Midas Issues - Possibly Blind Swimming in circles

Staggs · Sep 4, 2017

Hello,

Over the past few weeks I have been noticing that my midas hasn't been swimming around and just staying in his cave, even at feeding times. I would blow food his way and he would always eat it and reach out of his cave but never come out and swim.

Fast forward a few weeks until yesterday when I got home from a overnight trip he was out of his cave and in the rock work right under neath it and just sitting around (guessing he fell out or tried to swim). When I fed i blew some by him and he acted like he wanted to eat so I took some mysis with tweezers and put it at his mouth and he ate it but would only took one peice. Around a hour later he was just sitting around in the sand by the rock so I scooped him up to do a FW dip.

I dipped him for right at 5 minutes, and there is no signs of flukes coming out of his gills or anything so I placed him back into the tank but in a acclimation box so I can observe him closer. It was late at night and the lights were going off so he just slept next to the pvc tube I have in the acclimation box.

Fast forward to this morning I can see that with his eyes he is just scanning back and forth and not really seeing anything at all, and then he started swimming in circles and has been doing that for a few hours now. I went ahead and gave him another FW dip for another 5 minutes just to confirm I didn't see any flukes and still did not. I put a tinny baster next to him to confirm he couldn't see it but when I touch his body he will move away from him.

At this point I think his issue is he just lost his eye sight and there isn't much hope for him, as he looks great and hasn't been picked on or anything. Tank is two years old, I've had the blenny since Nov 2016, haven't added any fish etc. All params are in check.

This is a video I took right after the lights started coming on, and before I did a fw dip a bit ago.

SashimiTurtle · Sep 4, 2017

Poor little guy... He's very pretty, I've never seen one with red like that. Hopefully the fish disease guys chime in soon and help you out.

Staggs · Sep 5, 2017

Thanks Robin, He's been a great community fish! Some of the red was me using a orange filter since my lights had just started coming on, but he does have a nice transition from yellow to a redish orange on top.

He's still taking food from me, but sadly just spinning around for the most part. I'm trying to decide if I should just keep up with him in hopes that his vision can come back or if that is something that basically never happens.

Highgrade · Sep 5, 2017

Wondering if he has some sort of eye/brain hemorrhage. I had a Purple tang have the same symptoms which was cause by a rapid increase in salinity ( due to ATO being stuck for a few days). Unfortunately there was not much I could do for my fish. He eventually succumbed to spinning into an Acro colony overnight where he was lodged in by his gills within the Acro branches. He perished shortly after the lights had came on.

Is your midas nipping or biting at his tail/side? I had a midas that had endless flukes when I picked him up and he did the nipping/biting almost like chasing his tail at times until he went through several treatments to rid him of flukes. He also had flukes in his gills and eyes.

Staggs · Sep 5, 2017

He's not nipping at himself at all (yet), I was hoping it was flukes since that is treatable but the two freshwater dips @5min have showed no signs of flukes at all. His eyes still appear to look normal like they always have, other than you can see them scanning then resetting and scanning again.

Highgrade · Sep 5, 2017

Staggs said:
He's not nipping at himself at all (yet), I was hoping it was flukes since that is treatable but the two freshwater dips @5min have showed no signs of flukes at all. His eyes still appear to look normal like they always have, other than you can see them scanning then resetting and scanning again.

Hoping he pulls through for you. If you have a QT set up try transitioning him over to a lower salinity to see if that helps. The lower salinity might help with his stress, dissolved oxygen, equilibrium, etc....

Staggs · Sep 5, 2017

I do have one, just not running atm. I'll get it up and running tonight.

@Humblefish is there any meds you'd suggest at all? I think I have a lot of what you list, just didn't know if there are any to even try with this.

I run 1.025 in the dt, should I start there and slowly bring it down or should it be fine to start at 1.023 and just drip acclimate him?

Humblefish · Sep 5, 2017

Staggs said:
@Humblefish is there any meds you'd suggest at all? I think I have a lot of what you list, just didn't know if there are any to even try with this.

There is an off chance he has an eye infection of some sort, and erythromycin (Maracyn) would help if that is the case. However, as mentioned above a rapid rise in SG would also cause something like this so I would double check that.

Staggs said:
I run 1.025 in the dt, should I start there and slowly bring it down or should it be fine to start at 1.023 and just drip acclimate him?

I would set QT salinity to match the DT, so you can transfer him right over.

Staggs · Sep 5, 2017

Sounds good, I'll use some maracyn to see if that could help after i move him over to the qt. My apex is showing basically 1.026 and ranges daily from 34.80 (night) to 35.4 (day) (which is both in the 1.026) and has been for the last few months. However I still spot check my SG using my veegee refractometer and TLF solution and I find when I test it it typically runs in the 1.025 range and I've been under the impression I've just needed to recalibrate my apex prob or replace it. I haven't had any large spikes in salinity based on the apex though.

I have however, in the past two months increased my nopox usage (which kinda goes with another thread you were involved in) from 5ml to 10ml to reduce some extra NO3 but that has passed and I'm back down to my daily 5ML which I've been using for around 1.5yr.

I don't know a way to show 3 months worth of data at a time on my probe but from June until now this is basically what the probe was reporting. I do water changes every Sunday.

Staggs · Sep 5, 2017

@Humblefish I have some Mardel's Maracyn Plus but it does not list erythromycin listed.

https://fritzaquatics.com/product/maracyn-plus/

I'm guessing I should pick up some maracyn 1 instead (just wanted to confirm before I pull the trigger).

Humblefish · Sep 5, 2017

Staggs said:
@Humblefish I have some Mardel's Maracyn Plus but it does not list erythromycin listed.

https://fritzaquatics.com/product/maracyn-plus/

I'm guessing I should pick up some maracyn 1 instead (just wanted to confirm before I pull the trigger).

Yes, you need Maracyn 1. Maracyn Plus is worthless IME.

Humblefish · Sep 5, 2017

Pickup Maracyn 2 if you see it too. It's probably not needed here, but can safely be used in conjunction with Maracyn 1.

Staggs · Sep 5, 2017

I was able to pick up the api erythromycin this afternoon and got my qt water mixing up now. Should I just do the single dose and leave him in there for 10 days, or should I follow the instructions on the api box (do a 2nd dose after 24hrs then do a 20% water change etc.). LFS only had erythoromycin and no maracyn 2 atm. (still lucked out)

I was kinda thinking I'd just do the single dose and let him be for 10 days.

4FordFamily · Sep 5, 2017

Staggs said:
I was able to pick up the api erythromycin this afternoon and got my qt water mixing up now. Should I just do the single dose and leave him in there for 10 days, or should I follow the instructions on the api box (do a 2nd dose after 24hrs then do a 20% water change etc.). LFS only had erythoromycin and no maracyn 2 atm. (still lucked out)

I was kinda thinking I'd just do the single dose and let him be for 10 days.

You may well need to re-dose after water changes anyway. Did you get an ammonia alert badge to monitor ammonia?

I'll wait for Humble or @melypr1985 but my .02 is to water change and refuse.

poorish idol · Sep 5, 2017

Highgrade said:
Wondering if he has some sort of eye/brain hemorrhage. I had a Purple tang have the same symptoms which was cause by a rapid increase in salinity ( due to ATO being stuck for a few days). Unfortunately there was not much I could do for my fish. He eventually succumbed to spinning into an Acro colony overnight where he was lodged in by his gills within the Acro branches. He perished shortly after the lights had came on. Is your midas nipping or biting at his tail/side? I had a midas that had endless flukes when I picked him up and he did the nipping/biting almost like chasing his tail at times until he went through several treatments to rid him of flukes. He also had flukes in his gills and eyes.

was there any blemishes on it's eyes??

Highgrade · Sep 5, 2017

poorish idol said:
was there any blemishes on it's eyes??

None what so ever. They were clear with no swelling or visible trauma.

Staggs · Sep 5, 2017

4FordFamily said:
You may well need to re-dose after water changes anyway. Did you get an ammonia alert badge to monitor ammonia?
I'll wait for Humble or @melypr1985 but my .02 is to water change and refuse.

I thought I had one, but there was just only the PH alert badge left in the package....guess I used the ammonia one and tossed it out (go figure). I'll be pick up another tomorrow. He's now in 10G QT and I have everything up and going in it other than the ammonia alert badge.

I keep about 20 marinepure sphere's in my sump and added four of them to the QT as I figure that will help.

4FordFamily · Sep 6, 2017

Staggs said:
I thought I had one, but there was just only the PH alert badge left in the package....guess I used the ammonia one and tossed it out (go figure). I'll be pick up another tomorrow. He's now in 10G QT and I have everything up and going in it other than the ammonia alert badge.

I keep about 20 marinepure sphere's in my sump and added four of them to the QT as I figure that will help.

I wouldn't add anything else -- it can reduce meds in water and absorb meds

Humblefish · Sep 6, 2017

Staggs said:
Should I just do the single dose and leave him in there for 10 days, or should I follow the instructions on the api box (do a 2nd dose after 24hrs then do a 20% water change etc.)

Follow the instructions on the box. Perform water changes and redose as directed. Except keep at it for 10 full days.