popeye (not the sailor man)

[the Undone guy]

i think one of my chromis has "popeye". Both of his eyes are bulging out of his head. He's eating and swimming around activly. He seems normal. Everything else in the tank is alive and kicking with a smile....

what causes popeye?

what is the best way to get rid of it? (i heard it goes away with a few good water changes and time)

is it contagious to other fish?


thanks guys, my post gets burried so damn fast on the newbie board it's rediculous.

[opihi]

Originally posted by the Undone guy
i think one of my chromis has "popeye". Both of his eyes are bulging out of his head. He's eating and swimming around activly. He seems normal. Everything else in the tank is alive and kicking with a smile....

what causes popeye?

what is the best way to get rid of it? (i heard it goes away with a few good water changes and time)

is it contagious to other fish?


luckily, i've never had a fish with popeye before so i can't help you. other then giving you this search link (http://reefcentral.com/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=3475839&sortby=&sortorder=).


thanks guys, my post gets burried so damn fast on the newbie board it's rediculous.
that's one of the reasons why we're here :)

[Shak]

In my experience, pop-eye is almost always related to an injury, and is a symptom of the bacterial infection that has set in post-injury.

Water changes will only help in that they will reduce stress on the animal and help it to recover naturally. Unless it is very severe i typically wouldnt treat with antibiotics but just increase the feeding frequency, and overdose the vitamins you soak the food in, all this to help the fishes immune system fight the infection. Should it get severe enough to warrant the use of antibiotics, only use them in a quarantine tank, so many of them will severely compromise your biological filter that its just not worth the risk of using in the main tank.

Nets are notorious for causing eye injury (I never use them), as well as harrassment from other fish, causing the fish to scrap himself on rockwork or similar. If you ever find that you must use a net, boiling it for a while will help soften the nylon and make it less abrasive.

HTH, good luck man

[opihi]

Originally posted by Shak
If you ever find that you must use a net, boiling it for a while will help soften the nylon and make it less abrasive.

that's a good tip Matt! :thumbsup:

[LVfishguy]

Agreed with what everyone said. You might try a F/W dip though. Putting the fish in F/W can sometimes help ozmoregulation and help relieve the pressure in the eye.

[the Undone guy]

i couldnt bear putting the poor guy in F/W, talk about stress! so should i just let him be in hopes that he recovers on his own?