury unless the female did it. 

TWO days later, in the 29 gallon tank, one of my tiger barbs suddenly developed dropsy (complete with pine-coned scales and distended stomach) *and* pop-eye. He died within 48 hours of when the bloated was first noted. 

So, the only thing that was shared between the two tanks besides water was some new mondo grass and ribbon plants that were added a few days prior to each tank. However, on my pleco in the 16 gallon tank, I started to notice a white spot on his back about 1/4 inch long that looked like a fungus. I have since treated both tanks with Primafix and Melafix as well as typical salt. The Pleco is 90% better with only a tiny red spot now. 

Am I wrong in thinking this was likely bacterial? Two dead fish within 48 hours of each other in two separate tanks? Both with popeye and one dropsy? Just seems weird to me and I don't want my other fish to follow suit. My water parameters were all well within limits with no ammonia and minimal nitrates/nitrites.


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## edisto (Nov 4, 2012)

I have lost a couple of fish to dropsey, which can have popeye as a co-occuring symptom. Popeye can also be restricted to the eye if there is damage, which sounds like the case for your angel.

There can be a variety of causes, but it usually is associated with stress, (generally water quality issues) with a weakened immune system allowing the infection to take over.

One of my dropsey cases was a _Satanoperca_, and it was a water quality issue (they are more sensitive than my other cichlids). The second (many months later) was a silver dollar. The silver dollar was one of 5 in the tank, and none of the other silver dollars, or the pleco, bichir, or cichlids in the tank was affected. Neither were any of the fish in the tank that that tank pumps into (it sits on top and drains back by gravity). 

I didn't leave him in the tank long, but the _Satanoperca_ was in the tank a long time (weeks) while I tried to address the issue just by improving water quality.

Based on my very limited experience, I wouldn't worry too much about the other fish (unless there is an underlying water quality issue), especially when it would seem that the angel might have had an eye injury, i.e, the cases seem unrelated.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Popeye is indeed bacterial and often the dropsy is a secondary infection(infecting a stressed fish).I too have had popeye and reading suggest that it is a water quality issue.My water is always well within acceptable standards and I change more water than most.The cases I 've had were always one eye which most then suggest are do to injury.I don't believe the injury thing,but feel poor water was not my issue either.Antibiotics are the recommended medication of choice.One of my fish(saltwater,about 8 months ago) recovered completely(with no meds,I changed more water than usuall)then became infected again about 6 weeks later eventually losing his eye completely and survived for about a month afterward.No other fish were effected at all.Antibiotics need to used very carefully,and preferably in QT tank as they can damage the bacteria in your filter(may need to cycle all over again) and damage or kill any live plants you may have. Good luck ,hope this helps.


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## edisto (Nov 4, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> The cases I 've had were always one eye which most then suggest are do to injury.I don't believe the injury thing,but feel poor water was not my issue either.


Why do you doubt it was injury? It seems like an excellent way to introduce a localized infection.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

edisto said:


> Why do you doubt it was injury? It seems like an excellent way to introduce a localized infection.


Besides being a skeptic of things unproven(seems like a guess that has no confermation) once in my FW180g I had a cardinal(1 out of 15-20 )and a blue ram(1 out of 4) that both showed signs in one eye only within days of each other.Having had those fish for over a year,adding no new tank mates and generally keeping peaceful fish(I know they can still be nervous or pick on each other) it just seemed strange and the two totally different fish just make me think it attacks the weaker,"stressed" individuals.They both recovered without meds.I don't want this to be taken as a suggestion; but I won't treat a fish with popeye with meds as both my experiences( good and bad) lead me to believe the issue chooses its victim and then follows the course it will.Obviously without meds I realize that the bad experience could have worked out differently,but treating in reef tanks is unacceptable and catching fish from reef tanks is nearly impossible without complete dis assembly .If and when I ever see popeye again I will change more water than usuall(which would bump me up to about 125% a week) and expect either quick recovery or loss of infected fish.Besides the two at the same time,I have never seen it spread like most other diseases;It is a diffacult strange one to put a "handle on"to me.


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