Bubble over one eye? what is it? Plus brand new baby rubbernose pleco.

[misajamisa]

Two of my Cichlids have gotten a bubble blister type over one eye. It happened at different times. I am lost at what is wrong with my fish, plus worried about their well being. The first fish that had this bubble/blister over its eye appears to have lost sight. He swims in circles now.


One more thing- I just got a Rubbernose pleco. About 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. He is very skinny on his underside. I have tried to feed him some algee discs. What do I do now?

[Marv_Levy]

if hes not eating the algee discs you try dropping a couple shrimp pellets in my pleco allways cleans up them after they break down in the water a tad. I think he likes them more tahn sucking algee of the tank. I also here that plecos love to suck on those vacation food discs you drop in tanks when you go away.

as for the chiclid sorry i cant help you but im sure someone will

[wataugachicken]

could you tell us more about your tank? exactly what kind of cichlids are affected with the "bubble" and what other fish you have in there?

how long have you had the tank set up with fish in it?
are these cichlids new?
what size is the tank?
do you test your water? ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/temp?

do you do water changes on the tank? how much and how often?

answering these can give us a better idea of what is going on in your tank and help to pinpoint the cause.

for the rubberlip - try boiling some zucchini (like 1/4 of a whole one) with a crushed clove of garlic. put the garlic in the water of the pot, then bring to a boil. put the zucchini in there for 30-60 seconds, then weight it down with something (shoving a spoon through it is good for now) and place it into the tank before you turn the lights off for the night. fresh veggies are good food for your pleco, and the garlic scent will attract him to it. it acts as an appetite stimulant.