Popeye in Beta Fish | Betta Fish Diseases
One day you wake up, go to feed your betta fish and notice that his eyes look like they are about to bulge out of his head. Congratulation. You fighting fish has something called "popeye" or exophthalmia. The good news is this new "look" that your betta is displaying isn't fatal and will go away if you do a few things.
First, understand that "popeye" or protruding eye syndrome is not a disease but rather is a sympton of many possibilities. For years, most experts suggested that exophthalmia was caused by a mycobacterial infection and the treatment for popeye was to eradicate the infection. The other possible cause is tuberculosis, which as you can imagine, is pretty much untreatable.
What causes the protruding eye in your Betta Fish?
From a scientific standpoint, that protruding eye you are seeing is caused by an abscess behind the eye. Like I said in the last paragraph, chances are great that the abscess is filled with an infection and luckily, provided that your siamese fighting fish doesn't have tuberculosis, there are various ways to treat this.
How to Avoid Getting Popeye in Betta Fish
Most bacterial infections are primarily caused by dirty water or water that is not kept in optimal condition. This causes the fish a deal of stress which in turn, manifests itself into Popeye (or other diseases such as Ick or Fin Rot)If you aren't using a filtered tank, then you will most likely want to change out the water of your tank at least once weekly and preferably twice weekly. Understanding this, there are four main deterrents to preventing bacterial infections in your betta or how to keep your fish healthy:
Treatments for Popeye in your Betta Fish
Once you have diagnosed that your Betta Fish has Popeye, the next step is treatment. Since it is hard to diagnose between the popeye being a mycobacterial infection or tubercolosis, the first step is to make sure that the water is clean and set at the optimal temperature.
Next step is to check the actual pH level of the water itself. This includes checking for the level of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia in the water. The pH level should be slightly acidic for betta fish.
You can also treat Popeye using a variety of betta fish medications. Tetracycline or Terramycin is particularly good for bacterial infections and you should add about 100 mg per every 4 ounces of food.
If none of this is working for you (you have clean the water and ruled out a low pH balance in the water), you can try this method as it won't hurt your betta and may actually help (by the way, this may stave off all forms of bacterial infections)....
In conclusion, just like most fish diseases, Popeye can most likely be fixed by some simple methods....regularly cleaning the water, making sure you are keeping your betta fish in a warm water environment, temperature wise and giving it the proper diet.
First, understand that "popeye" or protruding eye syndrome is not a disease but rather is a sympton of many possibilities. For years, most experts suggested that exophthalmia was caused by a mycobacterial infection and the treatment for popeye was to eradicate the infection. The other possible cause is tuberculosis, which as you can imagine, is pretty much untreatable.
What causes the protruding eye in your Betta Fish?
From a scientific standpoint, that protruding eye you are seeing is caused by an abscess behind the eye. Like I said in the last paragraph, chances are great that the abscess is filled with an infection and luckily, provided that your siamese fighting fish doesn't have tuberculosis, there are various ways to treat this.
How to Avoid Getting Popeye in Betta Fish
Most bacterial infections are primarily caused by dirty water or water that is not kept in optimal condition. This causes the fish a deal of stress which in turn, manifests itself into Popeye (or other diseases such as Ick or Fin Rot)If you aren't using a filtered tank, then you will most likely want to change out the water of your tank at least once weekly and preferably twice weekly. Understanding this, there are four main deterrents to preventing bacterial infections in your betta or how to keep your fish healthy:
- Food
- Water Temperature (optimal is 80 degrees for Betta Fish)
- Cleanliness of Water
- Light
Treatments for Popeye in your Betta Fish
Once you have diagnosed that your Betta Fish has Popeye, the next step is treatment. Since it is hard to diagnose between the popeye being a mycobacterial infection or tubercolosis, the first step is to make sure that the water is clean and set at the optimal temperature.
Next step is to check the actual pH level of the water itself. This includes checking for the level of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia in the water. The pH level should be slightly acidic for betta fish.
You can also treat Popeye using a variety of betta fish medications. Tetracycline or Terramycin is particularly good for bacterial infections and you should add about 100 mg per every 4 ounces of food.
If none of this is working for you (you have clean the water and ruled out a low pH balance in the water), you can try this method as it won't hurt your betta and may actually help (by the way, this may stave off all forms of bacterial infections)....
- add salt to your tank- Salt is perfect for staving off bacteria in the water. However, don't give your betta a salt bath. Aim for .3% and no more than .6%.
- Warm the fish tank up to 86%. As you know a betta is a tropical freshwater fish and can handle warm temperatures. A warm water temperature will help stave off bacteria.
In conclusion, just like most fish diseases, Popeye can most likely be fixed by some simple methods....regularly cleaning the water, making sure you are keeping your betta fish in a warm water environment, temperature wise and giving it the proper diet.
Labels: betta fish diseases
# posted by Drunkonlife @ 1:26 PM 
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