Betta has cloudy eyes

[Mcostas]

Between the bettas and the neons I could have rescued a puppy and it would have been less work.

I have a 20G, 10G, and 2.5 G. The 2.5 was the hospital tank for Casper the male Betta when something (I'm still not sure what) happened to his pectoral fins. I don't think the left fin is going to grow back but other than that he's happy, personable and constantly prances around his little tank that has plants, a heater, and cave. I do a couple water changes a week on that one but I check the parameters frequently, I occasionally get trace nitrates.

Peppermint Patty is now in the 10 gallon. She's grown and gotten bright since I've gotten her, she's a koi. She looked like something was wrong with her mouth at one point, you couldn't tell by her behavior, she was active and eating. I treated her with kanaplex and she recovered.

Today I noticed it looked like she has cataracts. She can still see her food. I'm back to treating her with kanaplex as I read it could be bacterial.

And that's what I don't get. I do water changes at least once a week, usually I don't wait an entire week. I was doing them every couple days when she had what I think was columnaris. My 10 & 20 were cycled, have plants and driftwood.

Before patty was in it I had 5 neons with Casper. I decided to not have tank mates (except snails) with my bettas and got the 20 so I could have a school of small happy fish, I got more neons and combined them in the 20.

I actually think my problems started with the neons, I'm still having problems with the neons. I think they were sick when I got them, I actually started out with 7 in the 10 but 3 died. I noticed flashing with the survivers but no visible disease - at that time.

I'm worried about patty and that tank. Everything seemed fine after the mouth problem and her behavior has always been active and eating. I feed Betta pellets and live food. They were getting mosquito larvae and bloodworms from my yard fountain before it got too cold, now they get daphnia and brine shrimp but the bettas can't see them, the neons love them.

How can I treat her eyes before she dies or goes blind? I don't know why she has gotten sick, she hasn't been stressed, she's active and curious about all the stuff in her tank. Here is a recent pic of this tank, it's in the den and gets looked at the most.

 

[Mcostas]

I forgot, my two "real" tanks have zero nh3, nitrites, and rarely a trace of nitrates. I figure it's the growing plants.

I have a really hard time reading the API pH tests, the pH looks pretty blue but the high pH seems to be about 7.4.

I got the substrate that is supposed to have the beneficial bacteria, it didn't take long for the tanks to cycle.

When I was a kid and had aquariums I didn't do all these changes and testing (we didn't know better back then) and I didn't have all these problems.

I also should add that I've seen Patty actually try to wedge under the driftwood, a morsel of food perhaps, and maybe she scratched her eyes making them suseptible to infection?

 

[Mcostas]

Here is a pic I just took of my poor little zombie fish. Acts perfectly normal though.

 

[Colin_T]

Cloudy eyes are usually caused by poor water quality or an injury to the eye. Big daily water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate usually help.

Salt can also help if it's infected. Add 1-2 heaped tablespoons of rock salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons). Keep salt in the tank for 2 weeks.

 

[Mcostas]

Cloudy eyes are usually caused by poor water quality or an injury to the eye. Big daily water changes and gravel cleaning the substrate usually help.

Salt can also help if it's infected. Add 1-2 heaped tablespoons of rock salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons). Keep salt in the tank for 2 weeks.

My water is pristine. Zero ammonia, zero nitrates and nitrites. I think my plants and substrate keep the nitrates from accumulating. pH is from 7.4-7.8 I have a hard time reading the API tubes.

I have a notebook where I record all my maintenance and stuff. This particular Betta had what I interpreted as columnaris on the month. I treated with salt first then kanaplex which did the trick. I was changing water and gravel vac two days at most.
Anyway, I noticed the eyes yesterday. I also notice she likes to squeeze into tight spots, that's why I thought I might have started out as an injury.
Her behavior is active like normal. Eats like a tiny little water piggie. They were getting live food but the weather is too cool for the usual. I finally found some ant larvae, it was fun and challenging separating the little biting ants from the juice babies but my fish are worth it!
I was thinking I could remove the two rocks in there but it's the driftwood sheesh always finding holes to squeeze in. I have java ferns on the rocks. I hope she doesn't go blind

 

[Colin_T]

I finally found some ant larvae, it was fun and challenging separating the little biting ants from the juice babies but my fish are worth it!

Put them in a bag and pop it in the freezer for an hour. It will kill the ants and they won't bite you.

You can also use aphids from roses, if you have roses. Just hold a plastic bucket under the rose flower and gently tap it. The aphids fall into the bucket and you can freeze them for use later on.

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I was thinking I could remove the two rocks in there but it's the driftwood sheesh always finding holes to squeeze in. I have java ferns on the rocks. I hope she doesn't go blind

If it isn't badly damaged and doesn't get infected, it shouldn't go blind.

See if you can drill a hole through the wood so she can hide in that. Make the hole big enough for her to get in and out easily.

Floating plants like Water Sprite are good for bettas because they have lots of branches the betta can rest on at night, and still be near the surface.

 

[Mcostas]

I have a Betta hammock, she never uses it that I can see. She's active and a little chubby to be honest. If it weren't for her zombie eyes I wouldn't know anything was wrong.

 

[itiwhetu]

These fish like an acid tank and your tank is Alkaline, you need to get your pH below 7

 

[Mcostas]

These fish like an acid tank and your tank is Alkaline, you need to get your pH below 7

Anytime I tried to do that I wound up with wild fluctuations. I might try peat in the filter. Other bettas eyes are fine.

 

[itiwhetu]

Anytime I tried to do that I wound up with wild fluctuations. I might try peat in the filter. Other bettas eyes are fine.

Smaller water changes, and some peat will bring your pH back. Live plants, lots of live plants.

 

[Mcostas]

Smaller water changes, and some peat will bring your pH back. Live plants, lots of live plants.

I have quite a few, my nitrates are always zero. I plant dragon stone with java ferns, they are small but growing. Also 2 Amazon swords, Anubis, more java ferns, hornwort, and that other stem plant who's name escapes me at the moment.

I have a tub of stem plants I prune. I can give them light and ferts without having to worry about fish. I constantly renew my hornwort.

 

[Mcostas]

Welp, little Patty's eyes are improving. I switched to a different food, not sure if that had an effect or just a coincidence. She never stopped being a super active chowhound.

She's my most personable fish, I'm glad she's healing. I'm thinking maybe it was an injury, she does like to squirm under the driftwood.