fish has cloudy eye!

[dolphineducator]

I recently got a squirlfish also know as a manpachi in Hawaiian from a fish store. I have him in a 50 gal salt water tank with a hanging filter over the side. The tank has been cycling for a month and the levels are normal. There is no live rock, a couple of hermit crabs, an baby moray snowflake eel, and a maroon clownfish that I got on the same day. The squirlfish has very big eyes. One eye develped this white cloudiness over the pupil. I researched it and one site said it could be a sign of a parasite. I treated the tank with quickcure for ick for three days. The eye is not better. Now the cloudiness is spreading over the whole eye. It is a little bigger than the other but not really. I don't know if this is pop eye or what. If it is what should I treat it with. I don't want my new fish to die! Please help.

 

[melosu58]

Your fish has a bacterial infection. He needs to be QT and treated. You say the water parameters are OK but can you post them so we can see them. Check out bacterial infection on this link

 

[dolphineducator]

Well i don't have them on hand. The ammonia was low. The nitrite was high after i added the medicine quick cure which is normal right? What should I treat him with?

 

[melosu58]

If you nitrite was high than this is the cause as your fish is stressed out. Nitrites are leathal to fish and inverts. Did you mean Nitrates? For cloudy eyes it is just recommended that you do frequent PWC`s and keep the water in pristine conditions. Here is a link. Look at the one that says Bacterial infection.

http://www.seasky.org/aquarium/aquarium_diseases.html

 

[roka64]

I agree, and a low ammonia is more toxic to the fish than the nitrItes. At this point, it is very important to do PWCs, in order to get your ammonia and nitrItes to 0.
How old is the tank?

 

[dolphineducator]

The tank is a little over a month old. I had the tank cycle for a month and I tested the levels before I added the fish. There was 0 ammonia and the nitrite levels were very low also. I added two fish and the eel and then the one squirelfish got the cloudy eye. Then I added the quick cure ick medicine and thats when the nitrite levels went up. I'm going to do a water change but should I move the affected fish to a med tank. I'm not sure where to get antibiotics. Do fish stores carry that? The eye is getting worse and he is not eating.

 

[melosu58]

Yes I would QT the fish and treat with anti biotic. Yes most LFS have them Is is a good article on a QT.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.php

 

[Hara]

How did you cycle the tank?

 

[melosu58]

Also if you are adding any ick med that is causing nitrites to go up then you need to stop. Should only treat in a QT not your main tank.

 

[roka64]

I tsounds like you may have added too many fiah and that could have overloaded the beneficial bacteria. When you add fish, you have to give the bacteria used to processing the fish's waste (converting ammonia to nitrAtes), if too many are added, the bacteria will not be able to convert the ammonia to nitrAtes.

 

[dolphineducator]

I have quarantined the fish and am treating it with antibiotics. Has anyone had any luck with natural remedies like the melafix? The fish is looking better. Thanks.