POP EYE (Exophthalmia)
What is it?
Pop eye is not one particular disease, but various combined problems or symptoms of underlying disease. The most common cause is a bacterial infection, however this infection may have resulted from some preceding diseases/ailment. It may also be caused by nonspecific organisms, rough handling, tumors, excess lighting, poor nutrition or a vitamin A deficiency. The reason the eyes protrude is from a build up of fluids in and around the eye.

As with most fish diseases, stress is a major contributing factor. Common stresses include overcrowding, poor water quality, malnutrition or sudden temperature changes. So high water quality is a must.

It is not all that difficult to treat, and is rarely life threatening. However, occasionally the eyes may not fully recover in appearance, and will forever remain slightly bigger than the usually, even after they have fully recovered!

Symptoms:
One or both eyes will be abnormally large. The eye/s will protrude from the head and sometimes may exhibit a cloudy film. The eye/s will continue to bulge more and more util the reach a peak at about one to two weeks.
The fish may also show signs of general stress, such as lethargy and a pale colour.

Cure:
Firstly, make sure the water is of a high quality, check pH and ammonia levels. Consult our pH page and ammonia page if you are unsure of what these parameters are. Correct these and proceed with treatment.

Because of the vast amount of possible causes, it is best to treat with a broad spectrum antibiotic. Other treatments have been developed for pop eye, and depending on the cause of the problem either one will work best.

Antibiotics will treat a larger range of ailments, so I recommend you use those first.



Remember, water quality is always extremely important- so always check that first as it is often the cause of disease in aquarium fish. When treating sick fish, try to put the least amount of stress on them as possible, as stress will hinder the heeling process. Another thing is to remember is that generally, a healthy fish is a happy fish.

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