HELP SICK FISH

[starla]

I am so upset this morning I woke up checked my fish and one of my basslets has what looks like popeye in his one eye. Please dont tell me its poor water for I use ro/di water I do my water changes faithfully every week, and i check my numbers like three times a week. None of the other fish have any signs of it and it seems to be affecting just the one eye.

Sop out came the QT tank I set it up using water from the display tank, grabbed so LR from the sub and set it up. It is a small 3 gallon nano has the light and everything, got meds from my LFS Saltwater Maracyn Plus and came home. This was 10 this morning. It is now 8:30 at night and I cant catch him.


All I am doing is stressing out my tank. I cant move all my corals I have zoos that are living on two rocks and a leather coral that is living on two rocks and moving all my corals to catch him is going to be impossible without injuring something.

So can I treat the entire tank? If not how do I catch this fish?

The tank is mainly a reef tank, its 55 gallons,7 months old, I have an anemone, and an open brain coral. Along with my leather and zoos. Couple of clowns and damsels.

Help please, now I am not sure what to do and it makes me sad to see this fish in the tank. He looks like he is suffering so bad with this stupid swollen eye. The eye looks clear no muscos stuff or cloudy look to it but it is BIG.

[jd463]

Hello Starla, after reading your post I began looking for some help for you.I came across a website by typing "saltwater fish diseases"into my browser(IE) and it came up with a site that could help you. Give it a try..and see what happens.

[Amphiprion]

The fact that it is just swollen (not cloudy) and only one eye is usually a good indicator. More than likely, he just managed to "bump" or scrape it somewhere. As opposed to just stressing everything out, I'd just let it be. If it is the above, it should go away with time.

[starla]

This morning update - no other fish is infected and it is only in the one eye on the basslet. He is swimming (sorta he is bumping into stuff) and He is eating, That eye looks so sore and swollen but its clear you can see his eye no cloud over it or membrane, it looks almost like when we as humans get a shiner. So we have decided to leave him be. The QT tank is up and running, if we notice ANY of the other fish coming down with this then we will take aggressive action and move to QT until then we will wait.

I feel stupid I cried last night over a fish. But you know they are in my living room and I watch them all the time and they have become a part of my family, with names and they all have personalities.

So I will wait and let you all know.

[Catpicklesdog]

I agree with Amph. My maroon clown had similar symptoms and she got hers from being in an argument with the "spear" on my yellow tang!. I just left her alone and made sure there was plenty of garlic in the food just to help boost her immune system in case. Within a few days you couldn't see anything.

[BToast]

I have a similar setup, and am going through the same problem. It's been a week since the one eye popped out and my fish has started eating again. The eye looks nearly the same, possibly a bit smaller, but does'nt seem to be much of a bother to him. Qt's are great, but can often stress the fish just enough to make the chances of survival slim. I would keep up with that great water quality and see if your salty pal can fight through it on his own. Good luck!

[starla]

No Change this morning. Still just the one fish and the one eye. Everyone else is fine. He is eating I watched closely last night to make sure and he is acting normal other then this eye. So I keep waiting.

thanks everyone will keep you informed

[starla]

Good News!! This morning the swelling has finally gone down in his eye!! Its not normal yet but its half the size it was a few days ago. He is out and about with the other fish and seems to be doing well. No other fish got this and he only got it in one eye. So i have to assume that he was injured by something.

I am sooooo glad that he is alive and doing better!!

[Catpicklesdog]

It does sound like an injury rather than something sinister. It's amazing what salt water can do! Glad to hear he's on the mend!