Maroon Clown Eye Bubble

[CodyRVA]

Another update. This “thing” kinda reminds me of a scab, part of it even looks like it’s starting to flake away. Fish is still acting like it’s normal self.

 

[CodyRVA]

Definitely looking better. Not really any popeye left, just the clear coat “scab.” Eating good, other eye is fine.

 

[CodyRVA]

Hey All, thanks for everyone’s help! The fish has almost fully recovered, he’s about 90% of the way.

Semi related… I think it’s very possible the female started all this. Out of no where she turned on him about a week ago and chased him across the tank and was bullying him hard. I found him breathing heavy and with significant color loss on the bottom of the tank. I separated them with egg crate. A day ago the female went right back at him after I let him loose. I’ve since caught the female, I have her in a breeder box in the same tank. Is there any hope in repairing them or should I rehome the female and possibly try a new pair?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey All, thanks for everyone’s help! The fish has almost fully recovered, he’s about 90% of the way.

Semi related… I think it’s very possible the female started all this. Out of no where she turned on him about a week ago and chased him across the tank and was bullying him hard. I found him breathing heavy and with significant color loss on the bottom of the tank. I separated them with egg crate. A day ago the female went right back at him after I let him loose. I’ve since caught the female, I have her in a breeder box in the same tank. Is there any hope in repairing them or should I rehome the female and possibly try a new pair?

Good to hear!

So it got better with no treatment?

Repairing pair bonds has always been hit or miss for me, but housing the female in a breeder box for a couple of weeks, and then releasing her is worth trying.

 

[CodyRVA]

Good to hear!

So it got better with no treatment?

Repairing pair bonds has always been hit or miss for me, but housing the female in a breeder box for a couple of weeks, and then releasing her is worth trying.

Yep! I left him in the display the entire time. It got worse before it got better. There’s only a small bit of fog on the eye, no pop at all. He ate great the entire time. My fear was the female was going to stress him out and delay or stop his eye from getting better.

The female is probably 2-3 inch, the box is maybe 4-5. Is this adequate or should I get a larger box?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Yep! I left him in the display the entire time. It got worse before it got better. There’s only a small bit of fog on the eye, no pop at all. He ate great the entire time. My fear was the female was going to stress him out and delay or stop his eye from getting better.

The female is probably 2-3 inch, the box is maybe 4-5. Is this adequate or should I get a larger box?

I would use a larger box if you can - be sure it has a good lid though.

 

[CodyRVA]

Here’s an update on both; the males eye (looking great) and the females new jail.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Here’s an update on both; the males eye (looking great) and the females new jail.

Looks good!

 

[CodyRVA]

So, out of no where, the male, went from eating and seemingly fine to not eating and now this, any ideas? He appears to have lost vision in the previously wounded eye and there appears to be some tissue damage around the eye, there’s some concave tissue around that eye and his face, thoughts? I can’t get a pic of his damaged eye but it’s flat in color, no vibrant around ring around the pupil, just a flat black pupil with what might be described as necrosis around it? His eye has looked this way for a while though, after the initial white cloudiness went away.

 

[CodyRVA]

Here’s a slightly better shot of his eye.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Here’s a slightly better shot of his eye.

The fish are still separated?

I wonder if this isn’t closely related to the eye issue based on the length of time that’s elapsed.

Can you post a video under white light?

 

[CodyRVA]

The fish are still separated?

I wonder if this isn’t closely related to the eye issue based on the length of time that’s elapsed.

Can you post a video under white light?

Well, he didn’t make it. The breathing intensified and he eventually went into the rocks and passed. I took some closer photos. The one thing leaving me scratching my head is I had a tail spot blenny die a week ago, found him sucked to a power head. The blenny showed no signs of ailment at all. Maybe connected, seems more likely a coincidence? Nothing has been added to this tank in months… rock, sand, livestock… absolutely nothing.

And yea, the male/female have been separated this whole time since I first separated them.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Well, he didn’t make it. The breathing intensified and he eventually went into the rocks and passed. I took some closer photos. The one thing leaving me scratching my head is I had a tail spot blenny die a week ago, found him sucked to a power head. The blenny showed no signs of ailment at all. Maybe connected, seems more likely a coincidence? Nothing has been added to this tank in months… rock, sand, livestock… absolutely nothing.

And yea, the male/female have been separated this whole time since I first separated them.

Sorry to hear.

Was this fish dead in the tank for awhile? I see fin damage that wasn't apparent in the earlier shots....

It does seem likely that the clown and blenny dying could have been related, but I don't have enough symptoms to guess as to what the issue might have been,

 

[CodyRVA]

Sorry to hear.

Was this fish dead in the tank for awhile? I see fin damage that wasn't apparent in the earlier shots....

It does seem likely that the clown and blenny dying could have been related, but I don't have enough symptoms to guess as to what the issue might have been,

About mid day yesterday I cleaned the tank and shortly there after the fish went to the sand bed and was breathing heavy. He laid in the sand for a few hours, at various points he perked up and tried moving around. He even went to the female in the breeder box and swam around it. He died within ~4 hours from that point. I saw he went into the rock work and assumed the worst, I pulled him an hour later, hermits were already on him. Prior to yesterday, he wasn't eating at all, but was swimming fine and didn't appear to be getting skinny. Can't speak to the fin damage, but as the fish swam in the tank - inspecting his fins, he has looked the same from day 1, aside from the eye wound.

I'm keeping a close eye on the remaining 2 fish, the female clown who I let out of confinement because there's no reason to keep her in the breeder box at this point and also the royal gramma. Both of which are still eating good and acting normal.

The first blenny I had jumped. This more recent one I found sucked to my Tunze power head. The one that recently died looked totally fine, but I was out of town over memorial day and my tank sitter didn't recall if the blenny had been eating so it's possible the blenny went through the same cycle as the male clown, but there were literally zero skin blemishes on the blenny. My question is, if it's parasitic, how would something like that get into my system when literally nothing, not even water aside from fresh RODI (I don't do water changes), has entered this system? At this point I'm more inclined to think it was coincidence, but I'll be keeping a close eye on both remaining fish.