Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Popeye the LMB?

I caught a 3.5 lb LMB in my pond this morning that had both eyes bulging out of its head. It was pretty freaky looking. Does anyone have an idea what would cause this? I have a 2.5 acre pond, 8' max depth in SE Nebraska with amazingly crystal clear water. I installed a OWS windmill aerator with two diffusers about a month ago and the wind has been really howling since. Would oversaturation with oxygen cause something like this? Should I be concerned? Thanks

Popeye or exophthalmos is not a disease but a symptom of either gas bubble trauma or some type of bacterial or viral pathogen. The fish may recover. Are you seeing any other fish with the same symptoms?

It's possible you could have an oversaturation of gas but I doubt it, although I had it happen once to me in early spring with largemouths, and never repeated itself. At the time I had a lot of algae and a sudden snow melt. Could have been PH shock too but I didn't have a meter than.


I question why you have your diffuser running already. I don't crank mine up until just before the pond stratifies in late May or early June.

I haven't noticed any other fish with these symptoms but will be sure to start watching for it a little more closely.
I had been anxiously planning on installing a windmill aerator for quite a few years (too far from electricity) and finally got around to ordering and installing it and I think the anticipation of finally getting it up and running was more than I could stand.
I am new to the aeration game. Am I doing any damage by running it this early or should I let her run? So far, I am surprised at how much air the mill pumps. Much better than I had expected. Seems like the wind always blows in Nebraska. Thanks

It just may be an isolated fish that is stressed for whatever reason. If it's an isolated case I wouldn't worry about it. Could also be the bass was stressed due to a long winter and a slow warm up this spring.




Probably no damage except perhaps your water won't warm up as fast in the top few feet, which is what your bass are waiting on. Maybe also wear and tear that is not necessary? At least you don't have to be concerned about wasting electricity.

Note: After seeing the picture that fish has a terrible relative weight. A half starved fish like that is prone to disease problems.

Not sure why the picture made it look that way. It actually was fairly healthy looking except for the eyes. I have a pretty strong population of bluegill.