blackmoor eye deflated

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wadem

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Messages
10
Location
wheeling, il
I have a blackmoor that has an eye that deflated and there is white stuff hanging out the side. He was fine when we went to bed, but his eye was like this when we woke up. Has anyone seen this before?
 
Welcome!!! Moors are visually handicapped & are known for injuring their eyes on any sharp or pointed objects that may be in their tanks. The best thing you can do for him is provide ample amounts of healthy water (0ammonia, 0 nitrite, less 10ppm nitrate) along with aquarium salt. Frequent big water changes with temperature-matched, properly conditioned water are a must. Dose aq salt at 1 tablespoon per 5gals premixed in a cup tank water & add gradually over a 48hr period. Add back only what you remove with water changes (50% wc, add back 1/2 original dose). Keep a close watch for possible infection. The socket will heal but the eye will not regrow. He will manage with just one eye. Make sure you check your tank carefully & remove anything sharp or pointed to prevent further injury.
 
jlk said:
Welcome!!! Moors are visually handicapped & are known for injuring their eyes on any sharp or pointed objects that may be in their tanks. The best thing you can do for him is provide ample amounts of healthy water (0ammonia, 0 nitrite, less 10ppm nitrate) along with aquarium salt. Frequent big water changes with temperature-matched, properly conditioned water are a must. Dose aq salt at 1 tablespoon per 5gals premixed in a cup tank water & add gradually over a 48hr period. Add back only what you remove with water changes (50% wc, add back 1/2 original dose). Keep a close watch for possible infection. The socket will heal but the eye will not regrow. He will manage with just one eye. Make sure you check your tank carefully & remove anything sharp or pointed to prevent further injury.

After following all of this the blackmoor seems to be healing! Thanks again. However, now a couple of my fantail goldfish scales and fins are starting to turn black. Can you help with this scenario? Water conditions seem ok, have been testing daily and adding the appropriate conditioners as needed. Also, lowered the tank level slightly to increase aspiration, as I don't run a bubbler.
 
Ok- lets start with basics. What size tank? What type of filtration? What are your exact readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & ph? What are you using to test (liquid or strips)? How many goldfish/other fish are there? Generally, fins & scales turning black is indicative of an ammonia presence but some more info will help to figure things out! :)
 
Its a 29 gallon tank. Ammonia appears to be hovering at about .5ppm. Nitrates and nitrites are at 0. Ph is about 7.2-7.4. I am currently using test strips.
 
There are a total of six fish. A 2 in. Fantail, a 1.5 in fantail, a 1.5 in calico ryukin, two 1.5 in blackmoor, and a 1.5 in comet.
 
Im using a simple activated charcoal roofing filter on max flow. All of the fish are very active and appear happy. Im feeding them omega one goldfish pellets, small size, as flakes seem to cloud the water.
 
Thanks! Ok, my fist suggestion would be to get an API freshwater master test kit. Strips are notoriously inaccurate & your ammonia (which should be zero) may in fact actually be higher than .50. The readings your getting for amm are high enough to cause ammonia burns (black areas your seeing). I would suggest doing atleast two 50% water changes asap to drop this down lower. Add back only the salt you remove (50%wc, add back 1/2 original dose).

The second concern is your stocking level which is also contributing to your ammonia issue. Fancies need atleast 20gal for one fish, another 10gals fo each fish after with filtration rated 10x tank size. Fancies have a huge bioload & have the potential to grow quite large. Your guys are all fairly small but they need ample room & water to grow to avoid stunting. The comet can grow to be well over 12inches & realistically is a pond fish- I would look into rehoming him into a nice pond.

So, thats the not so good news. I would look into upgrading their home as soon as possible. Craiglist has lots of good deals (as do yard/garagesales)- a 55g would work as long as you stay on top of your water changes & rehome the comet. In the meantime, I would do frequent, big water changes to try & keep their water as healthy as possible. The ammonia burns will heal on their own with healthy water as will the moors eye. Please dont hesitate to ask questions! :)
 
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