I recently bought a new Shubunkin for my goldfish tank. He seemed happy and healthy right from the get-go. But today I noticed something unusual... his eyes are protruding from his head! Take a look at these pictures.

This is what my Shununkin looked like the day I got him.


This is what he looks like now.


Notice the difference in the eyes. Is my fish diseased? Or is he turning into on of those goofy looking goldfish that I don't really like? Please let me know what you all think.

The poor fish has fluid build up in the eye. It is NOT normal nor is the fish turning into another kind of goldfish. It is probably a form of what they call popeye. Here is an article on it: http://koivet.com/html/articles/articles_r...=eye%20problems
Here is a link of people talking about it:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/popeyefaqs.htm
There are 150,000 results for "popeye in fish" via Yahoo so I'm sure you'll find more information.

Popeye is almost always due to poor water quality and/or a bacterial infection. Keep the water very clean (add some aquarium salt) and treat with antibiotics. If it worsens, the fish will develop dropsy as well. If it gets better, the fluid behind the eyes will go away, and the eyes will go back to normal.

I have seperated the fish from the others. Is Popeye contagious? My other fish seem to be as healthy as before. My setup is fairly new and clean. I think the infection may have come from the store, but I will check my water conditions to be safe.

The Shubunkin is currently living in a 2.5 gallon tank. Aside from the swollen eyes, the "torso" of the fish, directly behind the head, has enlarged as well. It doesn't look like a dramatic growth, and I don't think it has worsen since yesterday. I added some aquarium salt, and will read further about Popeye.

Thank you.

It's my thinking that the bacteria that cause things like popeye and dropsy are usually present in most tanks. It's only when a stress arrives (new fish, bad water quality, another infection, etc.) that those bacteria are able to harm the fish. It is technically contagious but your other fish have already been exposed and are probably already carrying the same bacteria which is not (at least at this time) affecting them (that you can see). Since the fish is pretty bad, quarantining is a good idea so you can medicate easier (smaller volume, not affect the other animals) and so that the other fish don't pester the poor sick shubunkin.

Here's an update on my Shubunkin...

First, I found out that I have a book about fish disease. I completely forgot that I had bought it a while back. According to this book, my fish probably has Abdominal Dropsy.

His body is still bloated, but the swelling in his eyes has reduced - perhaps thatks to the salt. Today I added some MelaFix, which you probably know is an antibacterial medicine. Hopefully this will help clear up any infection. The little guy is still eating and swimming. Also, it seems his vision has not been harmed; he is still responding to hand movements from outside the tank. Now that I have added medicine, we will just have to wait and see how things turn out.

I'm glad he's doing better. Often popeye and dropsy occur at the same time. You may need to try some stronger antibiotics if he doesn't continue to improve. I hope he has a full recovery!

Well this just keeps getting better...

Since I removed the Shubunkin from my goldfish tank, my Comets have been rather inactive. The have been eating, but otherwise they linger on the bottom with there fins closed. So I have been keeping a close eye on them, and last night I saw those dreadful little white spots: Ick. And it seems they are all infected. The tank is a 55 gallon with a Pleco and two catfish. The smallest Comet is about 1.75 inches, and the largest is about 5.5 inches.

What is the best way to treat Ick?
I looked on the FishPondInfo health page, and read that I should use Aquari-Sol, Aquarium Salt, and increased temperatures. I don't have any Aquari-Sol, and neither does Petsmart. What I do have is Rid-Ich, bye Kordon, and Clout, by Aquarium Products. They both say they treat Ick, and Clout is in tablet form. Is one better than the other? Should I remove or reduce dosage to protect the catfish and Pleco? What else would you suggest?

Sorry they have ick too. Yes, treat with salt and raise the temperature. You can also use one of the medications you mentioned. Not having used those myself, I would choose the Rid-Ich. Clout is pretty strong and kills all sorts of things. I think a medication specific to ich would be less stressful. I don't know the chemicals in those so I can't say for sure. What kind of catfish do you have besides the pleco? They were exposed so should also be treated. Try using half the suggested dose for a few days. If the catfish show no added stress (gasping, jumping, spazing about, etc.), then try the full dose for the recommended time. Keep an eye out for any of the fish having additional problems from the medications beyond the disease problems. I hope they recover!

I treated my Comets yesterday afternoon. I added about half the suggested dose of salt, and I raised the water temperature to 80ºF. I decided to use the Clout. I really did not know which to use, and I decieded Clout because I had heard of Aquarium Products before. Kordon is a new brand to me. I used little over half the recommended dosage of Clout. Since the treatment the goldfish seemed to have perked up a little. Now that its late and the lights are off, they are just sitting on the bottom. Their fins have opened up a bit more too.

Also, a quick update on the Shubunkin...
Still in his quarintine tank, and he's hanging in there. Still bloated, but the eyes look quite a bit better. I have been continuing the medication as directed. I understand Dropsy is hard to treat, but I'm not going to give it up.