Help!! Fish with swollen?? eye

9supratt4

Active Member
So I came downstairs to look at my tank today and noticed that one of my Chalk Bass has a very swollen
eye. I am not sure how or why this happened. Could he have been in a fight with another fish or is it something more serious? How do I fix it? I have attached a picture please take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
How long have you had this fish? Has he been netted recently. You can try doing daily water changes for a few days, but if that does not clear up the eye, then he will need a QT and antibiotics.
 

9supratt4

Active Member
I've had the fish for about 2 months. It has not been netted since we got it. What is wrong with it?
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/3004651
I've had the fish for about 2 months. It has not been netted since we got it. What is wrong with it?
Have you checked the water readings? Do you have a fish that he might have been frightened or chased by? Pop eye is an eye infection. It can come from the eye being scraped on a piece of rock, sand, net, etc. Fish can also get it from a weakened immune system due to poor diet or poor water quality. It is very treatable. It doesn't look too severe at the moment. Perform several small water changes over the next few days using pre-mixed water. Add a rotation of Vitachem and Zoecon to one meaty meal per day. Natural treatment does take longer than antibiotics and will not cure it if it is too bad. It does not appear to be too bad from the picture. If you do not have a cycled QT then I would go this route. Be sure that the water quality is pristine and he is as stress free as possible. I have cleared worse than that with just care and vitamins.
You should get a QT running and cycled though, if you do not have one already. If you cannot get that to clear through natural means then he will need antibiotics. You need a fully cycled QT for that type of treatment.
 

9supratt4

Active Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/3004725
Have you checked the water readings? Do you have... You need a fully cycled QT for that type of treatment.
Thanks Sep!! I do have a purple pseudochromis in the tank that hasn't liked the chalk bass much since they were added, so that is what may have happened.
But I will try the water changes and the food supplements. I checked my parameters a few days ago and everything was perfect!! How will I know if it is getting worse and when I neet to QT him and treat with antibiotics??
I don't have a QT set up right now, but I do have a 10 gallon tank I just bought that I am going to use for breeding clowns. I can set that up and add some rock from my sump to it if need be.
 

9supratt4

Active Member
So now I came home from an overnight business trip and I can't find the fish. A few hours later the fish appears and what do I find, but both eyes are now swollen!!
So I set up a QT/HT in a 10 gallon tank I have, I add some pieces of LR from my main tank(instant cycle). Then I run out to my LFS before they close and am now treating the fish with Maracyn+. Anything else I can do??
 

9supratt4

Active Member
Both eyes are back to normal after about a week of treatment with Maracyn+. Should I run a second course of the antibiotics to be safe?
 
Top