Is this pop eye ? Help me help my fish please :(

This got bad fast....
It started with the white betta getting couldy eyes, then the other followed.
I've tried melafix for a few days but no result. Am i treating for the wrong condition?
I care about theese fish so its time to ask someone what to do... im afraid of making it worse

have you tested the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH? if yes, what were the results?

how often do you do water changes and gravel cleans, and how much do you change?

how long has it been like that for?

what else is in the tank, and are any other fish affected?

I haven't tested water quality because ive been doing the same routine for years now. I don't even know if my kits would still be in date to be honest. But ill test tomorrow and let you know.

Every second week i gravel vac and change about 50% of the water

I noticed it about 2 weeks ago, it was very mild and i started changing water more. Then the past week its got worse.

There are some guppies that share the tank (sectioned off by a wall with holes) they are uneffected.

Wipe the inside of the glass to remove the biofilm. Then do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean each day for the next week.
Make sure any new water going into the tank is free of chlorine/ chloramine.

See how they look after a few big water changes. If no better in 2 days and water quality is good, then get a broad spectrum medication from the petshop. Get something with Methylene Blue in but you will need to do daily water changes when using Methylene blue because it wipes out filter bacteria. It's preferable to move the fish into a separate container during treatment so the main tank's filter doesn't die.

Are the bettas both males and are they in the same tank? Is there a divider between them or just between the bettas and the guppies? Can the bettas see the guppies or is the divider opaque?

How big is the tank?

I have no idea whether that is pop-eye or not but if they are two male bettas in close proximity to each other the stress of that is going to make it very difficult to get them healthy again. Bettas are solitary fish, they do not need or appreciate tank mates.

Both males. The dividers are opaque with small slits at the top and bottom for water to pass though. They can see each other but only if they are both at the top or bottom at the same time. They show off to each other if they catch a glimpse of the other but 80% of the time they dont take any notice.

Im not sure of tank dimensions as im not home atm.

Guppies are in a thrid section to the right. Middle betta is less agressive and dosnt show any interest in them.

The white fish looks to be a dragonscale. These are bettas which have extra thick scales, and they are very prone to the scaling or pigmentation growing over their eyes. The photo of the white betta seems to show this. There is nothing that can be done for this, except to treat the fish with great care as their vision slowly deteriorates.
I had a dragonscale betta a few years ago and won't buy another. One eye of mine became completely covered, though the other eye did have a small area uncovered. I had to make sure that all the decor was returned to the same place after a water change, and I placed his food in exactly the same spot so he could find it quickly. The photo is the worse of his eyes to give some idea what I mean.

The white fish looks to be a dragonscale. These are bettas which have extra thick scales, and they are very prone to the scaling or pigmentation growing over their eyes. The photo of the white betta seems to show this

Click to expand...

I agree.



Diamond eye, Dragon eye or Snake eye. Can you believe some breeders charge extra for these fish?

Banana leaves will thin the scales over the eyes trouble is it also thins the rest of the scales.

Your fish will go blind in time but this need not be a problem you and the fish need to learn a few rules and he will live a long happy life.

From now on Do not rearrange the tank, ever, If you were blind, would you want your surroundings to keep changing every few months/weeks?

Train your betta to respond to certain cues such as when you click your fingers its feeding time and he comes to the same spot each time, Also start hand feeding him now, wet you finger stick a pellet to it and hold it just above the water then drop it in front of the fish. He will quickly get the idea and not be afraid if you touch him at feeding time, then you can just about put the pellet in his mouth.

regardless of if the fish is a dragonscale variety or normal Betta, the eyes are bulging out from the skull and that is an infection and needs treating.