[EvoFish]

Help me please! Or help my frontosa please! I just got him over the weekend and he was fine. Well today I came home from work to find his right eye infected or something. He is about half an inch, he hides behind a water heater everytime I see him. I don't know if that is the case or not but please, any advice would be much appreciated. Here is the best pic I can get of it.

 

[Malawidolphin]

His eye jost looks cloudy. I have had fish bump or scrape their eye on a rock and it clouds. I usually add melafix for a few days and it clears right up. If it doesn't it might be something else and unfortunately I would have no idea what else would do that.

 

[cichlidaholic]

Eye issues usually stem from either poor water quality or an injury. They can also accompany a bacterial infection.

What are the water parameters on the tank?

What is your normal tank maintenance routine?

The little fish looks very stressed. Is it eating? Behaving normally?

Is it in a QT?

Kim

 

[EvoFish]

He is in a 10g by himself. Water temp is around 82-84 degrees F. Ph level is at 7.8, and ammonia level is at "Ideal". On small tanks I normally change the water twice a month, 1/4 water changes. But this is a brand new set-up using my 55g cycled water.

 

[cichlidaholic]

I would keep the water in the tank pristine, with daily water changes. You could also add some Melafix to help prevent a bacterial infection.

Should the symptoms worsen, you may need antibiotics.

I would also lower the temp slowly...No need for it to be that high.

You might want to get a second opinion on your "ideal" water parameters, too With biweekly water changes, this might be your problem.

Kim

 

[MalawiLover]

But this is a brand new set-up using my 55g cycled water.

Bacteria do not live in the water colum. They are only on surfaces in the cycled tank. Either move some filter media from the cycled filter into the hospital tank or a handful of the substrate to get bacteria into the hospital filter. As Kim mentioned daily partial (30%-40%) water changes are really the best treatment for eye problems.

You should really get some better tests. You need one that gives you an actuall measurement. When dealing with a sick and stressed fish any ammonia or nitrite is bad. Whith out knowing what the numerical scale for "ideal" is its really a useless test. API makes a great liquid reagent test kit (API Master Freshwater Test Kit). It is inexpensive, and really invaluable to anyone with an aquarium, especially when having to treat or diagnose an issue.

 

[EvoFish]

Thanks guys. I forgot to mention that my gravel was from a previous setup housing a jaguar cichlid. I guess it wasn't a brand new setup. Sunday is my only day off so I will be bringing him to the lfs to get hosptialized. I am so afraid of what they will tell me right now.

 

[EvoFish]

Sorry to inform you guys but my frontosa didn't make it through the night.... thanks for all of the input.

 

[cichlidaholic]

I'm sorry you lost the fish...

Did you do anything? Water changes? Antibiotics?

It sounds like it might have turned into a bacterial infection, so you may need to keep a close eye on the remaining fish.

If you moved the gravel from another tank that wasn't well maintained, you could have released bacterial pockets into the water with the gravel move.

Kim

 

[EvoFish]

I did 20% water changes, lowered the temp to about 76 degrees, and added aquarium salt. I didn't have time to get any melafix or any other medication and I am greatly regretting it now. The gravel actually never left the tank. It used to house my jaguar cichild until I gave him away along with the tank. I got the tank back w/o the jag cichlid about a week later and added my 55g water into it. I'm using the tank as a hospital tank or baby fish tank so now it is empty. I think it was a combination of everything. It took me about 40 mins to catch him from my cousins 190g tank. I could have accidentally injured him w/o knowing. I am so sad right now...

 

[cichlidaholic]

It could be that the gravel was really stirred up when you added the new water from the other tank.

The Melafix might have helped, but if it was already a bacterial infection, it wouldn't have made any difference. You would have needed antibiotics.

Was this the only fish in the tank? Do the other fish seem okay?

Kim

 

[EvoFish]

Yeah he was the only one in that tank.