Caribbean Blue Bass Popeye

[miller75]

One of my Caribbean Blue Bass has developed quite a bad case of popeye, can anyone tell me the best cause of treatment and what may have caused it

Thanks

 

[vetteguy53081]

One of my Caribbean Blue Bass has developed quite a bad case of popeye, can anyone tell me the best cause of treatment and what may have caused it

Thanks

This may be a result of gas bubble disease especially in presence of many micro bubbles. At times also, with both eyes can If both eyes are affected, it can be Neobenedenia flukes which are visible to the naked eye.
As this may be bacterial, treatment in a quarantine with Maracyn AKA Maracyn 1 may help. Often this will subside on its own but you risk infection to eye

 

[MnFish1]

If it's on one side - its may be trauma. In your case it would help to know how long you've had the fish, when it was collected, etc. It may have been due to pressure differences during collection. If it came on after adjustment to your tank, and you did not QT the fish per protocol - I would consider moving to a hospital tank and treating.

 

[miller75]

This may be a result of gas bubble disease especially in presence of many micro bubbles. At times also, with both eyes can If both eyes are affected, it can be Neobenedenia flukes which are visible to the naked eye.
As this may be bacterial, treatment in a quarantine with Maracyn AKA Maracyn 1 may help. Often this will subside on its own but you risk infection to eye

Gas bubble disease could be a high probability because last week my skimmer started producing loads of micro bubbles until I readjusted it

If it's on one side - its may be trauma. In your case it would help to know how long you've had the fish, when it was collected, etc. It may have been due to pressure differences during collection. If it came on after adjustment to your tank, and you did not QT the fish per protocol - I would consider moving to a hospital tank and treating.

Its been in the tank about 7 months, the only changes have been normal water changes and I have started dosing Tropic Marin A and K, I will get something set up to treat it

 

[MnFish1]

Gas bubble disease could be a high probability because last week my skimmer started producing loads of micro bubbles until I readjusted it


Its been in the tank about 7 months, the only changes have been normal water changes and I have started dosing Tropic Marin A and K, I will get something set up to treat it

PS - There is very little evidence that micro-bubbles cause Popeye - and if so - it's quite low on the list. Instead, poor water conditions are far more likely - which leads to infection and fluid buildup. So my guess is it's not related to your skimmer - here is a nice article describing this: (Check item # 14) - now this is one person's opinion but interesting none-the less. https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.php

 

[miller75]

PS - There is very little evidence that micro-bubbles cause Popeye - and if so - it's quite low on the list. Instead, poor water conditions are far more likely - which leads to infection and fluid buildup. So my guess is it's not related to your skimmer - here is a nice article describing this: (Check item # 14) - now this is one person's opinion but interesting none-the less. https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.php

Parameters are ok and have been stable for quite a while,

I think I still have a nitrite test somewhere and will also do an ammonia just to be on the safe side

 

[MnFish1]

Parameters are ok and have been stable for quite a while,

I think I still have a nitrite test somewhere and will also do an ammonia just to be on the safe side

Thanks - it would be surprising for either of those to be an issue - but it will not hurt to test. Remember there are also water quality issues that we don't measure - dissolved organics, etc etc

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

When you see clear gas bubbles under the sclera of both eyes in a fish, it is often caused by supersaturation. Traumatic injury is also possible, but more often, that involves just one eye....for both eyes to be involved, the injury must be very severe. On the other hand - supersaturation usually involves multiple fish, not just one like this.

Microbubbles do not cause supersaturation, they actually help reduce it. What *does* cause it most often is a air leak on the suction side of a pump - commonly a bad fitting or a sump that is allowed to drop too low and the pump "catches air".

Generally, in severe cases like this, there is no good outcome, sorry.

Here is an article I wrote on fish eye health:

Aquarium Fish: The ‘Eyes’ Have it: A Review of Eye Health in Aquarium Fishes

Aquarists need to inspect their fish closely every day, for signs of impending health problems. It is much easier to resolve a problem when it first starts, than to attempt a drastic emergency treatment when the fish is close to dying.

reefs.com

Jay

 

[MnFish1]

Jay - just curious - with only one fish affected - wouldn't that mitigate towards - a water issue - or something else? Just curious

 

[miller75]

When you see clear gas bubbles under the sclera of both eyes in a fish, it is often caused by supersaturation. Traumatic injury is also possible, but more often, that involves just one eye....for both eyes to be involved, the injury must be very severe. On the other hand - supersaturation usually involves multiple fish, not just one like this.

Microbubbles do not cause supersaturation, they actually help reduce it. What *does* cause it most often is a air leak on the suction side of a pump - commonly a bad fitting or a sump that is allowed to drop too low and the pump "catches air".

Generally, in severe cases like this, there is no good outcome, sorry.

Here is an article I wrote on fish eye health:

Aquarium Fish: The ‘Eyes’ Have it: A Review of Eye Health in Aquarium Fishes

Aquarists need to inspect their fish closely every day, for signs of impending health problems. It is much easier to resolve a problem when it first starts, than to attempt a drastic emergency treatment when the fish is close to dying.

reefs.com

Jay

Thanks for the info, it is not eating and looking quite emaciated so I don't hold out much hope.

I don't have any air leaks on my pumps but every so often my return random flow generators pull air in and I get a quick blast of bubbles in the tank.

 

[miller75]

When you see clear gas bubbles under the sclera of both eyes in a fish, it is often caused by supersaturation. Traumatic injury is also possible, but more often, that involves just one eye....for both eyes to be involved, the injury must be very severe. On the other hand - supersaturation usually involves multiple fish, not just one like this.

Microbubbles do not cause supersaturation, they actually help reduce it. What *does* cause it most often is a air leak on the suction side of a pump - commonly a bad fitting or a sump that is allowed to drop too low and the pump "catches air".

Generally, in severe cases like this, there is no good outcome, sorry.

Here is an article I wrote on fish eye health:

Aquarium Fish: The ‘Eyes’ Have it: A Review of Eye Health in Aquarium Fishes

Aquarists need to inspect their fish closely every day, for signs of impending health problems. It is much easier to resolve a problem when it first starts, than to attempt a drastic emergency treatment when the fish is close to dying.

reefs.com

Jay

All other fish are showing no signs, the only thing I haven't seen in a few days is my cleaner shrimp but its normally does this when its malted

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Jay - just curious - with only one fish affected - wouldn't that mitigate towards - a water issue - or something else? Just curious

IMO - I would lean towards a severe head shaking injury. The squampinnis anthias in my article got severe bilateral exopthalmus from shaking its head, IIRC
Jay

 

[exnisstech]

I had a tang develop popeye like this while in QT . I treated with kanoplex in the water and had a full recovery. This was last December and the fish is healthy and moved to a DT. I posted about it HERE