Melanurus Wrasse -- Cloudy, Bulging Eye

[kittenbritches]

My melanurus wrasse, who typically spends all day palling around with his BFF foxface, has been spending 92% of his day under this frag rack for the last few days. I finally got a look at him this morning, and his left eye is cloudy and bulging. The right eye looks normal.

Is this a parasite? Bacterial infection? Injury? How can I treat it? I assume isolation is in order if I can catch him... None of the other fish are affected.

Apologies for the photo quality. He's not being a very cooperative model. The dirty glass is on me.

 

[blaxsun]

I had a blue flasher wrasse with a similar eye issue some time back, and we thought it was either a fluke or a scrape from a rock. We did a freshwater dip which ruled out flukes and chalked it up to a collision with something. It eventually healed on its own but we did move it off to a smaller tank by itself.

 

[jgirardnrg]

Calling in the man... @Jay Hemdal

 

[MichaelReefer]

Looks like Pop Eye. My tang got it a while back, I believe he ran into something. It went away after a few weeks.

 

[RGoltz]

You may want to read this post where @Jay Hemdal and I have some chatting about eye issues. The main consideration being an acute injury versus flukes as mentioned above.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

@kittenbritches I can for sure see cloudly grey mass, generally associated with some kind of internal bacterial infection

One or both eyes will look cloudy or hazy. Sometimes the eye is also swollen or “popped” out. Eye infections are sometimes due to a preexisting parasitic or worm infestation which is also afflicting the eyes.

If the fish is still eating and otherwise healthy, sometimes an eye infection will self-correct. Especially if the parasites or worms causing the infection are being treated.

If I were you I would start feeding some kind of vitamin, as well as a variety of foods, blackworms clams mysis spirulina brine and jumbo prawn and chopped squid, spirulina and Norris a wider variety of food entices the fish
Eat more often a healthy fish should be feeding 3 x a day lights on high noon and before lights out

You can also try qting the fish and dosing antibiotics, for eye infections

Erythromycin or minocycline based medication seems to work the best against bad eye infections

 

[DrZoidburg]

Many reasons this could happen. You said a few things that could cause it + water quality.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

@melev loves his tang spock so much he paid more than what the fish cost initially to save his prized fish, what a guy!

 

[kittenbritches]

@melev loves his tang spock so much he paid more than what the fish cost initially to save his prized fish, what a guy!

A decade ago that was me with a parakeet. Got her for $20, paid a vet $200 to treat her eye infection.

 

[kittenbritches]

You may want to read this post where @Jay Hemdal and I have some chatting about eye issues. The main consideration being an acute injury versus flukes as mentioned above.

That was quite helpful -- thank you!

If the fish is still eating and otherwise healthy, sometimes an eye infection will self-correct. Especially if the parasites or worms causing the infection are being treated.

He's still eating, and as of this very moment he's coming out from under the rack, doing a lap to the cool kids' corner of the tank, then back under the rack. Lather, rinse, repeat. This is the most active I've seen him in days. He also gets a fairly varied diet (mussels, plankton, krill, mysis, squid, salmon eggs, brine, nori, kelp).

I think for now I will watch and wait. Thanks to all who replied!! <3

 

[Jay Hemdal]

That was quite helpful -- thank you!


He's still eating, and as of this very moment he's coming out from under the rack, doing a lap to the cool kids' corner of the tank, then back under the rack. Lather, rinse, repeat. This is the most active I've seen him in days. He also gets a fairly varied diet (mussels, plankton, krill, mysis, squid, salmon eggs, brine, nori, kelp).

I think for now I will watch and wait. Thanks to all who replied!! <3

With just one eye affected, and the fish still eating, I always go for an injury as the cause. Flukes will eventually cause both eyes to become cloudy, and systemic diseases will also cause both eyes to become cloudy. Secondary bacterial infections can get involved, but this doesn't look like that (yet). I'd just wait it out for now, and watch for any other symptoms to develop - especially not eating. If you want to read up on this and other eye issues, here is an article I wrote some time ago, but is still mostly current:

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 Hemdal

 

[kittenbritches]

With just one eye affected, and the fish still eating, I always go for an injury as the cause. Flukes will eventually cause both eyes to become cloudy, and systemic diseases will also cause both eyes to become cloudy. Secondary bacterial infections can get involved, but this doesn't look like that (yet). I'd just wait it out for now, and watch for any other symptoms to develop - especially not eating. If you want to read up on this and other eye issues, here is an article I wrote some time ago, but is still mostly current:

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 Hemdal

Thank you so much!

 

[JaaxReef]

Same situation with my Red Lined Wrasse currently… guessing the issue resolved itself in a couple weeks?

 

[kittenbritches]

Same situation with my Red Lined Wrasse currently… guessing the issue resolved itself in a couple weeks?

Yep, in a few weeks, his eye went back to normal. He did bonk his other eye whilst he was on the mend, so it was about a month before his eyes weren't bulging out of his skull.

 

[Dolphins18]

1 TBSP Epson salt per 5 gallons of water is what I do when I see pop eye. It works for me, harmless to a reef tank.

 

[Cell]

Epsom salt is for freshwater, not saltwater. Its already salty.

 

[Dolphins18]

Epsom salt is for freshwater, not saltwater. Its already salty.

Like I said, it works for me
It may do nothing at all, but at the same time it doesn't hurt anything in my experience.

 

[Cell]

It doesn't help and is a waste of money.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

1 TBSP Epson salt per 5 gallons of water is what I do when I see pop eye. It works for me, harmless to a reef tank.

Just to clarify, Epsom salts is a freshwater tonic, it doesn’t have any affect in saltwater other than to raise the salinity a bit. Magnesium sulfate is the fourth most common salt in sea mixes.
What happens is that many of these eye issues go away on their own, so it seems like cause and affect, but it is just coincidence. Epsom salt, added to a fish’s diet at 3%, can help to flush parasites out though.
Jay

 

[JaaxReef]

Yep, in a few weeks, his eye went back to normal. He did bonk his other eye whilst he was on the mend, so it was about a month before his eyes weren't bulging out of his skull.

Mine healed within 5 days or so. Eye is looking much better and he’s socially much more confident again.