arrowana whitespots on eye problem

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midcuk

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Feb 10, 2003
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hi
my juvinile arrowana (6 inch) has small white spots on his eyes (they are very faint you can only see them at certain angles (ie if swinmming away from you)) i am a bit worried about him has anyone got any ideas what they are and how to cure them >

he has no other problems and is healthy and it doesnt seme to effect his vision

water conditions are ideal

he is fed on shrimp,prawn, bloodworm (frozen fresh and freeze dried), krill, chilid pellets , flake, catfish sinkers infact anything that is put in the tank, he gets a small amount of the above twice a day (never over feeds)

anyone know what i can do to help him, i know arro's are prone to eye disease and not good with medicines

help

chris
 

dwf73

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Oct 29, 2003
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Are the spots on the eyes themselves or are they in the surrounding area? It is rare that you would get Ich in that location, so that is probably not an issue. You seem to indicate that the spots are difficult to see- could you describe them a bit more? Do they cover the whole eye or are they few in number?

In the meantime, I wouldnt add any salt yet but you should be in the 87-92 degree range. Too early to think about medicine; Could you post the water specs (even though they are ideal) and tell us what kind of arowana it is? Hopefully we can figure this out quick.
 

midcuk

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sorry should of been more specific
its a silver (common) arro
temp is 31c (about 88f i think)
the spots are very few and very small (one is a little bigger though) they are on the outside film of the eye (if that makes sense cornea perhaps) if they were anywhere else i would of said some form of parasite but just on the eye is strange

if you look at him from a side angle you can not see any at all but if he is swimming away and you look as if his tail is closest to you and head away you can see them protruding slightly , they are more visible when the actinic blue moonlight is on

got me really worried and stumped as i aint got a clue what it is

doesnt seem to affect him in any other way though

doing 10% water changes everyday at the moment as well to see if it helps

levels are nitrate/rite neutral (or close enough)
erm water slightly on the acidic side of neutral
i will perform the tests again tonight and check im useless remembering figures
oh and the tank is heavily planted if that is any help
 

dwf73

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Oct 29, 2003
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I admit it does sound a bit strange- It could be the beginning of a fungal infection, or it could turn out to be nothing. Ususally, if you need to look so hard to find a problem, it is not too serious, but of course this is not always true. I think you should increase the volume of water changes to 30% for now. The salt is up to you, I am not sure how it is going to interact with the species of plant that you have. If you do the salt, a low concentration of about 1-2% should be alright. I am scratching my head on this one, is it possible to get a picture up or no? Also, any other fish in the tank that could be carrying parasites? If he doesnt look botheredin any other way, I would not worry too much. Arowanas ususally are very good behavioral indicators, i.e. they will act differently when they are unwell. Unless it progresses, I dnt see any need for medication. How long have you noticed it for? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get a better feel for the problem...
 

dwf73

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one more thing- Are the spots on one eye or both? It does not sound like eye clouding disease, but we should make sure. Be sure to remove any uneaten food by the way, and get the PH as stable as possible. Is the fish newly purchased or did this develop under your care?
 

midcuk

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hi no problem with all the questions m8 its his welfare im bothered about , its on both eyes and i think it may be some form of infection now as it appears that his gills (very light ones that look like fins are sticking out from under the gill covers (or is this normal and am i worrying) i have had him for 2 months now, he is still acting as normal and still feediing (although i have cut food right back just incase), added the salt last night (dont care if it harms the plants as he is the most important
bit of a mystery really, i will try and take a digi photo but he is still quite small
thanks for the advice so far

chris
 

dwf73

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Oct 29, 2003
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COntinue with the water changes, frequently. There can be white cartilage under the gills, but im not sure I understand how they look like fins. Are the gills okay otherwise? Arowanas are prone to gill curling disease, but it doesnt sound like that since you say it is breathing alright. Maybe you should throw in another airstone just to increase the oxygen level.
 

midcuk

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did a 50% water change friday, 20% sat and 10% sun and this morning , added extra salt, increased tank temperature and removed carbon from the filters the eye spots have gone and he appears to be "on the mend" hopefull yhe will b ok very strange what it is/was never seen it myself, thanks for the advice though mate, his gills still look the same i was paniking it was gill curl at first but it def aint that .

fingers crossed i will wait and see what happens

thanks

chris
 
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