popeye question

[barracuda]

I cured the ick with copper in QT and it did help. But now 1 clownfish has a popeye for about a more than week. He seems to be eating but his eye is huge, i mean like a ball. I tryed to use melafix for more than week, adding it daily, but with no success. Somebody knows what can help to fix that eye?

 

[beth]

It is best to treat ick with hyposalinity. It is possible that the clown is reacting negetively to the copper treatment, or, it may have acquired a secondary bacterial infection resulting from the ick.
Do you have a separate hosptial tank? You will need to place the sick clown in a separate tank to treat. You may use Nitrofurizone or Maracyn2.
Popeye is a symptom of swelling or scar tissue. In this case, most likely swelling. Just know that this fish's eye may never be normal size again. It is not unusual for fish who suffers from popeye to be perfectly healthy following treatment but still have the popeye. Bascially damagaed tissue in the eye following an injury or a disease process.