What To Use To Treat Popeye

[sallyann]

I have a goldfish,(see my other post today) who has popeye, I think this is due to bad water over the years, he is now in a 50 litre tank, cycled and water tested and changed weekly, he is much happier now, I have had him for 10 years, but he has popeye, and the other eye is slightly calcifiied, that is the only was I can describe it ,it looks like a white covering on half his eye, this does not seem to bother him, nor does the popeye. I would like to try and treat it, he has had the popeye for about 5 years now, and it has stayed the same.

How do I go about treating it, and should I just add meds to the tank?, I have no carbon filter, just a sponge one, I have just got my tank ok, he is on his own, his tankmate died a few months ago, I tret the other fish with interpet no 9 bacterial treatment and for a few weeks the remaining fish did get the treatment too as it was in the same tank. I then did start treating the sick one seperate, I do still have my old tank, empty, but I could use that for treatment. Or should I just leave well alone, I have noticed too that one of his tail fins is a bit shredded, just noticed this today, how do i treat that, melafix? I have got some aquarium salt, but I never use it. T

He is healthy and eats normally.

 

[Colin_T]

If the fish has had the problem for 5 yrs then it is unlikely to be pop-eye. It could be the fish has the moor gene (from black moors) then it might have eyes that stick out a bit. The other thing that would cause the eyes to stick out is a tumor but they normally kill the fish within a 6-12month period. Bacterial pop-eye would cause the fish's eye or eyes to pop out and get worse over the course of several weeks to a month or so. The eye usually goes red or gets red around it and should have been cleared up with the interpet anti-bacterial medication.

If the fish has split fins/tail then it could be a water quality issue. If there are red lines running through the tail and fins then a bacterial infection could be causing that.
You can add melafix to the tank water as directed on the instructions. Salt can be added too. It is often used at 1 heaped tablespoon per 20litres of tank water. When you do water changes you add some salt to the new water so the salinity stay the same. After a couple of weeks you stop adding salt and do small (10-15%) daily water changes to dilute the salt.

Most problems are associated with poor water quality or a dirty tank. Sometimes just doing daily water changes and gravel cleans for a couple of weeks can clear up a lot of problems.
Make sure the fish gets some vegetable matter in its diet. You can use peas, pumpkin, zucchini, etc and offer them each day. These foods have vitamin C which is good for the fish's immune system and can help it fight off infections.
A picture can help with identifying problems

 

[sallyann]

If the fish has had the problem for 5 yrs then it is unlikely to be pop-eye. It could be the fish has the moor gene (from black moors) then it might have eyes that stick out a bit. The other thing that would cause the eyes to stick out is a tumor but they normally kill the fish within a 6-12month period. Bacterial pop-eye would cause the fish's eye or eyes to pop out and get worse over the course of several weeks to a month or so. The eye usually goes red or gets red around it and should have been cleared up with the interpet anti-bacterial medication.

If the fish has split fins/tail then it could be a water quality issue. If there are red lines running through the tail and fins then a bacterial infection could be causing that.
You can add melafix to the tank water as directed on the instructions. Salt can be added too. It is often used at 1 heaped tablespoon per 20litres of tank water. When you do water changes you add some salt to the new water so the salinity stay the same. After a couple of weeks you stop adding salt and do small (10-15%) daily water changes to dilute the salt.

Most problems are associated with poor water quality or a dirty tank. Sometimes just doing daily water changes and gravel cleans for a couple of weeks can clear up a lot of problems.
Make sure the fish gets some vegetable matter in its diet. You can use peas, pumpkin, zucchini, etc and offer them each day. These foods have vitamin C which is good for the fish's immune system and can help it fight off infections.
A picture can help with identifying problems

Thanks Colin, you and miss wiggle are so helpful, I changed the water on Thursday, about 30%, all the stats are ok, no ammonia or nitrite, today I decided to vac the gravel and change about 50% of water, the tank is very clear, I have added about 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt, did not want to over do it, would you add more, the instructions said 1 teaspoon per 20 litres of water, I am always cautious about added stuff to the tank. The tank is 50 litres.
I do give him a couple of peas during the week, he hates lettice (so do I!!) I will give him some veggies everyday now, what about cucumber? I think I might just change some of the water everyday too, see if it helps, no red lines on the fins, just raggy ends.
dont know how to post a pic, will have to learn!

 

[Colin_T]

You should do a gravel clean every time you do a water change. Clean gravel and clean filters means clean water.
I use 1 heaped tablespoon of salt per 20litres. Leave the salt level high for a couple of weeks and then do small water changes to dilute it. That level of salt won't cause any real health issues to goldfish.
Try to give the fish plant matter every day. Goldfish are vegetarian and need the roughage to be healthy. You can feed them all sorts of fruits and veges including cucumber, rockmelon, water melon, corn, etc. The main things not to feed them are onions and potatoes. Most other things are fine but some fish will have a preference for certain foods and will ignore other foods. Try it on different things and see what it likes.
Make sure you peel any fruits and only use food that is free of chemicals and is safe for human consumption. You can also try blanching (part cooking) the stuff and some fish prefer that. Just make sure it has cooled down before you feed the fish.

 

[sallyann]

You should do a gravel clean every time you do a water change. Clean gravel and clean filters means clean water.
I use 1 heaped tablespoon of salt per 20litres. Leave the salt level high for a couple of weeks and then do small water changes to dilute it. That level of salt won't cause any real health issues to goldfish.
Try to give the fish plant matter every day. Goldfish are vegetarian and need the roughage to be healthy. You can feed them all sorts of fruits and veges including cucumber, rockmelon, water melon, corn, etc. The main things not to feed them are onions and potatoes. Most other things are fine but some fish will have a preference for certain foods and will ignore other foods. Try it on different things and see what it likes.
Make sure you peel any fruits and only use food that is free of chemicals and is safe for human consumption. You can also try blanching (part cooking) the stuff and some fish prefer that. Just make sure it has cooled down before you feed the fish.

Thanks for advice, I will go add more aquarium salt, and feed the veggies daily, did not know about fruit, apple ok? would that need to be cooked first?, going to give him some cucumber tonight. will keep you posted.

 

[Colin_T]

Apple will be fine. My fish ate it raw but you can blanch it as well.

You can use rock salt or swimming pool salt, they are the same sort of thing as aquarium salt and usually a bit cheaper.