A Black Moore With a Missing Eye

[GNarnian]

Okay, I'm only freaking out a little, since this black moore had both of his eyes a couple hours ago. He's still swimming around like nothing is wrong... but you can see into the fishes' body cavity. What should I do with him?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

What tank mates does he have? Do you think he got it caught on something or was attacked?
What I would recommend at the moment is really clean water and some salt. IMO there is no need for antibiotics unless he starts to act ill or the wound becomes infected.

 

[GNarnian]

If anything attacked him, it would have been the eclipse catfish... but the Moore never swims at the bottom. I'll put him in a smaller tank if i can catch him. Thanks.

 

[GNarnian]

Well it's been over 24 hours since poor Othello lost his eye, and he still SEEMS okay. He ate last night, and seems active, though in the light I noticedsome his gill plate on that side seems to Have been damaged as well.

Also, does anyone else see the irony in Othello, the tragic hero getting attacked? At least it wasn't my rainbow shark Iago that did it!!!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I'm glad to hear he's doing ok.
Can I ask, is he in a tropical tank?
Goldfish don't do well in tropical tanks. The waters too warm for them. Moors have bad eye sight at the best of times so any sharp, pointed decor is a nono.

 

[GNarnian]

He is in my tropical tank, but all of my goldies are well acclimated to to warm water, as they were already in 79 degree water when i got them. I've had these guys for 4 1/2 years or so. Should i move him to a smaller, "cold water" tank?

 

[jlk]

If he has been at this temp for over 4 yrs, there's no sense in moving him now unless his condition worsens and he needs treatment. Keep a close watch for signs of infection or inflammation. If you do need to move him for further treatment, it does not need to be a 'cold' water tank- temperate water in the 70-74f range is fine.

Did you figure out what happened to him? If he was attacked by another fish, I would be a bit concerned because he is now blind on one side & will be much more vulnerable.

 

[GNarnian]

The only conclusion I can make is that he was attacked. :-/ I watched him last night, and he seems to have picked the largest goldfish and is sticking by him. Bob, (The big guy) won't let anyone near him. I didn't believe that goldfish had that kind of capacity, but they've been sticking close to each other. If I see that he is getting picked on or isn't doing as well, I'll take him out asap.

 

[GNarnian]

I am now completely heartbroken. Two nights ago Othello was attacked again. There was absolutely ZERO indication that he was being bullied, and he seemed to have adapted just fine to only having one eye. The socket had healed, and he was fine.

Now, he has no eyes and I don't know what I should do!!! I've put him in my QT tank for the time being, but I don't know what to do with him. He's showing no signs of infection, is swimming around (almost) normally, except he can't see, and is eating fine when he can find it. I've changed him to flake food since its easier for him to find.

But now it's a quality of life problem. What should I do guys? I really don't know... It's one thing to have a blind fish with cataracts that can still sense light, it's another one entirely to have a fish that has no comprehension of its environment.

 

[jlk]

Do you have any other fancies in this tank? You have a predator in your tank and they are at risk as well. Its happening at night when your not aware of what is going on. I am very sorry this happened. He can probably adapt to being eyeless but he can not be housed with a predator. He would need his own 20g or 30g with another kind fancy to keep him company with the lack of sight. You can teach him to eat out of your hand for meals so your assured he is getting adequate food. I have to feed my one moor this way because her vision is horrible- even if I drop food right in front of her, she wont eat it. Alternately, you can consider euthanasia but its not going to eliminate the problem you have in your tank with a predator who has a taste for live fish. This will be solely your decision to make in respect to his quality of life- its very sad that this happened but the warnings for housing fancies with other fish exists for a reason. Poor guy. I am very sorry

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Oh dear! Poor fella. As jlk said he should be able to adjust to having no sight. He does need to be removed from that situation ASAP and kept safe in a tank of his own.

 

[GNarnian]

He was the smallest one, and the only for sure fancy one. He was with other goldfish, but the eclipse catfish must have done it. He seems fine otherwise. I think i'll keep him in my QT and see about getting him another tank. I feel terrible for letting this happen. I assumed that since there was smaller fish in the tank that he would be fine. I never considered swimming speed when I got him, since my other goldies were fine. I'll never put a fancy with "Lake Monsters" again.

 

[GNarnian]

Oh dear! Poor fella. As jlk said he should be able to adjust to having no sight. He does need to be removed from that situation ASAP and kept safe in a tank of his own.

Yeah he's in my cycled QT tank now. I don't want him to be by himself, so i'll need another tank. Though my qt is 29 gallons...

 

[GNarnian]

I guess I'll need to find a place for another tank. I don't want to euthanize him if I don't have to.

 

[jlk]

You can manage another fancy in a 29g with him without an issue. Look for a slow baby (another moor or telescope)- he will appreciate the company as long as the baby is kind & not an aggressor or bully. Just keep a close eye on the poor guy for any signs of infection or anything unusual happening and see how he does. Make sure there is nothing in the tank except for maybe some soft decor (live plants or silk plants- no plastic, nothing sharp) if you want it. Keep us posted!

 

[GNarnian]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll check out craigslist before I buy another 30 gallon tank. Maybe I'll get lucky and find one for a good price. I'll let you guys know what happens!

 

[GNarnian]

I just had the sudden realization that i have (I think, i'll need to check) a 30 gallon tall aquarium that was given to me a while ago. There isn't as much horizontal swimming space, but would that work for this guys' new home? I was going to make it a terrarium for tropical plants, but maybe that will work for him?

 

[jlk]

I dont see why it wouldnt work as long as its a functional tank (holds water)! Less surface area though so just make sure you have some extra aeration to keep the oxygen level up. I would cover the filter intake with some filter foam (sponge) to prevent injury from running into it or getting too close & possibily getting sucked against it. Just make sure its as safe as possible & theres no where to get stuck or scraped. Good luck!

 

[txmustang]

Blind Fish

Hi hope things have remained calm and your little Black fish is doing better. I do not know if this will be helpful to you but we had two comets for 8 yrs and the smaller one came down with popeye and never completely recovered .What I am saying is she lost her eye sight but she did seem to get better other than that .We kept her till just a few days ago and she never seemed to lag to far. I wouldnt have much in the tank that the fish could swim into and get hurt .We had a little cave they used to swim into to hide but we even ended up taking that out as she could get in and then we werent sure if she was getting stuck and hurting herself swimming into the wall while trying to get out.You bet she could always find her way to get her share of dinner !