This is what I get...

[jackiomy]

Well, I have been happy that I haven't had any problems in my tank. Then yesterday I had a Nitrate spike, did a water change and thought things were getting better. This morning I was looking down into my tank and noticed one of my corie's has really bulgy eyes! What now!!!???:wall::wall:
They are all acting normally but this one looks really weird.:help::help:

 

[Dwarf Puffers]

He might have gotten popeye from the nitrate spike, I think it can be treated though I dont know how. Best to treat it ASAP though, or he'll lose them

 

[Hooked Newbie]

NitrAte (NO3) should not "spike". What is your actually maintenance routine? Could be "pop eye".

 

[Plantedrandall]

I would try adding some Epsom salt

 

[pinkertd]

I only use epsom salts for fish suffering bloat caused by constipation. It acts as a laxitive on the fish. If you are dealing with a case of popeye, best to treat the tank with a medication to fight the popeye. It can be cured and most typically stems from declining water quality.

 

[jackiomy]

I had tested the water on Wednesday night and done a partial water change. Everything was normal. Ammonia 0 Nitrites 0 and nitrates 20. In tested it again on Monday when I got home and that is when the Nitrates were nuts.

 

[inkyjenn]

do not add salt to a tank with cories. cories and plecos tend to be pretty salt intolerant. popeye can be treated with maracyn plus quite successfully (i have used this to treat one of my cories with popeye before). you do however, need to give us your maintenance routine so that we can help you. popeye also needs very clean water to help it resolve

 

[jackiomy]

popeye

do not add salt to a tank with cories. cories and plecos tend to be pretty salt intolerant. popeye can be treated with maracyn plus quite successfully (i have used this to treat one of my cories with popeye before). you do however, need to give us your maintenance routine so that we can help you. popeye also needs very clean water to help it resolve

I do a 25% water change every third day when I vacuum the gravel. I use prime in the water. I test once a week also. That's about it.
I read an interesting article yesterday regarding nitrigen in the water causing popeye. It also said that a powerhead on high can cause excess nitrogen also. Following:

Gas Bubble Disease is a result of supersaturation (excess levels) of the water with the gas, nitrogen. Supersaturation occurs whenever the pressure of a gas in the water is higher than the pressure of the same gas in the surrounding atmosphere. When there is this difference between gas pressures, the gas gets pulled too quickly out of the bloodstream, leaving gas bubbles behind. This is what happens to SCUBA divers who ascend too quickly and create a big difference in gas pressures, which leads to the diver getting gas bubble formation or the “bends”. In fish, gas bubbles can accumulate behind the eye, making it bulge outward.

Water in a newly filled tank will be supersaturated with gases and you will see the gas bubbles covering the inside of the tank. The more that the water is agitated as you are pouring it in for the first time, the less supersaturation you will have. Agitation of water releases gas from it. Normal aeration will speed up the time that it takes for this excess gas to leave the water. When the bubbles on the tank disappear, then it is safe to put your fish into the new water.

High-powered powerheads, that shoot streams of air into your tank’s water, can lead to nitrogen supersaturation. Treatment in this circumstance would be to turn down the powerhead water stream adjustment to its’ lowest setting and allow the air pump to be the only source of air. For the next few days, observe your fish. If the pop-eye starts to go away, then it was due to nitrogen supersaturation. If there is no change or the condition worsens, then the pop-eye is most likely due to an infectious cause and probably a bacterial one.

An excess of nitrogen gas can also occur as a result of a large build-up of nitrites and nitrates in the water and has been seen in deep wells and frozen-over ponds and lakes, but probably does not happen to a significant degree in the aquarium. It is always important however to maintain excellent water quality for your fish. Under normal circumstances, there should be no measurable nitrites and the nitrates should be kept at 25 ppm or lower for all but the most sensitive species.

I went home yesterday and did a water change used prime and set up a quarrantine tank using the water from the change and filter media from my tank. That's where I am at this point. I am going to get Maracyn on my lunch break and go home and treat the affected fish. :wall:

 

[jaylin]

I only use epsom salts for fish suffering bloat caused by constipation. It acts as a laxitive on the fish. If you are dealing with a case of popeye, best to treat the tank with a medication to fight the popeye. It can be cured and most typically stems from declining water quality.

Actually epson salts work to draw fluids and other toxins out of a fish and are good for any type of swelling (bloat, dropsy, pop eye ... ). It doesn't really work like a true "laxative" though. The end result of using it can help your fish poop, but it's not really a laxative. Depending on the fish, dahnia or peas are better laxatives.

Popeye can be the result of or cause of a bacterial infection. It's more of a symptom than a disease in and of itself. It's normally treated with a broad spectrum antibiotic. You do want to treat it quite quickly. Fishes eyes are very close to their brains and the swelling from popeye can actually kill them because if it. Not to mention that they can lose the eyes or go blind because of it.

And ... it is usually related to poor water quality. You might need to up your maintenance schedule and do larger water changes more often.

 

[jaylin]

do not add salt to a tank with cories. cories and plecos tend to be pretty salt intolerant. popeye can be treated with maracyn plus quite successfully (i have used this to treat one of my cories with popeye before). you do however, need to give us your maintenance routine so that we can help you. popeye also needs very clean water to help it resolve

Espon salts doesn't contain NaCl - it's magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and is fine to use with cories.