Betta With Popeye

[elynott]

My mother has a betta that now has popeye. I brought him to my apartment so I could monitor the meds for the tank. He is just in a little 2 gallon tank with no plants or filter (we completely change his water once a week) but he does have a heater, which usually has his tank at around 74-76 degrees. When I first brought him to my apartment inly one of his eyes appeared to be affected. Because the maracyn packets were meant for a 10 gallon tank, I mixed one packet with 100 mL of water and each day added 20 mL of the solution to the tank (5 days). Yesterday was the last day and the betta now had a large red lump on his head. When he gets agitated, he seems to sort of dart so I think it might be an injury. Today, the lump appears smaller and less red but I am keeping an eye on it. Unfortunately today, the other eye now seems to be affected. I just did a complete water change for him because he was no longer supposed to be on medication. I will attach pictures from yesterday and today. But what should I do? I've treated fish with popeye before and the medication worked. Is it because I mixed it with water? Should I have done that fresh every day?

 

[elynott]

He also has been refusing to eat. My mom would usually give him two to three pellets and treat him with a couple blood worms (which he loved). He will not even touch the blood worms, let alone the pellets.

 

[BettaFishMommy]

the ammonia in a small unfiltered environment can build quite quickly and i would say this betta's popeye, general lethargy, and unwillingness to eat is most likely due to that. once a week 100% change isn't enough on a bowl. i'd be doing at least 75% every second day.

the temperature is too low as well, but as we are not sure if an underlying bacterial problem is present, i wouldn't up the heat quite yet. wait for him to be looking/feeling better and then bring it up to at least 78.

premixing meds with water and then using them over a course of time makes the meds much less effective. water soluble medications have a rather short life once they are mixed/diluted with water. i would have made a fresh mix each day. measuring 1/5 of a 10 gallon dose is pretty easy, just pour the 10 gal dose onto a dark piece of paper and divide it up into 5 equal looking piles.

he's feeling yucky and probably doesn't feel well enough to eat. i wouldn't worry too much if he's off his food for a few days. try soaking his pellets and bloodworms in garlic juice to entice him.

i had a betta recently get cloudy eyes and one eye had a small hazy protrusion coming from it. IMO it probably would have turned into full blown popeye if i hadn't caught it in time. i used Betta Revive and Thim was looking better within hours.

 

[elynott]

The heater that I bought for the tank is supposed to automatically bring the temperature up to 78 but it always reads lower than that. Should I purchase a new heater?

With the betta revive, would I still do water changes every other day or wait for the whole treatment? Or should I just try the Maracyn again?

I guess the best thing for this little guy would be to get him into a bigger tank. I just don't have the means for that right now. Hes been through a lot. I actually saved him from my roommate who had him in a softball sized bowl and thought I was making life better for him.

Ideally what would my best route be?

 

[BettaFishMommy]

with Revive, you do 100% daily water changes and re-medicate. i typically treat for 4 days with Revive and have good results. my standard dose is 10 to 12 drops per gallon. it's a wonderful medication for fin rot too!

is it the heater reading lower than 78 or is it the thermometer in there? i always go by the thermometer and not the heater (i use the floating glass thermometers). if it is the thermometer saying the temp is low then yes, i'd definitely get a new heater. maybe try contacting the manufacturer of your heater and tell them it is not maintaining the pre-set temperature as advertised on the packaging. they may issue you a refund or replace the heater.

with an unfiltered bowl, the best thing IMO is a bare bottom (no gravel). this allows you to see the accumulation of debris/mulm/poop and get it all out each water change. it also gives you a better idea of how much food is being eaten or being left behind.

keep us updated on his condition!