Rings around my betta's eyes

by **SiennaBay** Sun 15 Aug 2010 - 17:46

Hi!
Suddenly my betta has developed thin, pale blue rings around both eyes. They were never there before. Is this weird or is this something bettas just get naturally? He sorta looks like he's wearing glasses. His water is fine -- keeping it clean & testing it. And he acts fine -- really wild actually. He zips all over the tank.

by **silverrabbit** Sun 15 Aug 2010 - 21:56

I've seen a betta look like this when it has "pop eye". Do his eyes look more sticky-out than normal? If not then it might just be normal markings

by **SiennaBay** Mon 16 Aug 2010 - 0:34

Great, his eyes do look like they are slightly larger than normal. What should I do? I just got a new ph kit and checked the ph in his tank. It is close to 8. The ph for bettas is supposed to be 7, right? I put some aquarium salt in the tank and had changed half the water last night.

by **silverrabbit** Mon 16 Aug 2010 - 1:00

Bacterial meds are the way to go - I don't know what you have over there but looks for meds that treat bacterial infections like cloudy eye, pop eye etc

by **SiennaBay** Tue 17 Aug 2010 - 4:16

This is weird. I adjusted the ph in my fish's tank this morning, and all day his eyes still had the ring around them, and now tonight, there is only a trace of a ring on the tops of both eyes. They otherwise look much better. Does this make sense??? I am still going to buy some of that Ampicillin stuff.

by **2tall** Tue 17 Aug 2010 - 4:44

Sorry I wouldn't know the answer, but I'm happy to hear he looks better!
I didn't know about the Ampicillin being available, just Tetracyclene for an antibiodic. I should read more I guess! Good news anyway about Flame!

by **yvonnewolfe** Tue 17 Aug 2010 - 18:48

My bettas get rings around their eyes when their older. I've had "old man" for three years now, and he just developed white rings around both eyes. He is very healthy too. Hope this helps..........

by **SiennaBay** Tue 17 Aug 2010 - 19:04

Hi, I don't know how old my fish is, but I do know that he didn't have any markings around his eyes at all when I bought him about three weeks ago. This morning, the rings were back. So I changed about 80% of his water, lowered the ph. This is really strange.

by **silverrabbit** Tue 17 Aug 2010 - 23:36

Be careful about adjusting the pH - someone on here lost a whole divided tank of bettas from using the pH down or something.

I hope he gets better for you soon

by **SiennaBay** Wed 18 Aug 2010 - 1:21

Is there anything else I can do to adjust the ph other than using "ph down"? The ph in our tap water is pretty high. I thought that maybe that was affecting the fish.

by **silverrabbit** Wed 18 Aug 2010 - 1:24

What is your pH? mine is around 8 or a bit above and the bettas do fine in it Smile

You can add bogwood or indian almond leaves (IAL) which will stain the water a light tea colour by releasing tannins and it's the tannic acid that will lower your pH. You use 1 leaf per 30litres I think

by **2tall** Wed 18 Aug 2010 - 1:35

I let my IAL sit in a small container of water a few days after it browns up like
a strong tea. Then I toss the leaves before they mold. I was warned not to them sit longer than two weeks. This was recommended by the Thai owner where I purchased my c/t's and it does discolor the water a bit.

by **Time-Out** Wed 18 Aug 2010 - 10:06

pH down is fine as long as you dilute it. It burns anything it touches otherwise. And no more than a couple of tablespoons per 150L at a time.

by **SiennaBay** Fri 20 Aug 2010 - 23:39

I ordered some Ampicillin but since the rings on my fish's eyes were even bigger today, I went to the store and got a bottle of "Melafix". Anyone have experience with it? It's supposed to be antibacterial and it says it works for pop eye. The thing I don't understand is, the instructions say "Remove activated carbon if possible. Add 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons). What does that mean -- remove activated carbon?

by **2tall** Fri 20 Aug 2010 - 23:47

If you have a three stage filter there is normally a carbon pouch of sorts if I'm correct. You could just tub him and that way you won't affect the filter or tank! What kind of filter is it?

by **SiennaBay** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:04

It's an Eclipse 3 tank. It has a blue filter pad and a seperate bio-wheel. I just changed the filter pad today actually.

by **2tall** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:10

Is that the tank where the light and filter are contained in the hood?

by **2tall** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:27

I called Petsmart and the blue pad does have the carbon in it. You need to remove the blue pad or it renders the medication ineffective. He said you can treat the whole tank and don't have to tub him.

Whatever happens don't shoot the messenger! Good luck! Smile

by **SiennaBay** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:36

OK, I was thinking that the filter wouldn't work without the pad. I just took the pad out. I hope I'm doing things right. I changed about 80% of the water before I added the Melafix. My fish is suddenly acting a little less feisty than normal. I had looked around the Internet and I read that Melafix can sometimes have that effect on a fish. I'm going to change about 25% of the water tomorrow and add more Melafix. I've heard both good and bad about this medication. Some people say it works great for popeye and others say it doesn't and that it's not a true medicine. So I don't know what to think. I guess if this doesn't work I'll try the Ampicillin or Maracyn.

by **SiennaBay** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:37

Also "Thanks" for going out of your way to call Petsmart. I appreciate it! Smile

by **SiennaBay** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:43

By the way, I read on the Internet that the light colored rings around Flame's eyes are due to the fact that the skin that holds the eyes in their sockets is being stretched, due to the popeye.. Sure hope I can cure this. I'm sure this happened due to the dirty conditions in which he was living when I "rescued" him. I've been faithfully changing his water since he's been here...

by **2tall** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:47

You are quite welcome! Make sure you stick to the directions including the w/c's. Don't over doctor the little one. I'm sure you'll have more knowledgeable
suggestions/answers by then. Best to you both!

by **2tall** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:49

If thats true then it explains the rings. I'm learning as I go too!

by **2tall** Sat 21 Aug 2010 - 0:51

I've never used Melafix so far, but make sure you follow directions concerning w/c's and hopefully someone more knowledgeable will have the answers for you by then. Be careful not to over doctor him! Hope it works!

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