Molly with a swollen eye

[Dalmen]

Yesterday I found one of my mollies with its head and almost half of its body sticking vertically into the gravel. It seemed it was having trouble freeing itself from the bottom. I helped it out with a little stick. When it came out I noticed that it has a hugely swollen eye. Now it seems to be ok swimming around (although some of the other mollies are trying to bite its eye) but the eye continues to be very swollen. Looks as if the entire eye came out of its socket. Has anybody seen this before?

I have a 110 Lt tank. Ph 6.8, Ammonia 0, nitrates < 5%, nitrites 0

 

[Calypso77]

That looks to me like it has Pop Eye. Not sure what you do but I am sure someone here will come along quickly and help. Good luck

 

[Oceangirl]

Pop-Eye Treatment
The affected fish should be immediately taken out to be separately treated. It is difficult to specify a specific treatment unless the main cause is definitely known. Large daily water changes should help, if not Epsom salts has been used with good results to draw the fluid out. One tablespoon per 5 gallons of water for at least three days, longer if necessary. Epsom salts isn't really salt (sodium chloride) it is Magnesium Sulfate. If water quality is the problem, a 50 percent water change must be made as soon as possible.
If a new item was added to the aquarium recently, it should be double checked that it is not poisoning the water or letting off chemicals. The quality of the water conditioner that is used should be checked that it has a good opinion by other aquarists. If the water readings are wrong (high nitrAtes etc), a 50 percent water change is recommended again and 15-20 percent water changes 3-5 times per week, until the water readings are correct. Overstocking is a common problem for high water readings. Another common reason would be decaying dead fish and fish food. The tank should be thoroughly searched for any dead fish and precautions must be taken NOT TO OVER FEED, and if the tank is overstocked, steps should be taken in finding some of your fish another good home. If a bacterial infection is the cause we would recommend 'Maracyn', 'Maracyn II', 'eSHa 2000' and 'Anti-internal bacteria' for treatment.
References - More Information - Fish Lore Forum members: Carol and Laure Anne



Fish Pop-Eye

 

[byork]

Definitely pop eye

Seperate the one(s) showing symptoms. I would treat with salt and maracyn for at least 2 weeks. Consider a mild treatment for the tank, especially if you have more than 1 fish showing symtoms. Pop eye is common in mollies. A lot of breeders and pet stores keep them in lightly salted water.

 

[Dalmen]

Thank you for the advice. I've taken the Molly (only one affected) and put it into a separate 10 litre tank with some aquarium salt. I'll get the medicine today and do what you suggest. Hopefully it will heal soon.

I still can't understand how the fish was able to dig itself into the gravel (Colombo Flora Base) almost half of its body and get stuck in there. Weird. Any ideas why this might have happened?