PLEASE HELP ASAP!!!!! Clownfish with buldging eye.

[gabrielsmom08]

UDATE PLEASE HELP ASAP!!!!! Clownfish with buldging eye.

I have a picasso clownfish that i have had for 5 days. He was doing fine until today. I noticed one of his eyes are buldged. It isn't that far and you can't tell it in a picture. It is only one of them. Could this be eye pop or trauma to the eye. I have 2 damsels in with him and they are fine. I noticed earlier he was staying beside two rocks he is swimming but doesn't like coming out. What could this be?? It is so hard to treat popeye b/c there are so many different causes. I don't want to loose him and any help will be apprechiated.

 

[Frankie]

If you have a quarantine setup I would move him to it and keep an eye on it. If not just keep an eye on it. Don't panic. I would wait to see if it go's away in a few days.

 

[gabrielsmom08]

If you have a quarantine setup I would move him to it and keep an eye on it. If not just keep an eye on it. Don't panic. I would wait to see if it go's away in a few days.

I don't have a QT but I do have a 40 gallon i could put the other two fish in so he will be the only fish in there. If it gets worse what should I do? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Frankie]

No, don't do that if it's not cycled yet.
How old is your current setup anyhow? I would just leave it alone and see how it looks in a day or so. Don't do anything drastic.
I am also going to move this thread over to leebca's forum. I would start getting your water parameters together and as much information you can provide on your setup.

 

[gabrielsmom08]

No, don't do that if it's not cycled yet.
How old is your current setup anyhow? I would just leave it alone and see how it looks in a day or so. Don't do anything drastic.
I am also going to move this thread over to leebca's forum. I would start getting your water parameters together and as much information you can provide on your setup.

the set up he is in in about 2 months old. not very old at all but i used live sand and live rock that was set up for 3 years. my damsels were in there almost 2 weeks before i put my clownfish in. i am doing another water change today.

the 40 is cycled and has 3 damsels living it in now. i will get everything together. thanks for your help. i read not to move them until you know it isn't an injury b/c it can stress them more.

 

[gabrielsmom08]

He is breathing rapidly what could this mean? i am going to the store to buy a little 5 gallon and i am getting water from a friend that has perfect water parameters hopfully this helps him. will keep updated

 

[Frankie]

Even used water needs to be cycled. It would be good to have a quarentine on stand by but I advise against moving the fish into it anytime soon.

 

[yvr]

The eye bulge may be from a bacterial infection or it may be caused by air bubbles behind the eye from super saturation of oxygen in your tank. I a pump that is "sucking" air and or pumping micro bubbles in your tank is one of the most common ways of super saturating a tank with oxygen. If you see a gas bubble in the lens of the eye supersaturation is likley the cause of the eye problem.

 

[gabrielsmom08]

The eye bulge may be from a bacterial infection or it may be caused by air bubbles behind the eye from super saturation of oxygen in your tank. I a pump that is "sucking" air and or pumping micro bubbles in your tank is one of the most common ways of super saturating a tank with oxygen. If you see a gas bubble in the lens of the eye supersaturation is likley the cause of the eye problem.

The filternis pushing bubbles into the tank. but i was told that if we didn't have corals then either we needed to get an air pump or lower the water so the filter would create bubbles. could this be what caused it? i have corals in there now.

 

[leebca]

Generally it is best to isolate the fish and treat with an antibiotic or. . .do nothing. Some fish survive with or without treatment. A few die.

But you should look to where the stress and problems may lie in your system. You provide a little information about your tank, system, etc. but we still can't say much about what may be the cause. If we could have a handle on the cause, a better treatment might be possible. From what was provided, however, I'd say too much bioload was put into the tank at one time. Even an established tank needs time to adjust to the new bioload.

Still, as you write, there are several causes, including injury. When the fish was caught or handled, was it in a net? Did is struggle? drop to the floor? or any unusual event?

:hallo:

 

[gabrielsmom08]

Generally it is best to isolate the fish and treat with an antibiotic or. . .do nothing. Some fish survive with or without treatment. A few die.

But you should look to where the stress and problems may lie in your system. You provide a little information about your tank, system, etc. but we still can't say much about what may be the cause. If we could have a handle on the cause, a better treatment might be possible. From what was provided, however, I'd say too much bioload was put into the tank at one time. Even an established tank needs time to adjust to the new bioload.

Still, as you write, there are several causes, including injury. When the fish was caught or handled, was it in a net? Did is struggle? drop to the floor? or any unusual event?

:hallo:

He was not netted or caught but he may have scrached his eye b/c we were adding coral and moving the rocks around. I have a domino damsel that i was told could have chased him and maybe he ran into a rock or his eye got scratched some how. It is 8:30 in the morning here and I just went and checked on him and his eye has gone down a little. It wasn't big to begin with which makes me think it isn't popeye b/c I have heard that it will swell real big with in a few hours. I tried taking pictures but the buldge is so small that you couldn't even notice in the picture.
I have a 20 gallon that was established and bought from a friend. and i went and bought a 5 gallon tank and set it up and took water from the 20 and started letting it cycle in the 5 gallon. i will use that as a QT but I am hoping that it isn't nesscary for my clownfish. I will test the water today and post the parameters.

 

[leebca]

So far, good news. DON'T move the fish to a QT unless you see the eye obviously getting worse. But be ready in case you need to do this.

Good luck!

 

[gabrielsmom08]

I moved out the other 2 fish out of the tank into the other tank and the clowfish is now moving around the tank and turning around so i can see the bulding eye. I don't see a white pocket or line behind or around his eye but I do see a red line like it is blood shot I am thinking he scrated it when the other fish picked on him. Thanks.