Sick betta...popeye.

Question
QUESTION: My betta got popeye, he is in a one gallon sick tank because I broke his other tank trying to change his water. I have been treating his popeye with Mayacyn Plus every other day as the directions ask and doing a full water change. However, after 12 days oftreatment and changes his eye has cleared but the eye itself has continued to get bigger!!! Help. I was wondering if epsom salt would take the pressure off as i've been researching online, but i don't know if I can mix it with the medication he's on currently. It looks like his eye might decide to explode if i can't do something about it soon. I'd take any suggestions, any way to make his eye heal would be good.
ANSWER: Hi Jessica,
Popeye is usually a symptom that the tank conditions aren't as clean as they should be. What is often said is improving the overall care of the fish can be the best treatment. That of course means providing the best foods and that he always has a very clean environment. I'm not blaming you for poor tank maintenance at all. Just reminding you that the best thing to do when your fish is sick with any illness is that daily water changes are vital.
Since this seems to be a persistant case of popeye, if you could feed him medicated food that would be excellent. Sometimes medications added to the water just aren't effective for some interal bacterial infections as your betta may have. And medicated anti-bacterial food is the best way to get the medicine inside him.
I have heard of some having success using Melafix and Pimafix to gether. They are a more natural medication. I have used both of these when other medications didn't seem to work. Some diseases can become resistent and you have to try other medications.
But please keep in mind popeye -can- be sometimes hard to treat. But this is rare and the majority of fish recover just fine.

Some fish also can lose their eye. I know it's sad and strange looking but fish can survive just fine with one eye. Again, this tends to be a rare occurance also.

I really hope this helps!
Best of luck, feel free to write again
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Are the medications you recommended in liquid form, because i tried to use ampicillin on him, but it was gel tek and he simply didn't understand what to do with it. He could tell the food was in the water but couldn't consume the quickly dissipating liquid drops. I use quality food on him as always, he's actually a really picky eater. Also, what about Epsom salt? Should I be using that on him? I tried some yesterday and his eye seems to be a bit smaller, but it could be just me being optimistic. I'm wondering if he's just retaining fluid because the eye is clear, and has been for about a week or so even though i kept him on medication because of the eyes very large size.  

Answer
Hi Jessica,
Melafix and pimafix are of course in liquid form. But the medicated food is of course difficult to get into bettas because either, 1# they don't like it or 2# it falls too fast through the water and the betta doesn't realize what it is.
The poor fishes eyes bulge out abnormally because of a fluid accumulation  behind the eye just as you said. There can be many triggers to this, so this makes treating popeye somewhat difficult. Infections from bacteria, Viruses, or parasites. And even from such causes as nutritional deficiencies, internal disorders, tumors, gas bubble disease, water quality or even injuries.

Your little betta's popeye could be from any of these causes though I can't single out any one of them exactly.

Feel free to use the epsom salt, it shouldn't hurt him at all and it -has- been known to reduce some swelling. You could certainly try minocycline (Maracyn-Two) made by MARDEL. This medication is usually sold in a fine powder form that is fast dissolving and known to be effective for popeye.
For more information, here's information from "Drsfosterandsmith.com"

{Maracyn-Two)
Active Ingredient
Each tablet contains 10 mg Minocycline activity.

Follow dosage directions as detailed on the product packaging.

Be sure to treat for the full duration recommended, even if symptoms disappear after a few days. DO NOT overdose.

General Information for Maracyn-Two
For Infections of: Fin and Tail Rot, Popeye, Gill Disease, Dropsy (swollen body, protruding scales), Septicemia (bleeding or red streaks on body), secondary and internal infections.

Maracyn-Two is a broad-spectrum antibiotic (minocycline) developed for use in aquariums. Due to its unique properties, it is absorbed by the fish through the skin. During the prescribed treatment, the concentration of Maracyn-Two in the fish fluids rises to a therapeutic level and available to fight systemic infections susceptible to its action. It is primarily effective against gram-negative pathogenic organisms. Internal diseases are more difficult to detect than external ones and early detection is almost impossible. Symptoms of clamped fins, general listlessness, not eating or other unusual behavior can be caused by internal infections. All suspected bacterial infections should be treated immediately.

Maracyn-Two is non-toxic to invertebrates. Cloudiness may occur while using Maracyn-Two. Once the full course of treatment is completed, 25% water change is recommended. This, along with the addition of fresh activated carbon, clears any remaining cloudiness.

Special Notes on Diagnosis
Diagnosis of bacterial infections and parasitic infestations in salt and freshwater fish is very difficult, even for the most advanced aquarist.}

I really hope this helps!
Don't give up on the little guy, you never know he could pull through!
Karen~