Cloudy Eye on Mandarin Goby

zjsm36

Member
My mandarin fish seems to have a cloudy right eye. I just noticed the eye two days ago. The eye doesn't seem to be bulging out. It just has a white/haze to it. The fish is still active and eats. No other fish have any symptoms. I am unsure if it is a fluke or a bacteria, or perhaps something else. I have attached a picture. Please help me identify this and give some advice on what to do. I have never dealt with a problem like this.


Tank background:
72 Gallon Bowfront.
1 year established. 1 powder blue tang, 1 clarki clown, 1 flame angel, 1 bicolor pseudochromis, 2 mandarin gobys, various corals and inverts.
Temp: 80-83
Salinity: 1.025
pH: 8.2-8.4
dKh: 7-8
Ca2+: 540
NH3: 0
NO2: 0
N03: 0

Thanks in advance.
 

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leebca

Well-Known Member
Most likely bacterial. A healthy fish can fend off these kinds of infections, so I would surmise that this fish is being stressed. Look to these kinds of stressors:

1. Improper or deficient nutrition. Is the fish getting the right kinds of foods in the right quantity?

2. Water quality.

3. System maintenance. Time to clean out all the detritus and stagnant places where trash builds up. Clean out filters. Make sure carbon/chemical filter is working right and make sure your skimmer, if you have one, is being kept clean and operating properly (and sized properly for the system).

Improvement of the deficient one, or improvement of all three will help the fish handle this. For now, just review and improve on those points.

If both eyes become cloudy, then it's time to still do 1. to 3. above, but move the fish to quarantine and treat with an antibiotic.
 

zjsm36

Member
Thanks lee.

Just out of curiosity, how do you tell the difference b/w a bacterial infection and flukes?
 

zjsm36

Member
Also, the fish is new to the show tank.

Hopefully this is the stressor. But, I'll work on the suggestions.
 

leebca

Well-Known Member
The single cloudy eye can be a symptom of about a few dozen other conditions. When it 'stands alone' with no other symptom, the most likely (note I used "most likely" in my original post) is a bacterial infection. It can in fact be any of a few dozen other conditions, ailments, or disease.

Attack the single cloudy eye as if it were bacterial and if there is absolutely no improvement or if the condition worsens or if both eyes become cloudy, then we can move on to another possible diagnosis.
 

sheavens

Member
Hi,
I know this is an old thread, but I have a similar problem with a mandarin Dragonet. I purchased it from my LFS yesterday, and it was only when I put it in my QT that I noticed that it had a white spot on it's eye. I took a photo of it and went back to the LFS and they confirmed that it had had this condition for approximately 2 weeks and offered to order in a replacement which I could exchange this fish for. I have decided against this option as the fish got sick in the shop and it has a better chance of recovery if I try to nurse it back to health rather than let it die at the shop.

goby.jpg


I am really just looking for advice on what it could be, although I suspect Lee's advice above is probably correct. The fish is eating well, it has eaten 16 adult brine shrimp (not that I'm counting at all lol) and countless naupili in the past day and a half.
The other thing I noticed was that the poor little thing was in a tank in the shop with about a dozen clownfish, so I suspect it wasn't getting anything to eat because when I observe it eating it looks at a brine shrimp for about 20-30 seconds before slowly approaching it and eating it.

Edited to make the link work
 
Last edited:

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Read up on feeding and proper nutrition here in the disease and treatment forum. If the fish is healthy for the most part it is best to try and heal it through nutrition.
Follow the 3 key points Lee points out above. Water quality will be key to healing a bacterial infection.
Keep us updated with the fishes progress. It may be needed to remove from the main display to a quarantine tank for antibiotic treatment if it does not go away.
Brine shrimp are not enough nutrition. Also invest in some flake omega 1 along with meaty foods you can prepare from scratch.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Forum Runner
 

lbiminiblue

Well-Known Member
Hi,
I know this is an old thread, but I have a similar problem with a mandarin Dragonet. I purchased it from my LFS yesterday, and it was only when I put it in my QT that I noticed that it had a white spot on it's eye. I took a photo of it and went back to the LFS and they confirmed that it had had this condition for approximately 2 weeks and offered to order in a replacement which I could exchange this fish for. I have decided against this option as the fish got sick in the shop and it has a better chance of recovery if I try to nurse it back to health rather than let it die at the shop.

goby.jpg


I am really just looking for advice on what it could be, although I suspect Lee's advice above is probably correct. The fish is eating well, it has eaten 16 adult brine shrimp (not that I'm counting at all lol) and countless naupili in the past day and a half.
The other thing I noticed was that the poor little thing was in a tank in the shop with about a dozen clownfish, so I suspect it wasn't getting anything to eat because when I observe it eating it looks at a brine shrimp for about 20-30 seconds before slowly approaching it and eating it.

Edited to make the link work
I think you should keep up the good diet. I've noticed the same condition, except that it was in a freshwater gourami. I couldn't figure out what happened to him since he was in a huge pond.
 

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Good to hear shaevens.
Any headway on reading up on nutrition?

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Forum Runner
 

sheavens

Member
Hi Frankie,
I have read up on it, the problem I have is the little bugger will only eat live food at the moment, I'm feeding the shrimp up on selcon before feeding him so I'm hoping this helps, and adding in a few frozen shrimp to hopefully wean him onto frozen foods. I have also ordered some copepods which should vary the diet a little.
 

sheavens

Member
He still has a cloudy eye, and he definitely has trouble eating as he keeps missing the target. I think I'll give the tiny pellets a try, at least they won't move . Thanks for the tip
 

sheavens

Member
He still has a cloudy eye, I'm now wondering if it's physical damage. My water parameters are spot on, he is eating well. I have a new feeding technique wich is taking live rock out of the spare tank and dropping it in the QT. He is very funny when I do it, he darts behind his favourite rock and peeks out from one side, then the other for about an hour before he decides it is safe, then hovers around it picking stuff off it.
Anyway, I think I'll give it to the weekend and then try antibiotics :(
 

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Are you able to setup and cycle a quarantine? If so, be sure it is cycled before adding the fish.
Sonds like antibiotics may be needed.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Forum Runner
 

sheavens

Member
He is in a QT, I took the LR out today, will get the antibiotics on Monday
The tank is now crawling with copepods that will probably die :(
 

sheavens

Member
He is out of QT and in the DT. Turns out it is a physical problem. He'll always be blind in that eye, but he is doing well, scooting around the tank pecking at the rocks (I do weekly top ups of copepods) and even taking brine shrimp when I put them in.
 
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