Finding Nemo a cure

[reefer5076]

So long story kind of short, I have a clownfish that has started acting weird the past week. The behavior leads me to believe he’s blind or going blind. He also swims up and down the same corner of the tank over and over, sometimes coming to the surface to get air. Most disturbing is his struggle to get food. He will bite next to it or above or below. I’ll attach a video and some pics and you tell me. Also, if I go to his corner and stick my finger in the tank he will nibble on it which is something he never use to do, typically he’d be scared and swim away :/

I should say at this point that I believe he’s a elderly clown. I received him from someone who “had him awhile” about 2 years ago and I’ve had no issues with him. Other tankmates include blue hippo& sailfin tangs, dottyback, convict and yellowtail damsel….. all fish
(including Nemo) show no obvious signs of disease. This tank was set up around the beginning of the year and is not yet well established. I’m thinking if it were a water quality issue, some of the less hardy fish would show signs before Nemo.

I’m hoping someone can ID the problem since a fish that cannot eat is a fish that cannot live.

Thanks in advance for taking a look.

 

[reefer5076]

The videos at least on my end are not working so I took some still shots below. Salt is 1.026 you can disregard my uncalibrated Neptune probe reading. You can see sometimes he tries to get food when he’s not even close to it :/
I’ll be happy to answer any questions, thanks again

 

[reefer5076]

If someone can confirm if these videos are playing on your guys end that would also be helpful

 

[Jekyl]

@Jay Hemdal

 

[reefer5076]

I was secretly hoping for a response from Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal]

If someone can confirm if these videos are playing on your guys end that would also be helpful

I can get the videos to play by downloading them to my desktop and then opening them (pretty typical for videos here). I can never get them to open on my phone unless they are linked to youtube.

Here is what I see - I think this is a very rare case of a fish actually going blind. I hear people quite often say their fish is "blind", but actually it is moribund/dying and just bumping around. This fish has a good feeding response, it just can't see the food well, and thus bites wildly, including at your fingers. When it swims, it sort of follows the wall, like you might if you were walking in a pitch dark room.

I don't know of any cure for blindness, it could be age related. I do think you can help the fish out a lot by hand feeding it. I have a little Darwin clown that I've trained to hand feed just because I think its fun to do...

Jay

 

[reefer5076]

Interesting …. Yes I have been able to feed him with difficulty with a turkey baster…..I suppose I will continue to do that and hope for an unlikely improvement….. I imagine you would have said if you knew, but are there any diseases that result in blindness as a symptom? I’m thinking something like parasites in the brain or eye? Would it be worth treating with anything as a long shot? And if he gets worse at what point do I consider euthanasia? I can’t imagine watching the poor guy struggling for months.

 

[reefer5076]

As for the videos:
Since you mentioned downloading, I was able to get them to play on my iPhone by:
-Pressing and holding on the video
-A menu will come up, click on download linked file
- An arrow pointing down will appear in the top right of your browser. Click that arrow and the video Will come right up. Glad I can return the favor and help =]

As for Nemo:
I will consider him a special needs fish and try to get to hand feed him since the turkey baster method is very difficult and results in over feeding the tank before he’s able to grab a bite. Appreciate the help

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I don't know of any treatment that can resolve blundness in fish.

Here is a link to an article I wrote on fish eye health. It won't have a specific answer for you, but the background info might prove helpful.

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

Jay

p.s. - thanks a million for the way to watch videos on my phone! That is going to save me a ton of time and allow for faster responses, as I won't have to wait until I get to my desktop....