Fresh water cichlid eye problems for a friend

[Sophie"s mom]

Hey guys so as the title says I have a friend who has a fresh water tank. And his cichlid he has had for 7 years now has this spots on his eyes. Does anyone here know what this might be? Do they get cataracts?

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I am hoping either @vetteguy53081 or @Jay Hemdal can come in and help with this. I know nothing about fresh water fish.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey guys so as the title says I have a friend who has a fresh water tank. And his cichlid he has had for 7 years now has this spots on his eyes. Does anyone here know what this might be? Do they get cataracts?

This is a retina issue and may resolved by adding maracyn to tank as pictured below.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

This is a retina issue and may resolved by adding maracyn to tank as pictured below.

Thank you so much!

 

[Fish Fan]

Nice looking Cichlid, and I'm sorry to see it in some distress

I do hope he recovers!

#freshwaterrocks
Best of luck to your friend's Cichlid, @Sophie"s mom

I'd like to to follow this thread, hopefully this fish makes it

Best of luck!

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Nice looking Cichlid, and I'm sorry to see it in some distress

I do hope he recovers!

#freshwaterrocks
Best of luck to your friend's Cichlid, @Sophie"s mom

I'd like to to follow this thread, hopefully this fish makes it

Best of luck!

Aww, thank you. Yeah he’s had this fish for 7 years now. He doesn’t want to treat the whole tank so he is saying he will quarantine the fish to treat it.

 

[steveschuerger]

Check ph . The condition can be exacerbated by extremes in ph as well.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Check ph . The condition can be exacerbated by extremes in ph as well.

Thank you! I will have him do that.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Aww, thank you. Yeah he’s had this fish for 7 years now. He doesn’t want to treat the whole tank so he is saying he will quarantine the fish to treat it.

Given the age of the fish, if both eyes are affected, it is likely cataracts. I can't tell from the pictures, but if the surface of the eyes are clear, but the cloudiness is below the sclera, then this is for sure cataracts. Those are caused by age (likely here) or by some toxins in the water (rare). If these developed over weeks to months, then 100% they are cataracts. Maracyn 1 only works for bacterial infections.

Here is a primer on fish eye health that I wrote up 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