sailfin tang's eye damaged

[coralbeauties]

I have all my fish in a 75 gallon tank that is currently in hypo salinity. I noticed today my green chromis is swimming erratically and while looking at my sailfin one of his eyes looks damaged. It is alittle cloudy and looks as if some of the eye covering is torn and hanging loose a bit. Is there anything that I can do for this fish? Fish have been in hypo for alittle over 2 weeks for an outbreak of ich.
thanks
Jeff

 

[Cleo642]

Do you have a pic?
@Humblefish

 

[Humblefish]

One eye usually denotes an injury of some sort, but if it spreads to both eyes you know you've got a secondary bacterial infection to deal with. Very common in fish with preexisting parasitic infestations such as ich. For now I would just dose Epsom salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gals) to help ease the swelling and wait & see if this spreads to the other eye.

 

[Humblefish]

You could start dosing a broad spectrum antibiotic, such as Kanaplex, if you wanted to be proactive. That would help treat or ward off a possible infection, with minimal side effects (possibly some minor appetite suppression.)

 

[4FordFamily]

Was this 75 well established and cycled?

If not ammonia burn will do this as well.

Test for ammonia. Or buy the ammonia badge it's awesome.

 

[Tahoe61]

Sounds like possible Fluke.

 

[coralbeauties]

would the hypo kill off flukes? They have been in hypo for 16 days now. I am planning on letting my display tank go fallow for the recommended 72 days before I will all the fish back. I am inclined to think it is damaged from fighting or bumping into something. I did have a pretty bad ammonia spike the first week or so but have it under control now and the eye damage showed up towards the end of week 2. Is the low salinity hurting the fish by not allowing the normal slime coating to help with the healing process? I have been debating on slowly bringing the fish out of hypo and start copper but wasnt sure what to do. The poor little green chromis is still swimming in circles and bumping into things. Diffidently doesnt have it full motor balance control. The chromis isnt eating but all the other fish are eating and look well other then the sailfin's eye.
thanks
Jeff

 

[Humblefish]

Hypo won't successfully treat flukes - meaning it won't kill them all. Ironically though, a FW dip can be used to confirm the presence of flukes (see below).

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[coralbeauties]

I believe I am going to raise the salinity up to normal. My chromis was so bad off I did a mercy killing of it. My melanarus wrasse is just laying around and is probably going to die also. I think the sailfin's problems are being caused by my yellow tang really getting aggressive in the confines of the 75 gallon tank. I saw them really battling it out and I noticed the sailfins tail barb area is red almost looks like it is bruised. Not real sure about this hypo treatment.
thanks
Jeff

 

[Humblefish]

Are you sure this isn't velvet? Hypo only treats ich, not velvet.

 

[coralbeauties]

I am actually not completely sure what is going on or what they have. When they first went into hypo they were in pretty bad shape and had quite a few white specks on their body. those are all gone now and the fish are not rubbing any longer. If I go with copper at what salinity level can I start to add the treatment? Thanks for the help and advise
Jeff

 

[Humblefish]

I am actually not completely sure what is going on or what they have. When they first went into hypo they were in pretty bad shape and had quite a few white specks on their body. those are all gone now and the fish are not rubbing any longer. If I go with copper at what salinity level can I start to add the treatment? Thanks for the help and advise
Jeff

I would get it up to at least 1.018-19 before adding copper to the water. It's possible ich has cleared, and you are now dealing with a secondary bacterial infection or even flukes. I would give one of the fish a FW dip (as outlined above) to at least confirm/rule out the possibility of flukes.

 

[coralbeauties]

The fish's eye did get better and a day or so later the other eye is looking the same. Tonight I noticed the fish lightly rubbing its eye against the bubble wand in the tank and it isnt showing much color. I have the salinity up to 1.019 and added some copper. I will do the dip tomorrow when I get home from work if it doesnt look any better. Will the copper help?
thanks
Jeff

 

[Humblefish]

The fish's eye did get better and a day or so later the other eye is looking the same. Tonight I noticed the fish lightly rubbing its eye against the bubble wand in the tank and it isnt showing much color. I have the salinity up to 1.019 and added some copper. I will do the dip tomorrow when I get home from work if it doesnt look any better. Will the copper help?
thanks
Jeff

It will help eventually if you are dealing with an external parasite such as ich or velvet. However, if this is flukes you would need to treat with Prazipro (can be combined with copper).