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None of my fish have it thankfully ^^;

But I'm frequently seeing this in a lot of LFS bettas and I was hoping to rescue one should I be able to.

My concern is how would I treat an ill betta like that and how good are it's chances of survival?

Pop eye is usually a peripheral bacterial/fungal infection that is treated with reasonable ease, unless its a swelling caused but the long term consequences of high nitrates , namely renal damage and osmotic failure, in which case the prognosis is rather bad. If bacterial popeye is not treated for a long time its not unusual for the eye to be lost and should bacteria enter the bloodstream from the eye as is sometimes the case the prognosis can again be very bad unless treated with a powerful systemic antibiotic.

Basically, the earlier on the causes of pop-eye are confronted the better the chance of success. Its usually eminently treatable, first stages only requiring cleaner water, and the appropriate antifungal or bacterial treatments like pimafix and melafix, but infections caught later require antibiotics proper, and then its an altogether more dicy game with a fish as small as a betta.

What can I say, except try to save the less badly affected fish if you can. Some strains of bacteria that cause popeye are also killers in their own right, and the pop-eye only a sign of a local area infection that they can cause and not the complete range of effect they have, and you wouldnt want any of them to get into community. That said, most cases of popeye should be curable and survivable with competant treatment and aid, and of course a close governance of water quality. I think a target survival rate of around 90% is not unnatainable.

Checky the disease profiles for more info,http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/d100022.htm and remember that you cant save every fish you see. LFS's that stock untreated fish deserve a visit from the local animal welfare agency, and its better to inform on them than take the responsibility on for yourself, but as I have done before you may wish to save an exceptional specimen or two that you have spotted, and then it can become entirely worth it, on the proviso of course, that you know what youre doing.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Personally I would not even consider it. Not only that I also would consider not even buying any fish from them either. If they can not keep those little jars clean what must the rest of the shop be like.
You might find other than eye problems you could easly have a fish with many bacteria caused problems. Also they could easly be buying a cheaper fish that no other LFS wants.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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