A common bacterial infection that afflicts betta fish, swollen eye syndrome, also commonly referred to as “pop-eye”, can be a symptom of a more serious internal problem. Basically, it is caused by the accumulation of fluid either in the eye or behind the eye, in the socket, which cause the eye to bulge out. Among the many causes of betta fish swollen eye include:
– Bacterial infections
– Viruses
– Parasites
– Water nitrogen supersaturation (gas bubble disease)
– Poor water quality
– Tumors
– Internal (metabolic) disorders
– Nutritional deficiencies
To cure the infection:
1. Isolate your fish if in a community tank.
2. Thoroughly clean out your fish’s tank, replace the plants and rocks if they are deteriorating.
3. Raise the water temperature to 82 degrees. This helps your fish’s immune system.
4. Try giving your fish antibiotics. Two you can try include Kanacyn by Aquatronics and Maracyn 2 by Mardel.
5. Make sure you are using a good quality aquarium salt as this helps “wash” the eyes.
Fortunately, betta fish swollen eye is curable with a little bit of effort, within a few days.
The worst mistake would be to simply “wait it out” to see if the problem goes away by itself. If you see obvious signs of a swollen eye, make sure you take action right away.
If left untreated, your betta fish could go blind. Worse yet, the infected eye could bulge out to the point where it literally falls out of its socket completely!