Tony, old man fish

Question
Hey Chris,
Thanks for your help with Tony. I really appreciate your timeliness and expertise. I didn't euthanize him (striking him on a table with blunt force was too hard to do!!) but I did warm up his water. he seems to be doing better, and his appetite is back. However, he still has a swollen eye. Is there anything i can do for him?  

Answer
Hi Heidi;

Euthanizing is a hard thing to do. I've been very fortunate not to have to do it with any fish at home that I have an emotional attachment to. I have had to do it for suffering fish at the store and that was hard enough.

I'm glad Tony is feeling better! You might try an antibiotic that absorbs inside the fish like "Kanacyn" by Aquatronics or "Maracyn 2" by Mardel. One of these should help if it is caused by an infection. You can also try epsom salts along with it. Just the typical everyday epsom found at the drug store is the one to use. If the swelling is from fluid buildup it will draw the fluid out and hopefully give him some relief. The dosage is 1/8 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water. That would be barely a pinch for little tanks smaller than that.

Hope his eye gets better soon.....

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins