stellarisopod
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2022
- Messages
- 1
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
Male Betta (Crowntail)
I've had this Betta for about 4 months, and his eyes have always looked a little strange/puffy to me. But they've now become a crusty red color, and gradually he's stopped moving his eyes to look around. He's still very active, curious, eats like a pig, makes bubbles and flares at the cories when they wander into his floating log, very normal behavior-wise.
I know he can still see, because he reacts visually to the cories and has no trouble chasing pellets when they sink. But as he swims, his eyes seem very rigid and puffed out.
I thought it was popeye, but given that it's bilateral and very uniform, that seems unlikely? The swelling also hasn't really increased over the last few months.
Could it be some kind of irritant in the water?
The cories don't really seem to be affected if so, but they're so small and quick, I could be missing symptoms.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - ~10
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
10 gallons
It's been running for almost a year, although it took an unusually long amount of time to cycle (about seven months) so it's only been actively inhabited/cycled since October (around 4 months).
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Aqueon Quietflow 20 (125 gph)
I removed the carbon filter pad it came with when setting up the tank and added ceramic bio-rings to the back, as well as sponges over the intake and outflow (as a baffle for the betta).
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
1 Male Betta, ~2"
5 dainty cories (habrosus), ~1/2"
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
I do a 50% water change once a week, the last change was one week ago
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
I've had him for about 4 months
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
I added an Indian Almond Leaf and a piece of driftwood a few weeks ago in the hopes that some tannins might help soothe him a bit if it's some kind of irritation.
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
He eats betta bug bites and occassionally a frozen bloodworm treat or frozen daphnia. He also snacks on the cories' sinking wafers here and there.
When this all started, he was eating heavy on the bloodworms because I was having trouble finding anything else that he would eat. I happen to know that the place I got him from was feeding him only bloodworms. He now eats the bug bites very happily and only gets a bloodworm or two every few weeks.
My camera really struggles to focus on him and he's a very active little guy, so I apologize for the photo quality!
When I brought him home, 4 months ago. Much more normal-looking imo
4 months ago, note how you can see the direction he's looking
Taken this morning.. note how his eyes seem much darker and "puffier", and unfocused
Taken this morning, you can really see the red coloration here
Top view
Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help him or if I'm just overreacting!
Male Betta (Crowntail)
I've had this Betta for about 4 months, and his eyes have always looked a little strange/puffy to me. But they've now become a crusty red color, and gradually he's stopped moving his eyes to look around. He's still very active, curious, eats like a pig, makes bubbles and flares at the cories when they wander into his floating log, very normal behavior-wise.
I know he can still see, because he reacts visually to the cories and has no trouble chasing pellets when they sink. But as he swims, his eyes seem very rigid and puffed out.
I thought it was popeye, but given that it's bilateral and very uniform, that seems unlikely? The swelling also hasn't really increased over the last few months.
Could it be some kind of irritant in the water?
The cories don't really seem to be affected if so, but they're so small and quick, I could be missing symptoms.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - ~10
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
10 gallons
It's been running for almost a year, although it took an unusually long amount of time to cycle (about seven months) so it's only been actively inhabited/cycled since October (around 4 months).
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Aqueon Quietflow 20 (125 gph)
I removed the carbon filter pad it came with when setting up the tank and added ceramic bio-rings to the back, as well as sponges over the intake and outflow (as a baffle for the betta).
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
1 Male Betta, ~2"
5 dainty cories (habrosus), ~1/2"
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
I do a 50% water change once a week, the last change was one week ago
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
I've had him for about 4 months
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
I added an Indian Almond Leaf and a piece of driftwood a few weeks ago in the hopes that some tannins might help soothe him a bit if it's some kind of irritation.
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
He eats betta bug bites and occassionally a frozen bloodworm treat or frozen daphnia. He also snacks on the cories' sinking wafers here and there.
When this all started, he was eating heavy on the bloodworms because I was having trouble finding anything else that he would eat. I happen to know that the place I got him from was feeding him only bloodworms. He now eats the bug bites very happily and only gets a bloodworm or two every few weeks.
My camera really struggles to focus on him and he's a very active little guy, so I apologize for the photo quality!
When I brought him home, 4 months ago. Much more normal-looking imo
4 months ago, note how you can see the direction he's looking
Taken this morning.. note how his eyes seem much darker and "puffier", and unfocused
Taken this morning, you can really see the red coloration here
Top view
Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help him or if I'm just overreacting!
