Air bubble in the eye?

[DUIdiver]

Hi Lee! I have a red male anthias with a couple layers of air bubbles in its eye. I have already tried to do a large water change (50% is about the best I can do on my 90 gallon), but the problem almost seemed to get worse (weird I know). I was talking with Kevin Pockell and he was thinking it may be a bacterial infection. If it is an infection, can a fresh water dip help? Do I need to quarantine or just dip daily in an antibiotic? I am kinda new to fish disease, so anything would help. I have about 7 other small fish in my tank and they all are doing fine. I also have some clams, sps, lps and some soft corals. Nitrate is almost zero. I was told it may be due to high organics, but I have yet to test for this. Any help would be great. Thanks, Bryan

 

[Scooterman]

I want to see what Lee says for treatment as I've seen this before but I would prep a QT for treatment, It most probably take a while to treat him & I see no use treating your tank.

 

[leebca]

Bryan,

Assuming those corals and inverts are thriving, I can't see where you'd have that big of water quality issue. However, gas in the eye region is usually a bacterial matter. There is one other 'strange' and lesser known cause of such a condition, which is a gas release from the fish's circulatory system. A kind of saturation of gas which causes collection of gas in certain areas. This is rare so I won't expand on this.

You were correct in trying water changes. That is usually a good first approach. You didn't provide any photos so I really don't know how advanced or the extent of the condition. Fish have been known to die from this. I have operated on fish and relieved the gas pressure by inserting a sterile syringe needle into the gas pocket to drain off the gas. I felt it was this or the fishes in question would die. The fish would need to be anesthetized for this operation.

On the other hand. . .Fish have miracously recovered from such a condition on their own. It's a mixed bag. Some will advise to do nothing. I prefer to be conservative and move on to the next level of treatment.

The next level down from the above advanced condition is to treat the fish with antibiotic. The fish needs to be moved to a hospital tank. It cannot be treated by dips. The fish must be constantly bathed in antibiotic and not just any antibiotic. The antibiotic must be the kind that will pass through the skin of the fish and enter its circulatory system. Most antibiotics just work on the surface of the fish; you need one that penetrates into the fish.

Having written that, we don't know the kind of bacteria involved. They could be Gram Positive or Gram Negative. Without testing, we first start to attack the Gram Negative. They are most likely the cause. If that doesn't work, switch to an antibiotic that attacks Gram Positive.

In the hospital tank you'd apply a double dose (twice the recommended dosage stated on the medication container) of Maracyn Two for Saltwater Fish. Follow the instructions except for the dose.

Ask if you have any questions and please keep us informed on your progress.

 

[DUIdiver]

Thanks Lee. I will get a hospital tank up and running and get some pictures to you.