I Need Help !!!!!

newreefbishop

Premium Member
I came home froma 4 day business trip, to fing every fish in my tank healthy except for my femail black saddle back clown. SHe has popeye. I am very unfamiliar with this disease, and have no idea on what to do to get her better. ANybody have a viable cure, or steps to get her looking healthy again?
 
I have never experienced that but I found this. I hope it helps.

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=225361&highlight=popeye

Pop-Eye
By Thomas712

Popeye is also known as exophthalmoses or exophthalmia. It is more of a condition than a disease. It appears as an extruded eye where the eye socket is out further than normal, it can also be accompanied by cloudy eye if a pathogen is present. All this equals an eye trauma. It is not contagious. Even with these symptoms the fish can still appear to be healthy baring any pathogen that may be present. A pathogen is: a specific causative agent (as a bacterium or virus) of disease.

It is normally caused by environmental conditions like poor water quality, high DOC’s, high nitrates, improper catching like when using a net, fighting with other fish, or by having hit something hard in the tank like rocks, heaters, or any other stationary object. It can also be caused by bacteria, parasites, virus or a growth behind the eye.

In minor cases of Popeye the eye will usually return to normal without blindness. If more serious the eye may appear colorless, grey or have that clouded look, and could result in blindness in the eye. If both eyes are affected and are severe the eyes may burst or disappear in which case the fish may not be able to recover and may die.

Treatment: Overwhelmingly it appears that the first step to take is to do a large water change. At least 30%. This can be done in the main tank with fresh saltwater that has been vigorously airiated and mixed for at the very least a 24 hour period, using 2 or 3 day aged water would be better. Raw saltwater,freshly mixed and not aged and aerated is stressful to fish and highly irritating to sensitive gill tissues. Why the water change? This will help remove DOC’s and Nitrates and improve the condition of the overall system, providing a cleaner and healthier environment for the fish to recuperate in, quite possibly removing that condition which caused the Popeye in the first place. In most minor cases the injury will heal itself, however it also depends on what caused the condition in the first place.

The second step is using meds. Typical meds used for Popeye include: Melafix, Maracyn-Two, and Nitrofurazone. I have also seen where Kanamycin sulfate and Neomycin have been used, as well as Tetracycline and Chloramphenical. I won’t mention copper.

If meds are the answer then all the rules of the Q-tank apply, and for around 50 bucks your in business with a QT. If you don’t have one, do it now.

If using meds like antibiotics then you must QT the fish. Antibiotics are not always safe for inverts. Some can kill the zooxanthellae that live within the tissues of photosynthetic animals. Not a good thing to use on crabs, snails, corals or your sand bed.

Maracynâ€"œTwo or Nitrofurazone are the two meds of choice here.

Treatment: Using Maracyn-Two; Maracyn is Minocycline and comes in fresh and saltwater formulas. Both are the same medicine with one exception, the saltwater formula contains B vitamins that are hard to consume when the fish is exposed to the antibiotic, thus the addition of the B vitamin. A broad-spectrum antibiotic for internal or external gram negative bacterial infections. Effective treatment of fin and tail rot, popeye, gill disease, dropsy, bleeding or red streaks, secondary and internal infections. Effective even when fish won't eat.

Use the Maracyn-Two at the double dose each and every day for 7 to 10 days if the infection appears to be internal, 5 to 7 days for external. A small water change before each dose is recommended because the organics in the water can inactivate the antibiotics.

NITROFURAZONE is bactericidal for many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria causing disease in fresh water and marine fishes. This antibacterial is effective for control of Aeromonas, Vibrio and related species. Nitrofurazone is particularly useful for control of minor topical skin infections of marine fishes that have not become systemic (internal).

Using Nitrofurazone (Furacyn): Dose 30 to 40mg/gal in quarantine only. Dose on the first day only and leave the fish in the treated water 3 to 5 days. Feed lightly.
 
wow rorchilles, that is the news he wanted to hear! it is actually common for fish to survive popeye if the right precautions are taken. maybe some maracyn or maracyn 2, i don't remember, in a hospital tank. sometimes it will go away by itself, other times it needs outside help.
Josh

edit: maracyn 2 as posted above. (i didn't read through the long post b4 i put in my 2 cents) lol
 
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Mine had the same thing and after a few weeks just got over it by himself. We decided to wait and see instead of catching him and stressing him out more.
 
Actually now that you mentioned I have also experience fish that just got better on their own, I think that will work as long as the cause of the popeye is not due to trauma due to a fight with another fish and that he is not been pick on his eye by others.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10337841#post10337841 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rogger Castells
I have also treated successfully Popeye with anti-biotic, but you need to catch the fish and treat him outside.

same here, I used maracyn in a 5 gal. bucket.
Gerald
 
Make sure it's actually pop eye due to illness. My clown had pop eye but I witnessed iut was actually an injury he took from my goby when they were eating they got in a hectic frenzy and the next day my clowns eye was huge... He healed up after a 3-4 weeks. Good luck with yours.

Nick
 
Ok I am not sure if she got into a fight....My wife was sitting the tank while I was gone. Most of the time however the clown is actually the aggressor. She is probably the most aggressive fish in the entire tank. I can catch her. The question is how long should I treat her for, and should I just leave her in the main display and see if she heals. Also where can I get meds to treat her? I guess I need to get a QT going. Anyone have a 10 gallon tank the are willing to spare for a few weeks?
 
Rogger what med would you recommend? ALso Im looking for a QT setup, I know I know its something that I should have, and not neglected so long but now that I am going to have to set one up, what do I absolutely need to have to get this setup and stable.
 
Milton, Talk to Pat about which medication is hot now and days, I have not use any medication in years but I know Pat is pretty knowledgeable about Fish Medications
 
Ok I will, I have been reading and getting complicting advice. Some people say if the fish is not being bothered, I should leave it and soak its food in vitamins (selcon, garlic extreme etc) and let it heal on its own. That removing it will cause additional stress and may worsen the situation.

Some say wait and see if it will heal on its own if after two weeks I see no progress, then quarantine it.

And other say to remove it and medicate it.

I will get intouch with Pat and see what he says though.
 
Gotta chime in hear. As mentioned, it is not always a bacterial infection. So why treat with antibiotics? Can also be environmental, as mentioned in the article. How are your tank parameters? Any out of wack? Is your skimmer running like it did before you left?

I successfully treated popeye with water changes and Epsom Salt (I believe 1 lb/gallon) as recommended by the guys at Wetwebmedia. Search there as well before you treat.
 
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