The eyes of the Flowerhorn serve as the cichlid’s windows to navigate within and around the aquarium. While various Flowerhorn varieties may exhibit different eye colors and patterns, they all share common chances of diseases. One common disease among them is pop eye in Flowerhorns
If you neglect the treatment and care of your flowerhorn cichlid’s poppy eyes, there is a significant risk of permanently losing its eyes, and in some cases, this can lead to death.
Rest assured, we are here to ensure you do not give up on your beloved fish. This blog post is designed to assist you in treating pop-eye disease in your flowerhorn and offers an essential guide for preventing, curing, and caring for your flowerhorn cichlid with pop eyes
Let’s cure and Learn
What is pop eye disease in flowerhorn?
The disease “Pop Eye” refers to the popped or projection of the eyes in Flowerhorn fish. If you’ve ever observed the telescope goldfish variety, it becomes easier to understand pop eyes. The eye region of the Flowerhorn, either on one side or both, may become swollen and extend outward from the eye sockets.
As this disease infiltrates the Flowerhorn’s body, the fish experiences heightened stress, leading to a not eating behavior due to diminished eyesight and increased eye pain. Please refer to the image below for visual understanding.
Difference between Popeyes and cloudy eyes in flowerhorn fish
Cloudy eyes and pop eyes often create confusion among many Flowerhorn fish hobbyists. To assist beginners in quickly and effectively distinguishing between these conditions, we have included a differentiation table for clarity.
| Pop eyes | Cloudy Eyes |
| The eyes popped and projected out from the eye socket | The slight or bright white fog-like texture on the fish eyeball |
| Visually easy to identify | Slight hard to identify at the beginning |
| Symptoms: Stress, not eating, staying in the bottom | Symptoms: Stress, staying in the bottom, scratching eyes with tank corners or accessories |
What are the symptoms of pop eyes in flowerhorn cichlids?
The primary symptoms of pop eyes in Flowerhorn fish revolve around its eyes. Unlike other conditions such as kidney failure and white poop, pop eyes are easily distinguishable in Flowerhorns.
However, additional symptoms may include stress, the development of black spots, not eating, staying at the bottom of the tank, reduced movements, and more.
We recommend not searching for additional symptoms. Once you’ve identified the pop eyes in your Flowerhorn, initiate treatment properly to cure and safeguard your fish from potential blindness or, in some cases, even death.
How to cure flowerhorn pop eye disease?
Healing your flowerhorn cichlid from pop eye disease will typically take about 5 to 6 days, depending on the fish’s condition. We’ve organized the treatment into three categories to help readers understand and follow the steps easily. Please follow the instructions below
1. Tank setup
Separate the flowerhorn from its tank mates, if any, and set up a new hospital tank for treatment.
Ensure the tank has essential facilities like a good air pump, an efficient filtration system, and a proper heater.
Avoid adding substrates or gravel to the hospital tank, as these may harm the fish’s protruding eyes.
Use aged water suitable for aquatic purposes (with proper pH and TDS levels).
Also, provide enough space in the tank for the flowerhorn to move around comfortably.
2. Treatment and medicine
Now, let’s move on to the treatment stage.
There are various anti-bacterial medicines designed for aquarium use. Purchase a reliable one and prepare it for use.
Measure the appropriate dosage of the bacterial medicine, considering the tank size and volume.
Perform a regular water change of 30% daily for up to 5 days.
Ensure that all tank accessories, including the filter, heater, and air pump, are functioning properly.
Keep a close eye on the size of the protruding eyes, and documenting changes with photos can be helpful.
Provide a smaller quantity of food, and if you’re using pellets, remove any uneaten sinking pellets after some time.
Repeat this process for 5 to 6 days
3. Post-treatment
If the flowerhorn’s eyes begin to return to their normal size after the 6-day treatment, you can transfer the flowerhorn back to its original tank.
We recommend adding a reduced amount of the same bacterial medicine used for the pop-eye treatment for a few more days to ensure the eyes are not affected again.
Resume regular feeding at this point, but always ensure any uneaten pellets are removed from the tank, or confirm that the flowerhorn has consumed all the pellets since they may spit out food after some time.
Avoid overfeeding and monitor the filtration system. Using ceramic balls and carbon filtration layers can help foster beneficial bacteria growth in the tank.
This concludes the post-treatment procedure for flowerhorn pop-eye disease
Disclaimer: If you lack confidence in saving your fish or have doubts about completing the treatment for your flowerhorn, we strongly recommend seeking assistance from a nearby vet to ensure the well-being of your flowerhorn.
What are the reasons for pop eye disease in flowerhorn?
The main causes of pop eye disease in flowerhorn fish occur because of harmful bacteria in the tank. Pop eye disease is essentially a bacterial infection affecting the eyes of flowerhorn fish.
This problem is caused by factors such as a poor filtration system, low water quality, and water temperature.
How to prevent pop eye disease?
If you have a flowerhorn in your aquarium, it’s essential to know how to prevent your beloved fish from experiencing serious diseases. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.”
Follow the instructions below to protect your flowerhorn from pop eye diseases.
Proper Water Quality: Maintaining high water quality is crucial for protecting your flowerhorn from bacterial or viral infections. Keep a close watch on water parameters like pH and TDS.
Achieve this by regularly changing the water and adapting to suitable water conditions.
If you lack this maintaining proper water parameters, it will generate more diseases, such as white poop and white spot problems.
Suitable Water Temperature: Flowerhorns thrive and stay healthy in aquarium tanks with a temperature range of 28 to 30 degrees Celsius. It’s advisable to use a reliable water heater and keep it consistently on, as harmful bacteria tend to grow in colder conditions, posing a potential risk of eye-related diseases.
Good Filtration System: Having a proper filtration system significantly reduces the risk of eye-related diseases for your flowerhorn (Oppenheimer Template).
Jokes aside, because flowerhorns are hearty eaters and prolific waste producers, their excretory waste can accumulate in the tank, increasing the likelihood of bacterial growth. Therefore, it’s crucial to install a good filtration setup to ensure the long-term well-being of your flowerhorn.
Wrapping up:
Well, that wraps up the post. We trust we’ve provided useful info for our daily users to ensure a joyful journey in keeping flowerhorns. This article on treating pop eyes in flowerhorns aims to help numerous flowerhorn enthusiasts.
Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in the comments. Thanks, and catch you all on another day!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the symptoms of pop eyes in flowerhorn cichlids?
Recognizing pop eyes in your flowerhorn:
1. Swollen and protruding eyes.
2. Visible stress and reduced activity.
3. Possible black spots and not eating.
4. Staying at the tank bottom.
2. How to cure flowerhorn pop eye disease?
To cure pop eye disease in your flowerhorn:
1. Set up a separate hospital tank
2. Use anti-bacterial medicine for aquariums.
3. Perform daily 30% water changes for 5 days.
4. Monitor tank accessories and feed sparingly.
3. How to prevent pop eye disease in flowerhorns?
To prevent pop eye disease:
1. Maintain good water quality
2. Keep a suitable water temperature (28-30°C).
3. Install a good filtration system.
4. Regularly monitor and adapt to proper water conditions.