OK, one of my female neons has this bulging sorta thing behind one eye (no other neons or the cory's have it) and I was wondering if I should medicate just in case, or wait it out.

My pH has crashed once again (6.0 when usually 6.7-6.8---I have driftwood that is still leaching tanin), so I am raising it once again (I use MArine Enterprises, Inc Positive pH buffer).
Am= 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate =10

I do about 30-40% water change weekly, in my 10 gallon tank. I have 5 neons and 3 albino cory's in the tank. I use cycle with each water change, and AmQuel; they eat TetraMin flakes and occasionally brine shrimp (have fed live, but usually dried) and frozen blood worms and spirilina (sp?) flakes.

I have Jungle Anti-bacterial medicated fish food for internal and external bacterial infections, melafix and maracyn am maracyn-2 that I can give. I was thining of putting them on the medicated food to make sure, but thought I would double check first.

The fish is eating and pooping well (I noticed its poop and that is what caught my eye with this fish). It's hard to tel what it might be on its eye (popeye or fungus?) because it is so small and fast. It looks kinda pink, and sticks out, so I am kinda thinking maybe popeye, but not sure as I have never seen it or a picture of it with neons, only GF. At first I thought it ight have poop caugh onits eye, but it does look like the eye is sticking out. I can't get a good picture with my camera, as the fish is so small, and my camera is manual (I have to move closer) to get a close up, and I can't get close enough.

I have a sapre tank, but it isn't cycled, so I will set it up, and run my spare filter in it to start it going. I do have 2 filter mediums in my current tank, taking one out and putting it in the newly set up tank will help cycle it quicker right? I have a huge bottle of cycle and I have kept my tank cycled without fish for several months, so I know I can do it. The filter from the current filter doesn't fit in the spare filter (I have a Whisper filter as my spare and a Bio-wheel 200 I believe in my main tank).

Any suggestions??? I had sick GF but never neons. All the other fish seem healthy and fine. Thanks ahead of time!

i am no expert so maybe do a big water change and see how she is in the morning

If I were you I'd try to get some used filter media in your hospital tank to cycle it, and then put the neon in there to medicate. In the meantime, keep checking on him. Maybe it's just an injury that will heal. Better to be cautious when it comes to medicating an entire tank.

Chrissy

Thanks for the advice. I did a big water change a few days ago, but will do one again. I have put the filter media from the other filter into the tank (clipped onto the side) so it can get cycled in case, and I will set up the other tank (once I cleanit out) and run the filter in it with the spare, too big of a filter, so the tank can cycle. Once it cycles, then I can at least put the proper filter in that tank, as well as the one that doesn't fit.

She is still swimming and eating, so that is a good sign. It looks whitish now and a little fuzzy, but I think it is a bit smaller. It is right behind her eye. Do you think I should use Melafix in case it is an injury to help it heal?

One question. Will it be too stressful for the neon to be all by itself since it is a schooling fish used to be around 7 other fish? Is it best to put some decoration fo it to hide in the tank too, or leave it totally bare while medicating? The QT is 10 gallon as well.

Thanks again for your advice and help!

I don't think it would hurt to use melafix. If you could put in a decoration or plant in your hospital tank that should help. I have a large silk plant in my hospital tank and it seems to do the trick. Good Luck!

Chrissy

Thanks! I just set up the tank this morning, so I will check on it later to see if it cycled (I put the extra filter medium in the tank, just not in the filter, so hopefully it will cycle fine, quickly). I was planning onputting melafix inthe water, and when the QT is ready, so feed the medicated food to make sure, depending on how the fish looks. I just don't want to do it in the main tank since all the fish will eat it then.

Well I am now thinking it is a injured eye not popeye. That eye looks "weird" compared to the other one and the other fish. It looks a little shrivelled, for a lack of better way to describe it, and has a line going down from the centre to the outside. I have put melafix in the water and have the QT ready to go (I am so glad I had that extra filter medium ready to go). Fingers crosed that this will work, and I don't have to do anything more drastic.

Good luck! At least your a good fish mom, there are many people who wouldn't notice a problem on a little neon

Chrissy

just checking in your little neon. how is she? is the tank cycled yet? i learnt a tip that may work if the tank is not cycled yet you get the filter media and you need a sponge. what you do is rub a sponge on the filter media off a cycled tank then you can rub the sponge on some filter media that is not cycled and the good bacteria is tranfered. pretty cool it does work i did it on my tank and some one submitted this for tip of the month so if you go to tip off the month you will find the complete info there


hope this helps

Thanks for the tip! The tank cycled as soon as I put it up as I have 2 filter mediums in the filter, when I only need one, so the other was clipped to the side, and then fell to the bottom, oops, and it worked to have it cycled right away.

The fish seems to be doing better. She seems to be getting better...less bulging and whitish stuff. I am just using melafix, so I never ended up using the QT, but at least I know it will work when I need it, and if not, I can use your tip.

that is good to hear she is getting better