Help diagnosing eye issue on Blue Koran Angelfish

[daileyo]

Would anyone be able to give me another opinion on what this might be? Originally I thought it was fluke, but after doing a bunch more reading, I am less sure.

I noticed this about 3 days ago. It was right after adding some new fish to the tank, so I assumed I may have introduced and unwanted hitch-hiker. The first day after I noticed the problem Tied-Eye (the fish) was hiding in the back of the tank and not coming out to eat; not typical for him. Yesterday afternoon and today he is coming out more and eating, just not as ferociously as he usually does.

I treated with PraziPro and Epsom salt to start. However, if it isn't flukes then I'm not sure this treatment will be good enough.

Other than the recent additions to the tank, the only other thing I can think of to note is that I've been fighting a hair algae infestation for the past 4 or 5 weeks. I am doing frequent algae removal and water changes (10% every other day). I can't imagine that would be a contributing factor to whatever the issue Tied-Eye is having, but I mention in case others may think it could be a contributing factor.

Thanks in advance to any input anyone might have.

 

[MnFish1]

Here is a great thread - I would read this over - there is one summary post thats really good - about 3-4 down in the thread:

my fish has pop eye

what do i do for my fish there is no way to get it out of the reef . I have never had any problem's with my fish how do I fix this any help would be good thank you.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[daileyo]

Here is a great thread - I would read this over - there is one summary post thats really good - about 3-4 down in the thread:

my fish has pop eye

what do i do for my fish there is no way to get it out of the reef . I have never had any problem's with my fish how do I fix this any help would be good thank you.

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for the link. Great read. Based on that read and others, seems that it may more likely be an injury vs. infection; and if so, the Epsom salt treatment will hopefully help. The PraziPro may just be a preventative/over-the-top treatment in my case. Time will tell.

At the moment, given that he is coming out and eating, I am thinking I should just be patient for the next few days to see if it starts to go away on its own?

 

[MnFish1]

Thanks for the link. Great read. Based on that read and others, seems that it may more likely be an injury vs. infection; and if so, the Epsom salt treatment will hopefully help. The PraziPro may just be a preventative/over-the-top treatment in my case. Time will tell.

At the moment, given that he is coming out and eating, I am thinking I should just be patient for the next few days to see if it starts to go away on its own?

Yes - but it will likely take longer than days - more like a couple weeks. As long as its not getting worse - it usually recovers on its own

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the link. Great read. Based on that read and others, seems that it may more likely be an injury vs. infection; and if so, the Epsom salt treatment will hopefully help. The PraziPro may just be a preventative/over-the-top treatment in my case. Time will tell.

At the moment, given that he is coming out and eating, I am thinking I should just be patient for the next few days to see if it starts to go away on its own?

While Koran angels commonly get Neobenedenia flukes that cause cloudy eyes, usually both eyes are cloudy and not enlarged like this one. This was most likely an injury.

Here is a link to an eye disease article I wrote some time ago:

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

Epsom salts are completely ineffective in marine systems, it is a freshwater tonic that has been misapplied to marine tanks. Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is the fourth ingredient in our seawater mixes. Adding a bit more is of no benefit, it just raises the salinity a bit. The only use for Epsom salts is as a purgative in a fish's diet - 3% by weight in the food to expel internal parasites.

I would dose the Prazipro (with good aeration) just in case there is Neobenedenia in the tank, but if this is just an injury, it should heal within 10 days. If it gets worse, you might need to move the fish to a treatment tank and dose with Maracyn 1 (Erythromycin).

Jay

 

[daileyo]

While Koran angels commonly get Neobenedenia flukes that cause cloudy eyes, usually both eyes are cloudy and not enlarged like this one. This was most likely an injury.

Here is a link to an eye disease article I wrote some time ago:

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

Epsom salts are completely ineffective in marine systems, it is a freshwater tonic that has been misapplied to marine tanks. Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is the fourth ingredient in our seawater mixes. Adding a bit more is of no benefit, it just raises the salinity a bit. The only use for Epsom salts is as a purgative in a fish's diet - 3% by weight in the food to expel internal parasites.

I would dose the Prazipro (with good aeration) just in case there is Neobenedenia in the tank, but if this is just an injury, it should heal within 10 days. If it gets worse, you might need to move the fish to a treatment tank and dose with Maracyn 1 (Erythromycin).

Jay

Thanks so much for the info Jay.

I especially appreciate the info on the Epsom salt in marine systems. I'll remember this for the future. I did make sure to monitor my salinity levels before and after adding, to make sure I didn't spike it too much. My fish is back and and noticeably more active since my post. He is still hiding a little more than usual... but that seems to be getting better; and his eating is much better.

Fingers crossed the trend continues. Thanks again @Jay Hemdal and @MnFish1 for your replies and input.