Cloudy eyes - Tailspot Blenny

[Kyl]

cloudy_eyes by Kyl, on Flickr

So I haven't been keeping a close eye on the tank for the past couple of days while busy with the other family stuff, etc. I had noticed the Tailspot wasn't out voraciously feeding as it usually is the past day or so, and finally tonight got a good look at it hiding in the rocks. Both eyes are showing as cloudy, mostly towards the front. It has been the more aggressive fish in the tank and has gotten into tussles with something at times, but I've never seen any serious damage sustained. Part of his dorsal fin was a bit torn up earlier this year, but it's mostly healed except for a tiny spec near the top that's visible in the picture. All the other specs (aside from his stressed out colour change spots) are from the glass or acrylic acclimation box he's currently sitting in. The tank has been previously 76 day fallowed and all fish / additions fully quarantined since then.

Did a five minute FW dip tonight, no signs of flukes. If I have read correctly, the next step will be to start QT and administer erythromycin? I have on hand KanaPlex, MetroPlex and Furan-2, along with rubyreef rally and API marine Melafix. API E.M. erythromycin is available locally so I can pick it up in the morning. He's still eating, skiddish, but not really exerting the stressed colouring.

 

[mtraylor]

If he is still eating. I would use focus.

 

[Kyl]

If he is still eating. I would use focus.

Focus combined with? Picked up the Erythromycin today, and he's now in a clean 5.5 gallon QT tank.

@Humblefish Thoughts as well?

 

[mtraylor]

I would combine it with first checking my aquarium water quality. From my experience....fish eye problems usually start from bad water quality. I have had it happen in my aquarium when my protein skimmer went out and the water quality went down. Bottom line...just dirty water. So to clear the fish issue I had to treat with focus for the one fish that had the problem and perform water change and add carbon to the water to get water quality back as well as getting protein skimmer working.

If you have a proteien skimmer that has not been cleaned then you can look at that as well. I hope that helps. That is a pretty fish.

 

[Kyl]

There is a nice story with the tank, and from my build thread it's been sort of a waiting game the last week or so as the nano tank will be moved to a new 60 gallon shallow tank. I've not done a wc in about a month, it does have a small nano skimmer on it though. I had planned on having everyone out of the tank by now, but the unplanned always throws a wrench in things.

Kind of stressed and hiding in the corner of the qt right now though, yeah it has been a pretty, spunky fish.

 

[mtraylor]

Yeah I would concentrate on getting water cleaned up and the fish treated for bacteria infection for its eyes.

 

[mtraylor]

I would perform quickly as it can turn to pop eye and then blind the fish.

 

[Maritimer]

This one looks rather like a bacterial infection to me, especially as it's in both eyes.

Erythromycin is an antibiotic that's provided some decent results with eye infections, but you really want to dose the stuff in a QT, and start up as quickly as possible. Once started, you'll probably want to go 10-14 days with the antibiotic, as they're notoriously slow-acting on marine fish.

~Bruce

 

[Kyl]

Yep, he's in a fresh QT tank and was dosed with the first round of erythromycin about four hours ago.

 

[Dash]

One of my puffers got a cloudy eye after he was nipped during feeding. Furan was very effective; one 4-day treatment cured it completely.

 

[Kyl]

The eyelids seem to have a clearer cloudyness to them, if that makes sense. It's not as hazy as it looked day one, but they are still definitely cloudy towards the front portion. This is day four of erythromycin use, should anything be mixed with it at this point?

 

[Maritimer]

If it's improving, stay the course.

~Bruce

 

[Kyl]

Will do, thanks Maritimer!

 

[mtraylor]

glad to hear it. Keep us informed.

Did you check your water quality and do a water change as well in the display?

 

[Kyl]

glad to hear it. Keep us informed.

Did you check your water quality and do a water change as well in the display?

I did a carbon change and have done two 5 gallon WC so far (on the display). Nitrates are a lot higher than normal (~10ppm), but PO4 was .022, about normal. Clarity wise, smell, and skimmer output seemed normal.

The tank is actually being re-homed in a week or so into my new 60g display, so I was holding off on water changes the last few weeks, but started large ones to match the tank as close to a fresh bucket of IO to prevent transfer shock as I can. Going to do two more large 5 gal changes over the next two days. By the time the blenny back in the DT, it will be in the 60g, and all new water.

** Edited the first sentence to clarify DT, not QT!

 

[4FordFamily]

I did a carbon change and have done two 5 gallon WC so far. Nitrates are a lot higher than normal (~10ppm), but PO4 was .022, about normal. Clarity wise, smell, and skimmer output seemed normal.

The tank is actually being re-homed in a week or so into my new 60g display, so I was holding off on water changes the last few weeks, but started large ones to match the tank as close to a fresh bucket of IO to prevent transfer shock as I can. Going to do two more large 5 gal changes over the next two days. By the time the blenny back in the DT, it will be in the 60g, and all new water.

Wait, you have carbon in the qt?

Maybe I misunderstand, but you don’t want carbon in your hospital tank, as it will absorb medications.

I agree, continue the course for the full 10-14 days

 

[Kyl]

No no, sorry, yeah it's confusing with my wording above.

Tailspot is in a clean 5.5 gallon QT with Erythromycin (day 5). I have done two 25% water changes as per the instructions from API, on days two and four.

He was in a 20 gallon nano tank that hadn't had a water change (or carbon) in a while, and it is currently getting daily water changes in anticipation of being transferred into a larger tank (to match as close as possible the water from a fresh batch of IO and avoid coral shock). The rest of the stock in that tank (two clowns, yellow assessor and pinkstreak wrasse) are all doing fine.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I didn't read the whole thread but erythromycin is my preferred antibiotic for eyes infections.

Good luck

 

[Kyl]

I didn't read the whole thread but erythromycin is my preferred antibiotic for eyes infections.

Good luck

Thanks. He's getting very reclusive and hiding in the pvc in the qt. Eyes don't look any better, but don't look any worse versus yesterday. Still eating at least, soaking his mysis with selcon. Hope it clears up, my favorite fish

 

[Maritimer]

If you're not seeing any improvement, then you may want to try a new course.

An antibiotic "triple-threat" that's worked for a lot of folks is the combination of Kanaplex, Metroplex (both by Seachem) and Furan-2 (by API).

~Bruce