HELP!! FISH EYE PROBLEMS!

[tjwronski]

I recently received some fish, they are as follows:

Black ID Shark, Comet goldfish, large pleco, and a tetra.

The Black ID Shark and the comet goldfish seem to have eye problems. One of the eyes on the black ID shark is very swollen and seems to be very white. The black part of its eye is only faintly visible, and appears to be underneath this layer of white.

The Comet goldfish also has substantial swelling in one of its eyes, though it is not white like that of the ID sharks. It looks almost like a transparent bubble. The comet goldfish also seems to be losing scales, and has a small red spot near its tail fin.

All of the other fish seem to be healthy.

The previous owner also noticed these problems, and I have no idea what is wrong with them, and how to help them.

 

[lucy42083]

What size tank? What are the water parameters? The goldfish is a coldwater fish and the ID shark is a tropical fish so they are really not compatible. And the ID will grow to over 3 feet and the comet to 18" so unless it is a huge tank I'd guess there are water quality issues going on as well as the tank being too small for them.

 

[Blueiz]

It sounds as tho it may some type of injury or bacterial infection going on. Can you post pictures of the affected fish?

Agree with the previous poster, unless you have a huge tank, you will need to rehome the id shark and the possibly the pleco depending on what kind it is. THe comet needs to go as its coldwater and will grow very large. Overall that is an extremely bad mix of fish. Tetras prefer schools rather than being alone.. I suggest you maybe take them to a local LFS and exchange them if possible for a more compatible tank.

 

[DrNo]

What is the history of the ID Shark? This species is VERY susceptible to cataracts. If this is a long term condition (its been like this for many years) it may be cataracts. There is little that can be done for this condition, but the fish may still live an otherwise healthy and happy life.... in a much larger tank! If the condition is more acute, consider 'eye pop' caused by poor water parameters and/or bacterial infection. Any pics?

 

[tjwronski]

I don't know the history of the ID shark or any of the fish for that matter. I've only had them for a little over 24 hours. and am quite aware that they will grow to be very big. With that said, I do not plan on keeping all of the fish. My tank is about a 40 gallon, not that it's even relevent since they won't be staying in it. My only concern right now is nursing these fish back to health. If anyone has any suggestion on how to do this then please reply.

 

[lucy42083]

Well, pics would be necessary to positively identify what is going on. But it sounds like popeye, which is typically caused by poor water conditions. That is why I asked for your water parameters before - if they are off, then the easy fix is lots of water changes to get the water quality where it should be. But in order to help you out I think we'd need the water parameters, and a picture as well to figure out what's going on....

 

[wataugachicken]

i think the best thing to do right now is simply keep the water very very clean and observe for a few days. that will allow you to see if these problems were caused simply by bad water conditions from the previous owner, or if they are issues beyond just the water quality (fungus/bacteria). give it like 3-4 days and just see how they are doing. if more symptoms show up, then we'll have more to work with.