Beta Fish Swollen Eye

Question
My son has a two year old Beta that is kept in a one gallon size bowl.  He is acting a little lethargic and has a swollen left eye.  What should we do?  We love our our "Bluefish" and want to keep him happy.  Any thoughts? Also, what is the typical lifespan for a Beta?  

Answer
Hi Andrea;

He may have a tumor or an internal infection. Raise his temperature to 82 degrees to help his immune system. If it is an internal infection he might be helped by special antibiotics. You can try it, but he is an old little fella now and it may not help at all. Bettas live to be 2 to 3 years old or so. Sometimes they live up to 5 years but it is rare. When we buy them in stores they are almost a year old so add that onto the length of time you have had him.

There are two antibiotics you can try. Kanacyn by Aquatronics and Maracyn 2 by Mardel. These actually absorb into the fish to get to the infection. Other medications are helpful only on the outside of the fish.

Hoping for the best for "Bluefish".....

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!