Fish going blind...possibly

[MikeyG]

My Crosshatch Trigger seems to have gone blind. It is unable to determine where it is, and bumping into rocks, the tank glass, and resting on my corals.
It is eating if I reach in and hold him, and put food in it's mouth. However, it's unable to find food on it's own.
Water condition is as follows:
NA: 1.026 (35ppm)
Alkalinity/dKH: 8.0ppm
Phosphate (Po4): 0.07ppm
Ph: 7.98
Temp: 74F degrees.
Water volume 400gal (300gal display tank)
Water flow: 6 MP60 equivalent plus 500GPH from return pumps
50gal refugium filled with Chato running on a 18hr lighting cycle, and other filter feeders for nutrient reduction
Oversize Algae Scrubber with 4x 50w LED grow lights for nutrient reduction.
GFO Reactor
Triton Core 7 dosing

I must add that the fish was very stressed from a delayed shipment.

I am very concerned that it may not regain it's sight or ability to orient itself correctly; thus suffer over time.

 

[Pickwun]

If he's really blind then you might move him to a lower flow tank. Most fish seem to be able to acclimate to it as long as they can smell and feel their way. In a high flow reef tank that might not be possible.
I had a Cory Cat that got his eyes sucked out by a Gourami. He acted just like a normal Cory and lived for several years. I also had a Green Spotted Puffer that progressively went blind after camping out on the counter overnight. He did just fine for about 3 more years.

 

[MikeyG]

If he's really blind then you might move him to a lower flow tank. Most fish seem to be able to acclimate to it as long as they can smell and feel their way. In a high flow reef tank that might not be possible.
I had a Cory Cat that got his eyes sucked out by a Gourami. He acted just like a normal Cory and lived for several years. I also had a Green Spotted Puffer that progressively went blind after camping out on the counter overnight. He did just fine for about 3 more years.

thats good news to hear that they can survive for that long without vision.
unfortunately I do not have low flow option.

 

[Big G]

How do the eyes look? Cloudy? Sometimes the fish rub their eyes in the bags during shipping. Kinda like a rub burn. If the eyes are infected, erythromycin works absolutely the best for eye infections. Aka Maracyn. Not Maracyn 2, but just Maracyn.

 

[Fishnut]

I had a two year old angel that suddenly lost sight. It was unable to locate food and eat for about two weeks. Then the problem disappeared and it’s sight came back. I have no idea what was the cause. Hopefully you have the same luck.

 

[albano]

Had a couple of fish in different tanks/systems go blind in past year... they did not survive.
Was told that it could be a side effect of cyanide
poisoning in capture.

 

[MikeyG]

How do the eyes look? Cloudy? Sometimes the fish rub their eyes in the bags during shipping. Kinda like a rub burn. If the eyes are infected, erythromycin works absolutely the best for eye infections. Aka Maracyn. Not Maracyn 2, but just Maracyn.

The eyes are not cloudy at all. I reach into the tank, and he allows me to hold him and feed him. He eats this way, so I am able to keep him alive by directly hand feeding him.
I think the lost of sight was a result of the stress during 2 days of transit from the seller.

 

[MikeyG]

Is there such a thing as Vitamin A for fish?
My son is legally blind, and his optomologist recommend 60,000 mg of vitamin A daily, so wondering if there's something applicable for marine fish.

 

[Big G]

Beta Glucan is a very positive booster for a fish's immune system. It's not specific for eye care, but a general boost to aid fish's health, and is especially helpful for viral type infections.

 

[MikeyG]

Beta Glucan is a very positive booster for a fish's immune system. It's not specific for eye care, but a general boost to aid fish's health, and is especially helpful for viral type infections.

Appreciate it! Where do you buy it?

 

[MikeyG]

Big G...I just found it on Amazon. Thanks.
MikeyG

 

[Big G]

Big G...I just found it on Amazon. Thanks.
MikeyG

My food mix with BG: 6-8 thawed fish frozen fish cubes (thaw in the fridge, mix a bit, and then strain off the excess liquid, it can spike your nitrates and phosphates) + 1/2 capsule of BG + a small scoop of Focus to bind it all together + a bit of RO to get the consistency you want to work with. The mix will stay good in your fridge for a few days.

 

[lion king]

I have had a few fish go blind, I've experience several triggers that includes some from friends. Perhaps triggers may be susceptible from effects due to copper treatment, as well it could be from cyanide. I predicted my last trigger, a niger trigger, would be blind within a year's time, after he had to go through 2 copper treatments for velvet. I've heard of the crosshatch triggers going blind, in a higher frequency than most other species singled out by name. Something you will find, people are reluctant to share the loss of such a high priced fish, go figure. I have a few theories, the fish is a deep water fish, they are not used to being exposed to the lighting intensities that more people run in their reefs, so maybe some eye damage. Cyanide, as mentioned earlier. Prophylactic copper treatment, sometimes multiple times that includes the hobbyist qt.

I stick fed a blind pink tail trigger for almost 2 years. I told the story here years back. If you catch him early enogh while he still has some eyesight left, you may be able to create a routine for him to come to a specific spot to be stick fed. When I fed the tank, the pink tail would pop up in between the rocks in "his spot" and I would feed him. Even though he was high maintenance, he was my favorite, and he was fat and ate better than i did. If he goes an extended period without eating, and you can't figure out a routine to get food, it would be best to make a hard decision, that is to euthanize.