Hi we have a beta in the...

Question
Hi  we have a beta in the office - he has been with us for about a year and was in a home foe a few months before that. He is a large beta with gorgeous blue and green coloring - has been very active and has a lot of personality- seems to interact with people a lot
Lately  maybe about two weeks --- he has stayed at the bottom of the tank he is in ---- kinda laying on the rocks---- he comes up for air  and dives right back down - he eats but not as enthusiastically as normal --- both of his eyes seem to be bulged out - we have noticed a difference in the past couple of days  they are bulging more
he lives in the same "tank" as always  - one of those glass flower type vases -- no plant in the top--- with glass rocks in the bottom
we have never checked chemical levels - but change the water regularly - we either use distilled water or drop in the conditioner
same habits for a long time --- he has always seemed very healthy with this until lately-- the water temperature is 68-70degrees  - as a general rule ---always has been  we do not heat the water
ok  so about the lethargy  and bulging eyes -
do you have an idea what is going on?
thanks   Ginny

Answer
Hi Ginny;

He has a condition called "pop-eye". It is from an infection inside behind the eyes. Use a product called Maracyn 2. The fish store should have it. Maracyn 2 is the only fish medication that gets inside the fish where infection is. Here is a link to info on how to dose medication in small tanks;

http://www.healthybetta.com/easymeds.html

Change his water twice a week and put a light on him too. The higher temperature will help the infection go away and improve his metabolism so he can fight the disease. He is an old little guy now and may need higher temperatures and more frequent water changes from now on to keep him healthy. Get the temperature up to 80 if you can. Try to use tap water instead of distilled. Distilled water is missing some things that fish need so it really isn't healthy.

Bettas lifespan is 2 to 3 years. They are already about a year old when you buy them so he is probably 2 years old or so now. Doesn't mean he's ready to go yet, he just needs a little help. Poor little fella. I hope he feels better soon.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins