5 replies to this topic

[Kleinz]

This is the tank I have extra filters on when I am colonising them. It holds potted plants growing from cuttings and the fish that don't fit elsewhere (yet)

Started in the first fish a couple of weeks ago. One pupil became silvery, then the other. Fish's eyesight went bad. Don't think it lost its appetite, but finds it hard to snatch food. Had distance perception problems.

Fish one turned quite bright for after a week or so with this, then a couple days later became very pale.

Today I note that two more (Boesmani) fish have a silvery eye, so I'm thinking not a scratch.

My quarantine tank has been in use, but am getting another up today if it is not too late.



Type of fish:Boesmani
Symptoms:Silvering of eyes, poor eyesight. fish becomes very pale.
Other tank mates: 2 Clown loach, a three spot gourami, 7 juvenile rainbows, juvenile BN, a black catfish (neosilurus ater) and 2 ottos.
Tank size / capacity:130l
Type of Food fed: sera,NLS, brine shimp, mosquito larvae. bloodworms.
Feeding frequency/amount:twice a day. not excessive
Substrate: Gravel, lateritic gravel.
Type of filtration:Canister, sponge and 2 internal
Frequency of filter cleans:internals once a week. The others every couple of months.
Frequency and % volume of water changes:25% weekly
Last water change:
PH:7.8
KH:8
GH:9
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:up to 20
Ammonia:0
Phosphate:NFI
Water temp:27 normally. Spiked at 29 and a bit in the last week.
Medications used recently to date:60g salt added today. Mix of salts with less sodium to be kinder to my plants.
Any recent changes..new fish/filters/power outages etc etc:Power outage 8 hours yesterday.


Apologies for bad pix. Tank glass is well scratched, lighting bad and fish skittish

Normal eye

 IMG_2491__912_x_684_.jpg   120.16KB   26 downloads


So this is what it looks like when it starts.

 IMG_2473__912_x_684_.jpg   106.4KB   31 downloads
 IMG_2474__912_x_684_.jpg   101.11KB   27 downloads


Soon enough the eye (or both) is silvery, same as the iris.. not a reflection on the glass; it looks like this.

 IMG_2490__912_x_684_.jpg   128.14KB   36 downloads

One has progressed to this White and orange fish. All his pigment except the orange has faded to white. (Top fish) The eye looks a bit darker again, but seems to have lost round a bit. Eyesight still seems poor, but not blind.
 IMG_2508__912_x_684_.jpg   102.76KB   32 downloads




I am utterly clueless about what is happening here. I wondered if it might be gas bubbles but at that size it s very very hard to tell. Also don't know if related to sick Clown Loach.

Help!

[Kleinz]

Noone want to have a guess?

[Mr_docfish]

Hard to guess what the cause is of the semi-blindness.... if the fish change colour and show no other outward symptoms, then the fish are going blind, and the colouration is indicative of their night time apparel. One will have to look at genetics, or any issues during the last few weeks and water qualities.... do you have any of the same fish in other tanks? or know anyone else with the same batch of fish?

[Kleinz]

OK. A week further on, the worst have improved and no more are affected. The salt may have helped or not; I have no proof one way or the other.

The affected ones can see somewhat, but aren't so quick at spotting food as once they were. Their eyes, while no longer shiny appear a little misshapen now. Their colour is not quite normal, but moreso now.

The clown loach apart from dark colouring and the bulging eyes seems fine.

Trying a dose of Pimafix next.

Nothing has died, and things have improved a bit. The cause is still a mystery and the other tanks are all good.

All my Boesmani are in the one tank and from the same LFS source, so nothing to help there.


I wish they were in a different tank, so I could get photos.

[Mr_docfish]

I cant think of anything top of my head that sticks out as a cause of this problem.... as long as things are getting better for now then it is a good sign. Keep me updated via PM if anything changes for the worst.

[Kleinz]

Man, I have NFI at all. I have 3 or 4 in various stages. I tried some more pix, but it's hard. They are all about an inch and a half to nearly 2 inches and they are really hard to photograph and that tank does me no favours.

These guys are normal, they have just started to colour up. Their eyes are bright and regular, with a large black pupil. Their fins and front ends are darkish.

 IMG_0377.jpg   177.54KB   18 downloads

Then we get this: One eye, then the other starts to look like a bubble or a cataract is forming, there is a silveryness or cloudyness in the pupil. They have depth perception problems.

 IMG_0380.jpg   183.61KB   16 downloads

top fish in this one.

 IMG_0384.jpg   152.79KB   17 downloads

From there the fish turns near white/translucent. The orange stays but nothing else. It is still excitable around food, but cant seem to eat. I presume it is near blind.

 IMG_0383.jpg   138.4KB   15 downloads
 IMG_0386.jpg   153.48KB   15 downloads


After that I have had one on the road to recovery, or kind of. Their colour returns a bit, and they still can't see as well as they should, but can find a bit of food now. Their eyes, though look out of shape, as if imploded or squashed.
It's tricky to tell, but I think in the side view they may be a bit sunken now,

Bottom Boesmani.

centre one is the white guy again, and top right is unaffected (yet).

 IMG_0376.jpg   155.69KB   16 downloads

side view
 IMG_0401.jpg   166.96KB   13 downloads


I don't know whether to wait and see or chlorinate the tank or any measures in between

So far I've used the salt, Pimafix and Melafix.

No more seem to be affected, but that doesn't mean much.

Nothing else in the tank is ailing save but one of the clown loaches is bugeyed (but behaving normally).

I think that maybe the lens of the eye clouded with something then ruptured. That is my best guess.


Anyone who has a decent theory or suggestion, I would love to hear from you. Tell me what you would do in my position.

Edited by Kleinz, 09 February 2012 - 08:57 PM.