Help with diagnosing cloudy eye

[NiBiRu]

Hi,

Would appreciate help in diagnosing the cause for some cloudy eye in my red tail triggerfish, in my DT. Did my best to film it, video is attached.
It started about a week ago when I noticed some white part on what usually is the blue portion above the left eye. It can be seen in the video that the fish "lost" about half of the blue area and it has turned white. I thought it was just something temporary, maybe an injury so I kept only monitoring.

Today I noticed the eye itself is getting cloudy, about 1/3 of the eye itself, the part closer to the location to the loss of blue color is appearing cloudy (the part closer to the tail). The eye size seems to not have changed, also right eye seems fine.

Any idea what this could be?

Thanks!

 

[leebca]

At this point in time, I'd say it was an injury as you suspected, and now some bacteria are getting a foothold.

I would hate to treat the whole tank with a mild antibiotic and likewise I wouldn't want to catch this fish and put it into a hospital tank for treatment. However, you can help the fish with supplements so that it will heal on its own.

Follow the ill fish supplement recommendations in the Fish Nutrition post. If the Beta Glucan and Vita-Chem doesn't help the fish to heal/fight off the bacteria, then it might be time to consider an antibiotic.

 

[NiBiRu]

I don't have Vita-Chem as it's not available locally so will take me quite a while to get. I do have Selcon.

I also have:
Brightwell aquatics Vitamarain-M (Vitamarin-M - Multivitamin Supplement - Brightwell Aquatics)
Korallen-Zucht aminoacid concentrate fish (Amino Acid Fish 50 ml | korallen-zucht.de)
Seachem garlic guard
Ruby reef rally

I feed twice daily. Should I use Vitamarin-M in one feeding and Selcon in the other? what about the amino acid?

Thanks

 

[Big G]

I don't have Vita-Chem as it's not available locally so will take me quite a while to get. I do have Selcon.

I also have:
Brightwell aquatics Vitamarain-M (Vitamarin-M - Multivitamin Supplement - Brightwell Aquatics)
Korallen-Zucht aminoacid concentrate fish (Amino Acid Fish 50 ml | korallen-zucht.de)
Seachem garlic guard
Ruby reef rally

I feed twice daily. Should I use Vitamarin-M in one feeding and Selcon in the other? what about the amino acid?

Thanks

The vitamins and amino acids look good. As Lee posted adding Beta Glucan 1,3/1,6 to the food can be an excellent step to fully engaging the fish's own immune system. It activates the macrophages to engage any sign of infection within the fish's body. Add it to the fish's food once a day until the infection clears. For maintenance, alternating weeks of BG is suggested.

 

[NiBiRu]

@Big G , @leebca - can one of you please elaborate some more about how to add BG to fish food? what is 1,3/1,6?
BG is mentioned only under the "Supplement for sick/ill fishes" section in the doc, but I'm not sure how to add it to the fish food. I see that I can get it as a supplemental for human consumption via large pills.

Thanks

 

[Humblefish]

@Big G , @leebca - can one of you please elaborate some more about how to add BG to fish food? what is 1,3/1,6?

Look here under Beta-glucan: Vitamins, Probiotics & Herbal Remedies

 

[Big G]

@Big G , @leebca - can one of you please elaborate some more about how to add BG to fish food? what is 1,3/1,6?
BG is mentioned only under the "Supplement for sick/ill fishes" section in the doc, but I'm not sure how to add it to the fish food. I see that I can get it as a supplemental for human consumption via large pills.

Thanks

There are currently differing compositions of Beta Glucan available in the market place. Beta Glucan 1,3/1,6 is the preferred version. The 1, 3/1,6 specifies the types of BG that form different chemical structures during bonding that are highly desirable. So when shopping read the label and look for BG 1,3/1,6 to get the best form of the compound to help your fish.

Mixing one 500mg capsule of BG with 6-8 thawed (in the refrigerator) of assorted frozen fish food cubes makes an excellent mix to feed and treat your fish. And yes, these are the same BG capsules for human consumption.

 

[NiBiRu]

Thanks, I'll do that.

Preparing for the bad scenario where I'll have to take the fish out to treat, this is what I currently have:
Neomycin sulfate powder
Enrofloxacin
Kanaplex
Malachite green
Ruby reef rally pro
Ruby reef hydroplex

I read in this forum that Erythromycin is best for treating eye infections but unfortunately, I don't have it and it will take quite a while for me to have it shipped over. Of the above which would be the best alternative?

Thanks

 

[Humblefish]

I read in this forum that Erythromycin is best for treating eye infections but unfortunately, I don't have it and it will take quite a while for me to have it shipped over. Of the above which would be the best alternative?

Kanaplex to start, but I'd switch over to Enrofloxacin if you aren't seeing much improvement within a week.

 

[leebca]

I don't have Vita-Chem as it's not available locally so will take me quite a while to get. I do have Selcon.

I also have:
Brightwell aquatics Vitamarain-M (Vitamarin-M - Multivitamin Supplement - Brightwell Aquatics)
Korallen-Zucht aminoacid concentrate fish (Amino Acid Fish 50 ml | korallen-zucht.de)
Seachem garlic guard
Ruby reef rally

I feed twice daily. Should I use Vitamarin-M in one feeding and Selcon in the other? what about the amino acid?

Thanks

Sorry for the delayed reply.

The 'problem' with the Brightwell products is that they don't list the actual vitamin contents and their quantity. So it is an unknown.

Selcon is a fat supplement not a vitamin supplement. Use it sparingly. Hopefully you can get Vita-Chem shortly.

Adding amino acids to fish food is kinda weird. If you are feeding the proper foods, the fish is getting all the amino acids it needs. Proteins contain amino acids.

Add Vita-Chem and Selcon to the food only. Adding either or both to the tank water will just feed the bacteria.

If you can, feed three or more times daily. If you can feed more often, feed less at each feeding.

 

[leebca]

how to add BG to fish food

It needs to be bound. You can use Agar to bind it, or you can use Focus. Blend it in with the food, then bind it.

 

[leebca]

Thanks, I'll do that.

Preparing for the bad scenario where I'll have to take the fish out to treat, this is what I currently have:
Neomycin sulfate powder
Enrofloxacin
Kanaplex
Malachite green
Ruby reef rally pro
Ruby reef hydroplex

I read in this forum that Erythromycin is best for treating eye infections but unfortunately, I don't have it and it will take quite a while for me to have it shipped over. Of the above which would be the best alternative?

Thanks

Follow the use of antibiotics that Humblefish has recommended from your list of fish 'medicine cabinet' contents. ✔️

 

[leebca]

Enrofloxacin

*Enrofloxacin (Baytril) is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. This is a third-generation antibiotic and is the most advanced antibiotic approved for use in tropical fish. It often begins working in 30 minutes and is a highly recommended antibiotic. However, it adversely affects the bio-filter. I use it as a bath: Dosage range is 2.5 - 5 mg/L daily for 7 days; can be used both in a QT or as a 5-hour bath treatment.

Having a scale that will accurately measure 0/01g is a useful tool to have.

 

[NiBiRu]

*Enrofloxacin (Baytril) is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. This is a third-generation antibiotic and is the most advanced antibiotic approved for use in tropical fish. It often begins working in 30 minutes and is a highly recommended antibiotic. However, it adversely affects the bio-filter. I use it as a bath: Dosage range is 2.5 - 5 mg/L daily for 7 days; can be used both in a QT or as a 5-hour bath treatment.

Having a scale that will accurately measure 0/01g is a useful tool to have.

If using in QT with no biofilter and daily water changes to control ammonia should the daily dosage be changed/increased?

Also regarding Vitamarin-M the instructions on the bottle list these ingredients:

Guaranteed Analysis
Vitamin-A Propionate (min): 19.5 IU/oz.; Thiamine (B1) (min): 15.6 mg/oz.; Riboflavin (B2) (min): 15.6 mg/oz.; Niacin (B3) (min): 265.6 mg/oz.; Pantothenic Acid (B5) (min): 39.1 mg/oz.; Pyridoxine (B6) (min): 15.6 mg/oz.; Biotin (B7) (min): 0.8 mcg/oz.; Folic Acid (B9) (min): 2.0 mcg/oz.; Cyanocobalamin (B12) (min): 3.8 mcg/oz.; Ascorbic Acid (C) (min): 359.4 mg/oz.; Cholecalciferol (D) (min): 1,560 IU/oz.; Tocopherol (E) (min): 45.5 IU/oz.; Menadione (K) (min): 0.016 mcg/oz.

The eye's condition looks slightly worse today, not getting better. I'm thinking to move him to hospital tank if it doesn't show any improvement in the next 2 days. Is that a reasonable time? wouldn't want things to deteriorate beyond repair.

Thanks

 

[leebca]

If using in QT with no biofilter and daily water changes to control ammonia should the daily dosage be changed/increased?

There is no way for the hobbyist to measure the quantity of Enrofloxacin in salt water. A reminder: It is less harsh for continuous exposure & will likely adversely affect the biological filter. Dosage range is 2.5 - 5 mg/L daily for 7 days. So the 'new water' coming in with a water change should contain this range of antibiotic. No need to increase/change this range.

Is that a reasonable time?

If supplements (especially Beta Glucan) is being fed, a week without improvement would be a good timing to move the fish to a hospital tank. Time needs to be given for the supplements to have effect. While waiting, start the hospital tank running now. Seed the QT biofilter with store-bought nitrifying bacteria.
----------
Thanks for the list of Vitamarin-M vitamin list. Vitamarin-M is worth using, however Vita-Chem Marine contains a longer list of vitamins. It's hard to compare the two for quantity of vitamin since Vita-Chem and M are given in different dimensions (% vs.mg).