Is this Popeye on my damsel?

[punchy's ghost]

Just joined R2R, but I've had a sm (10 gal) saltwater tank for 9 years. Originally home for an office mascot, Punchy the Mantis (RIP), hence my user name.

I've had a damsel as the only fish for 8 years and it never had any health issues. Mostly hung out in a fake skull in the middle of the tank and came out to eat every day. Other non-coral critters are 1 peppermint shrimp, 2 small hermits, 2 snails, and a tiny brittle star that was a stowaway on a hammer coral I bought last month.

Two weeks ago, the damsel moved to the front corner of the tank and stayed there the entire day, not eating (see video). It looks like the right eye is bulging and based on searching this forum it looks like popeye disease. I think the swelling went away after a week, and the damsel was behaving normally again, but it came back again today. Is there anything I can do to help w/out quarantine? I don't have anything besides the single tank.

For maintenance I do a 1 gal water change every Mon/Wed/Fri and dose with 5 ml OH Balance twice/day & 5 ml Reef Fusion 1 every other day.

Water tests today:
salinity: 1.026
calcium: 440
KH: 9 dKH (161.1)
Phosphate: 0.125
nitrate: 3
high range pH: 8.6 (outlier, usually 8.0 - 8.2)
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
magnesium (from aquarium store last Friday): 1518

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just joined R2R, but I've had a sm (10 gal) saltwater tank for 9 years. Originally home for an office mascot, Punchy the Mantis (RIP), hence my user name.

I've had a damsel as the only fish for 8 years and it never had any health issues. Mostly hung out in a fake skull in the middle of the tank and came out to eat every day. Other non-coral critters are 1 peppermint shrimp, 2 small hermits, 2 snails, and a tiny brittle star that was a stowaway on a hammer coral I bought last month.

Two weeks ago, the damsel moved to the front corner of the tank and stayed there the entire day, not eating (see video). It looks like the right eye is bulging and based on searching this forum it looks like popeye disease. I think the swelling went away after a week, and the damsel was behaving normally again, but it came back again today. Is there anything I can do to help w/out quarantine? I don't have anything besides the single tank.

For maintenance I do a 1 gal water change every Mon/Wed/Fri and dose with 5 ml OH Balance twice/day & 5 ml Reef Fusion 1 every other day.

Water tests today:
salinity: 1.026
calcium: 440
KH: 9 dKH (161.1)
Phosphate: 0.125
nitrate: 3
high range pH: 8.6 (outlier, usually 8.0 - 8.2)
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
magnesium (from aquarium store last Friday): 1518

Yes and treatable in a separate tank using Maracyn, not maracyn 2

 

[punchy's ghost]

Yes and treatable in a separate tank using Maracyn, not maracyn 2

Are there any threads on building a quick, emergency quarantine tank? I happen to have a spare tank but I don't have another filter pump. I do have a circulation pump and a heater.

If I don't treat the popeye is it fatal?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Are there any threads on building a quick, emergency quarantine tank? I happen to have a spare tank but I don't have another filter pump. I do have a circulation pump and a heater.

If I don't treat the popeye is it fatal?

Can you see actual air bubbles in the eye? It looks like that, but I’m on my phone and it’s tough to see.

Air bubbles in the eye can be a sign of nitrogen supersaturation. However, that only happens in specific cases where there is an air leak on the suction side of a pump that injects air under pressure into the water. A sump that gets too low is one cause. A leaking seal on an external pumps intake can also cause that.

 

[punchy's ghost]

Can you see actual air bubbles in the eye? It looks like that, but I’m on my phone and it’s tough to see.

Air bubbles in the eye can be a sign of nitrogen supersaturation. However, that only happens in specific cases where there is an air leak on the suction side of a pump that injects air under pressure into the water. A sump that gets too low is one cause. A leaking seal on an external pumps intake can also cause that.

Hard to get a better picture because bad eye is hugging tank wall w/algae. I'll try to visually inspect when I get home.

Pump is Eheim 250 external and water flow is moderate. Out looking for Maracyn right now but I'll recheck the pump when I get home.

Petco only has Maracyn Oxy which looks like the wrong flavor and my regular store is closed Tuesdays (boo!).

 

[punchy's ghost]

Got a better image of the traumatised eye. It looks significantly worse than it did 2 hours ago.

 

[punchy's ghost]

My whipped-together minimal quarantine tank. Gotta find someone around here who has Maracyn. Gave the damsel a few bits of Reef Frenzy but he (she?) isn't interested.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hard to get a better picture because bad eye is hugging tank wall w/algae. I'll try to visually inspect when I get home.

Pump is Eheim 250 external and water flow is moderate. Out looking for Maracyn right now but I'll recheck the pump when I get home.

Petco only has Maracyn Oxy which looks like the wrong flavor and my regular store is closed Tuesdays (boo!).

An Eheim with a leak on the suction side hose can cause this if the return pipe is submerged. Oddly, if the return produces lots of bubbles hitting the surface, it actually reduces supersaturation issues.

 

[punchy's ghost]

Suction & return pipes. I usually keep the water level here or sometimes half-covering the outlet holes. Trying to keep good turbulence on the surface but not too much flow underneath.

Don't see or feel any leakage on the suction pipe.

If the eye bubble is from supersaturation is it possible it might heal naturally in quarantine?

 

[punchy's ghost]

Eye is more inflated this morning. Don't see any redness or obvious injury. This is the only fish I have so it isn't from fighting, unless the peppermint shrimp attacked it, which seems improbable.The white splotches in the first pic are specs on the glass, not on the damsel.

@Jay Hemdal I've read up on your previous comments about popeye and supersaturation. I don't know how to spot other symptoms like gill damage and it's just the right eye. If I can't find Maracyn 1 to treat it, what will likely happen? Lose the eye? Dying?

It looked like a tiny eye bulge 10 days ago, then seemed to clear up on its own, and then yesterday came back with a vengeance.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Eye is more inflated this morning. Don't see any redness or obvious injury. This is the only fish I have so it isn't from fighting, unless the peppermint shrimp attacked it, which seems improbable.The white splotches in the first pic are specs on the glass, not on the damsel.

@Jay Hemdal I've read up on your previous comments about popeye and supersaturation. I don't know how to spot other symptoms like gill damage and it's just the right eye. If I can't find Maracyn 1 to treat it, what will likely happen? Lose the eye? Dying?

It looked like a tiny eye bulge 10 days ago, then seemed to clear up on its own, and then yesterday came back with a vengeance.

Wow - that’s gotten much worse.

Another possibility for gas in just one eye is physical injury. I don’t know the mechanism for this, but a strike injury to a fish’s eye can cause bubble production. There is no treatment for this. The fish may lose the eye, but as long as the other eye is unaffected, it will live.

 

[punchy's ghost]

Update: After 4 days in quarantine with daily doses of Maracyn the eye bubble has shrunk a lot. Hopefully the trend continues and I can return this critter to the aquarium next week.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Update: After 4 days in quarantine with daily doses of Maracyn the eye bubble has shrunk a lot. Hopefully the trend continues and I can return this critter to the aquarium next week.

That’s an amazingly quick recovery!