What to do about Popeye!?

K

kwalters

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 28, 2014
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Boulder, CO
Hey guys, my oscar Morphius has some really bad popeye and I was hoping for some advice.
2014-09-13 09.12.26.jpg

I have him in a 15 gallon hospital tank at 80 degrees with salt (about 2 tablespoons for the 15 gallons) and tetracycline. I'm doing 50% water changes everyday and he's only getting worse. The ammonia is always pretty high (1ppm). I put him in 6 days ago and for the first three he just laid on the bottom, now he kinda swims around but won't eat anything. The eye is just getting bigger, and this morning that bulge underneath showed up. Is there anything I can do? I love him very much and don't know how I'll handle it if he doesn't make it.

Thanks for any help,
Kyle

2014-09-13 09.12.26.jpg

2014-09-13 09.12.26.jpg
 
B

brich999

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 3, 2010
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New Hampshire
Clean water is the best medicine out there. Is this a new tank? Ammonia isnt good at all. You either need more bio filtration or to cycle the tank and im afraid he isnt going to get better until that is taken care of.
 
notho2000

notho2000

Silver Tier VIP
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Aug 16, 2010
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My recommendation is to treat with kanamycin (kanaplex/Seachem) and metronidazole in combination. Leave out the sodium chloride salt but instead add some Epsom salts, magnesium sulfate (1 TBS/ 5G). I just had the same thing happen with a rotkeil severum (both eyes were badly popped) and after a couple of weeks he's now fine.
 
DMD123

DMD123

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Oct 23, 2009
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Notice it has big hole in the head craters also which usually denote a long time of bad diet or water conditions.
 
K

kwalters

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 28, 2014
7
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Boulder, CO
They told me that at the fish store filtration wasn't very important (I just had uncycled under gravel) because the antibiotic would just kill all the bacteria anyway and I should just do large water changes. I put in one of my big cycled filters from another tank and that didn't happen, so they obviously didn't know what they were talking about. What do people normally do for filtration in a hospital tank? Do they just constantly have an extra filter cycled? He's looking better today for the first time, so I'm just gonna keep on with the tetracycline and salt.

Thanks for the advice
 
notho2000

notho2000

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Aug 16, 2010
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kwalters said:
They told me that at the fish store filtration wasn't very important (I just had uncycled under gravel) because the antibiotic would just kill all the bacteria anyway and I should just do large water changes. I put in one of my big cycled filters from another tank and that didn't happen, so they obviously didn't know what they were talking about. What do people normally do for filtration in a hospital tank? Do they just constantly have an extra filter cycled? He's looking better today for the first time, so I'm just gonna keep on with the tetracycline and salt.

Thanks for the advice
Click to expand...
There is no need for filtration in the hospital tank since you won't be feeding the fish while treating. Just use good aeration (airstone) and change water. Keep applying the med as instructed. I would add in the metro since it looks like HITH is present. Hope your treatment works
 
K

kwalters

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 28, 2014
7
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Boulder, CO
The holes in the head are only on one side so I don't think it's Hith. I'm hoping that they're gonna go away after this treatment or I'll have to figure something else out. The ammonia levels were definitely high while he was in there without food and filtration. I've been doing daily 50% water changes using the water from my larger tank so it's not too drastic of a change every day then adding the tetracycline and some more salt (I already have some salt in the larger tank).
 
notho2000

notho2000

Silver Tier VIP
MFK Member
Aug 16, 2010
1,196
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winnipeg, canada
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