[FishieNut]

I have a Saddleback Clown. I noticed this evening that one of his eyes has POPED -- is swollen, popping out. Is this indiciative of a disease? Could he have bashed it on a rock. Do I need to quarantine him ASAP?

Please help.

[leebca]

Hi! Sorry to hear of the problem.

Popeye is generally caused by a bacterial infection. This can be brought on by poor nutrition, dirty tank, bad water quality, physical injury, as a secondary condition from a disease/parasite, different stressors that have continued over time (see Stress (and the Single Marine Fish)), or any combination of these.

Some forms of Popeye are fatal. I've seen it kill the fish and I've seen fish recover from the aquarist doing nothing. I have known people to operate on their fish (removing the pressure from behind the eye with a sterile injection needle), and to treat their fish for a bacterial infection.

When I have a fish with Popeye I try to determine why, first. If it is because of poor water quality combined with maybe a tank that hasn't been maintained well, I will do daily water changes and allow the fish to recover.

If the matter is one of poor nutrition, I treat the fish as if for the following infection. (BTW, good nutrition would be following these guidelines: Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition)

If I'm convinced it is a bacterial infection or if I am unsure, I treat the condition with a systemic antibiotic. I am conservative and if I make a mistake in trying to figure out why the fish has Popeye, I would prefer to err on the side of giving immediate treatment.

The fish is moved to a hospital tank, lower the salinity to a specific gravity of 1.016 and treat with Maracyn Two for Saltwater fish. The directions on the medication tell you the proper first dose, then it recommends a second dose. I would double the first recommended dose and make the second dose in the amount recommended.

Maracyn antibiotics fight different kings of bacteria. The great thing about these antibiotics is that they go inside the fish, through the skin. So these antibiotics will and do treat systemic bacterial infections and get to the internal source of the infection. Also, the fish doesn't have to be eating to be treated. So if the fish isn't eating, or if it stops eating, it will still get the full benefit of the medication.

Most bacterial infections will be managed by Maracyn Two. There is a very small chance that the bacteria are of the kind that Two won't kill. In this case, Maracyn One for Saltwater fish would be the fall-back position if Two doesn't give results.

If done properly, and if the medication is working, you can expect to see improvement within 72 hours.

To control pH and water quality in the hospital tank, you may have to perform daily water changes.

Ask if you have any questions.