Zebra Moray

[StripesTheEel]

Hey guys,

Ive begun to notice 2 white specks developing on the eyes of my zebra moray. One on each eye in the middle of the eye. They do not cover the whole of the eye, as both are relatively small. At first i thought it might have been sand, but they have been around for months now. They do not inhibit the eels movement or eating so it doesnt seem as it is harming the eel in any way. Could they be cataracts or something else? Water parameters are fine and all other tank mates are not showing the same symptoms.

Thanks

Matt

 

[TCTFish]

What are you feeding the eel?

What are the current water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, SG and temp)? Numbers please.

Cloudy eyes can be a nutritional deficiency or a bacterial infection.

 

[StripesTheEel]

Shrimp, mussels, squid.

Ammonia - nil
Nitrite - nil
Nitrate - nil
Temp - 26C dont know F
SG - 1.024
pH - 8.2 give or take

The eyes arent cloudy, theres just a small white dot in the middle of the eye. The cloudy eyes are a different thing as another eel I had, had completely different symptoms. Ill try and get a photo taken when he comes out of hiding if that helps.

 

[TCTFish]

I'm wondering if you could feel these white specks to confirm whether the specks are outside of the eye or inside the cornea. If you do attempt this, put stress coat on your hands before handling the eel.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4998&N=2004+22763

You could add vitamins. Whether it helps the current situation or not, it will always benefit the system overall and strengthen the animals immune systems. Captive life means captive food and that means a lack of variety. That's just the way it is in the hobby, so we need to make up for what the animals have lost when they were taken out of their natural environments. Zebra eels have a very limited menu, so that makes the animal more prone to vitamin deficiency related problems in captivity.

 

[StripesTheEel]

I didnt manage to take a pic but i did get a better look at the eye, was unable to get my hands close to him. So i've drawn up a pic of it. It is external, not internal and it looks like a build up of something.

Hopefully we can draw a conclusion to what this ailment is..

 

[Fluff]

I agree Matt, it sounds bacterial. Normally this occurs when water deteriorates but you say your param's are excellent. It wouldn't hurt him to try an antibacterial treatment. I'm not the most experienced person where sick fish are concerned but I have had success treating some (not all) bacterial infections on sw fish using melafix. Sorry I can't give you an absolute answer.

 

[StripesTheEel]

Will this affect shrimp? His eye is clouding up now so I will be doing some more frequent water changes and pick up some melafix

 

[TCTFish]

Melafix should be safe with inverts. Check the bottle. It will say. What I would suggest is to mix the Melafix in a container of tank water then put it in the tank instead of just plopping it in there. The tea tree oil, though may not seem thick to us, is so to a little shrimp. You want to avoid globbing this stuff over his breathing apparatus.