Blind Trigger Fish. Treatment's ?

[427HISS]

We've had our 6" Blue Check Trigger for only a month now from a local fish store, but in the last few days, he's going blind !

I first noticed that he seamed to really have to look for food about 4 days ago. His eyes look a little foggy, but not real bad. I've seen worse.

Any ideas on why ?

Think it's a hereditary ?

He does eat some foods from my hands.

There are two other small fish with him in the quarantine tank, and those two are just fine.

Is there any treatment to save him ?

 

[Humblefish]

Both eyes, correct? Foggy eyes usually means one of two things: flukes have reached the eyes or a bacterial infection is setting in.

Below is a pic of what flukes look like in a fish's eye:

 

[4FordFamily]

Both eyes, correct? Foggy eyes usually means one of two things: flukes have reached the eyes or a bacterial infection is setting in.

Below is a pic of what flukes look like in a fish's eye:

This

 

[427HISS]

I believe it's both eyes. I'll see if my wife can look closer and determine if they look like the pic you posted.

If so, how do we treat him and/or the tank ?
Thanks....

 

[Cleo642]

Both eyes, correct? Foggy eyes usually means one of two things: flukes have reached the eyes or a bacterial infection is setting in.

Below is a pic of what flukes look like in a fish's eye:

Do saltwater fish get fungus?

 

[Humblefish]

If flukes have reached his eyes, prognosis is usually pretty bleak. You would first need to give him a FW dip for immediate relief:

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[Humblefish]

Follow that up with Prazipro treatment (or API General Cure):

Prazipro (praziquantel): Treats flukes, black ich, and some internal parasites (worms).

How To Treat - In either a quarantine or display tank, dose Prazipro at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 20 gallons of water. DO NOT OVERDOSE (especially with wrasses), try not to mix with other medications (for various reasons), and provide additional gas exchange while treating with Prazi. Wait 5-7 days, do a 20-25% water change and then repeat dosage. The reason for the second dose is to eradicate the “next generation” of worms before they can lay eggs of their own. Because while Prazi does kill worms, it doesn’t eliminate any eggs they might leave behind.

Prazipro is generally considered reef safe, although it may kill any tube worms/feathers dusters you have. It may also eradicate bristle worms. If you have mass quantities of these, the resulting die-off can lead to an ammonia spike. After treatment is done, activated carbon may be used to remove any residuals (if you need to use a different medication next). If using a protein skimmer post-treatment, be advised that it will “over skim” for at least a couple of weeks.

Pros - Reef safe, effective dewormer that is relatively gentle on most fish.

Cons/Side Effects - Mild appetite suppression, moderate oxygen depletion, wrasses are sensitive to overdosing.

 

[Humblefish]

If you determine it is NOT flukes, but rather a bacterial infection then this is what you do:

Antibiotics: Treats bacterial infections, which are oftentimes “secondary” to preexisting parasitic infestations.

How To Treat - Follow the directions on the label of whatever product you are using. Always use a broad spectrum antibiotic medication i.e. one that treats both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial diseases (very important). Examples of this include Furan-2, Kanamycin aka Seachem Kanaplex,Nitrofuracin Green Powder, Triple Sulfa Powder or a combination of using both Erythromycin & Minocycline. The latter can be accomplished (albeit expensively) by using freshwater Maracyn 1 & 2 and then doubling the dosage for saltwater use. When battling a particularly nasty bacterial infection, combiningFuran-2, Kanaplex and metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex) can be very effective (and safe). Props to “hedgedrew” for enlightening me of this.

Normally you have to do 4 doses to complete a full course of treatment. The instructions may say to dose every 24 hours, and perform water changes at certain intervals. In my experience, you often have to do 2 full courses of treatment (or 8 doses total) before a fish will show signs of improvement (antibiotics are notoriously slow acting with fish). If a fish shows no signs of improvement after the second full course, then it’s time to try a completely different medication. Just like with humans, sometimes a certain fish will respond better to a different antibiotic. You can run activated carbon at any time when you wish to end treatment.

Pros - One of the few medications that can safely be mixed with others. You can use antibiotics in conjunction with just about everything.

Cons/Side Effects - Appetite suppression, depletes the water of oxygen (so provide additional gas exchange).

 

[Humblefish]

Do saltwater fish get fungus?

Fungus is very rare in saltwater fish. What looks like fungus is usually either a bacterial disease or Lymphocystis.

 

[427HISS]

Wow....not good if it is flukes. I assume it's "Gyrodactyl" ?

How do I find out it's these worms for sure ?

Are the other two fish in danger ?

http://www.fishvet.com/Flukes.htm

 

[Humblefish]

Wow....not good if it is flukes. I assume it's "Gyrodactyl" ?

How do I find out it's these worms for sure ?

Are the other two fish in danger ?

http://www.fishvet.com/Flukes.htm

The FW dip (above) will confirm flukes, if they are present. At around the 3-4 minute mark, you should tiny white worms come pouring out (especially out of the gills) if the fish has flukes.

 

[4FordFamily]

The FW dip (above) will confirm flukes, if they are present. At around the 3-4 minute mark, you should tiny white worms come pouring out (especially out of the gills) if the fish has flukes.

To add to this, use a dark bucket to help see the flukes. Very hard to do with a white bucket.

 

[427HISS]

Should I set up a hospital tank, rather than treat the quarrantine tank,
or, have the worms already infested the tank, thus treating is advised ?

 

[Humblefish]

Should I set up a hospital tank, rather than treat the quarrantine tank,
or, have the worms already infested the tank, thus treating is advised ?

If it turns out to be flukes, your entire DT is infested. So you will want to treat with Prazipro in there. One of the few "reef safe" meds, save feather dusters/tube worms - which still sometimes survive. Also, if you have a large bristleworm population, the resulting die-off could trigger an ammonia spike.

 

[4FordFamily]

If it turns out to be flukes, your entire DT is infested. So you will want to treat with Prazipro in there. One of the few "reef safe" meds, save feather dusters/tube worms - which still sometimes survive. Also, if you have a large bristleworm population, the resulting die-off could trigger an ammonia spike.

I heard this but I've used it in all of my reef tanks many times and have never lost a feather duster, tube worm, nor bristle worms (only because I still have just as many all over the tank afterwards - some may be lost but not marginally)

This is only my experience though and highly anecdotal.

 

[Humblefish]

I heard this but I've used it in all of my reef tanks many times and have never lost a feather duster, tube worm, nor bristle worms (only because I still have just as many all over the tank afterwards - some may be lost but not marginally)

This is only my experience though and highly anecdotal.

It does seem Prazi's impact on these is minimal. I just always mention it as a possibility to CMA.

 

[4FordFamily]

It does seem Prazi's impact on these is minimal. I just always mention it as a possibility to CMA.

Nobody wants the litigation stick!

 

[427HISS]

I'll call my LFS and see if they have Prazipro.

We only have 2 small Anemone's and live rock. Are the Anemone's safe with the treatment ?

Is the Clown Fish done for or will the medication kill the worms and save his eyes etc...?

Which do I choose ?

Is there any dedicated for saltwater usage ?
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5cqgz2t4wm_b

REVIEW'S-

http://www.amazon.com/Hikari-Usa-AHK73254-Prazipro-Aquarium/product-reviews/B004LOBGYA

--------------------------

My LFS has Cupramine and malachite green.

Are these two any better/same than the Prazipro ?

 

[Humblefish]

Wow, the price of Prazipro has really gone up! How large is your tank? Below are the available sizes and how many gallons they treat.

1 oz. (treats 120 gallons)
4 oz. (treats 480 gallons)
16 oz. (treats 1,920 gallons)

Keep in mind you'll need to treat with Prazipro again, 5-7 days after the initial dosage. It's also a good idea to use it prophylactically on all new fish in QT. So you might just wanna bite the bullet and get the 16 oz, unless you think the 4 oz is all you'll need for right now and also down the road: http://www.amazon.com/Hikari-Aquari...=UTF8&qid=1437847860&sr=8-2&keywords=prazipro

Did you do the FW dip on the trigger to confirm it is actually flukes?

 

[427HISS]

The QT is only 20g long.

I'm just getting the fresh R/O water dip to temp, try and find a dark bucket, (don't know if I have anything dark) then I'll try.