Purple Tang white bulging eyes

[Opah]

I've had this purple tang for about 11 years. One eye developed Popeye about 6 months ago and I was trying to treat with oral meds (kanamycin + metro + focus) for a while and it didn't seem to help. It moved to it's other eye as well. I have caught it and moved into quarantine. I added some epson salt (per humble fish thread) and have been treating with kana+furan2+metro for 4 days. Doesn't seem to be improving yet. Fish ice still active, eating, etc...Any thoughts?

 

[vetteguy53081]

A swollen eye can be the outcome of a fight with another fish or your fish could have scraped its eye against an abrasive object in the tank. If this happens, look for damage to the eye which is a dead giveaway that exophthalmia is the result of an injury. In most injuries the protruding eye will eventually recede as it heals. However, the fish should be monitored closely, as infection can ensue, causing the fish to lose sight in the affected eye.
Other cause of popeye is an infection. Poor water conditions can also contribute to popeye and fish that are sensitive will be affected first. If one or more fish in your tank presents with popeye, test your water focusing on ammonia and nitrate and also look for presence of micr bubbles (mist like air bubbles) in the tank.
Any fish clearly suffering from a bacterial infection should be moved to a quarantine tank to avoid infecting other fish. Treat this fish with a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as maracyn 1

 

[Opah]

A swollen eye can be the outcome of a fight with another fish or your fish could have scraped its eye against an abrasive object in the tank. If this happens, look for damage to the eye which is a dead giveaway that exophthalmia is the result of an injury. In most injuries the protruding eye will eventually recede as it heals. However, the fish should be monitored closely, as infection can ensue, causing the fish to lose sight in the affected eye.
Other cause of popeye is an infection. Poor water conditions can also contribute to popeye and fish that are sensitive will be affected first. If one or more fish in your tank presents with popeye, test your water focusing on ammonia and nitrate and also look for presence of micr bubbles (mist like air bubbles) in the tank.
Any fish clearly suffering from a bacterial infection should be moved to a quarantine tank to avoid infecting other fish. Treat this fish with a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as maracyn 1

Thanks. There is a bit of aggression from a majestic angel in the DT. My parameters are perfect and stable. I did move to QT and am treating with mixed antibiotics. Any experience with the timeframe for an infection to clear up?

 

[DeniseAndy]

I have had different fish present with one injured eye. They generally cleared up on day 3 of antibiotics. So, give it a full 10 day treatment for sure. Good luck.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks. There is a bit of aggression from a majestic angel in the DT. My parameters are perfect and stable. I did move to QT and am treating with mixed antibiotics. Any experience with the timeframe for an infection to clear up?

Generally 5-7 days. While treating- increase oxygen

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

One likely scenario is that the fish has Mycobacterium sp., fish tuberculosis. Long term captive fish that show chronic popeye are often found to have this disease. It is NOT treatable, as this bacteria is found in every tank, even in tap water. Older fish just can’t fight it off.
Skip the Epsom salts, that’s an old school freshwater tonic that got over extrapolated to marine tanks...magnesium sulfate is the fourth largest amount of salt in your mix, so adding a little bit more is of no benefit.
A positive ID for Mycobacteria can’t be made on a live fish, so I’m just putting it out there as a likely possibility.

Jay