Australian Rainbowfish In Critical Condition!

[sreiman]

Greetings Fish People:
I have had a pair of gorgeous rainbowfish for about 6 months. a month ago, one of them developed what i thought was pop eye-cloudy flimsy growth on the eye, eventually (36 hours later) he had a hole where his eye used to be and he died. Happened too fast and i wasnt sure how to treat him.
His partner developed the same sympt on Weds of this past week. I did a 10 min dip in Copper Power Green, and began a cycle of maracyn plus. Bottom line-he is nearly gone. Hasnt responded to either treatment, the right eye is gone and there is a cavity there. he is listless and not eating. I have him in isolation b/c my black angelfish was terrorizing him in his moment of despair.
I really love this fish-he is the king of my tank and its so sad to see him suffer-any advice would be appreciated. Tank metrics are great-water change every week or so-all other fish are vibrant and healthy. 75 gallon, sparsely populated (two angels, two balas, 5 bloodfin tetras, one rubber pleco, 3 danios).
Im pretty new to the hobby (9 months or so) but absolutely love my fish.

 

[eggy]

do you live in australia?
Missing globe: In some cases, the eye (globe) is so severely damaged that it may fall out or be reabsorbed by the fish. Fish have an amazing ability to heal, and as long as there are no underlying disease problems, they will frequently recover from a lost eye. Once the eye itself is gone, scar tissue will quickly fill the orbit (socket), and within a matter of several weeks, the orbit will be filled with new tissue. While this may not be cosmetically pleasing, many fish do quite well with one functional eye.
so if you fish died it must have a disease!

Diseases that affect the eyes of pet fish are quite common. Diseased eyes may appear cloudy, exophthalmic (popped out), hemorrhagic (bloody), microphthalmic (small), or even missing. Common causes of eye disease in pet fish include trauma, infection, gas bubble disease (the "bends"), parasites and neoplasia (cancer). so i would be quick to identify what your fish has!

warningop-eye is very Contagious and all contamanated fish must be plasted into hospital tank!

 

[sreiman]

do you live in australia?
Missing globe: In some cases, the eye (globe) is so severely damaged that it may fall out or be reabsorbed by the fish. Fish have an amazing ability to heal, and as long as there are no underlying disease problems, they will frequently recover from a lost eye. Once the eye itself is gone, scar tissue will quickly fill the orbit (socket), and within a matter of several weeks, the orbit will be filled with new tissue. While this may not be cosmetically pleasing, many fish do quite well with one functional eye.
so if you fish died it must have a disease!

Diseases that affect the eyes of pet fish are quite common. Diseased eyes may appear cloudy, exophthalmic (popped out), hemorrhagic (bloody), microphthalmic (small), or even missing. Common causes of eye disease in pet fish include trauma, infection, gas bubble disease (the "bends"), parasites and neoplasia (cancer). so i would be quick to identify what your fish has!

warningop-eye is very Contagious and all contamanated fish must be plasted into hospital tank!

No-i live in Arizona. Thanks for the link-looks like cloudy eye based on the photos. There must be some stressor in my tank that these rainbows cant handle-im hoping this guy makes it thru the night..

 

[LauraFrog]

What's the nitrAte reading? This may not bother most fish, but rainbows are extremely sensitive to it. Nitrate levels over 20ppm are a cause for concern.

Antibiotics usually fix this sort of thing, so it's surprising that maracyn did not work... is it in date?

 

[eggy]

Fish Eye Disorders
Symptoms

Cause

Treatment and Links
A). Cottony white growth over lens of eye Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Saprolegnia Fungus Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Forma-Green -or- Copper Sulfate.
If not, look down the chart further
B). Translucent film over the lens of the eye Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Could be a gram-negative bacterial infection Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Kanamycin Sulfate -or- Gentamycin Sulfate -or- TMP Sulfa.
If not, look down the chart further
C). Clear to translucent film over the lens of the eye and parts of the body Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Protozoan Infestation Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Metronidazole -or- Quinine Sulfate -or- Nitrofuracin Green
If not, look down the chart further
D). The iris (around the pupil) becomes cloudy Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Gram Negative bacterial infection Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Treat the fish with: Amoxicillin -or- Gentamycin.
If not, look down the chart further
E. The entire eye becomes cloudy from the inside out Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Could be a parasite, i.e., flukes Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Check the tank for parasites. If found, treat the entire tank with De-Los. The fish may lose it's eye.
If not, look down the chart further If not, look down the chart further
The fish have a Gram Negative Bacterial infection Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Isolate the fish and treat with Gentamycin.
F). The entire eye of one or more fish "falls out" and the fish continue to swim around Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart



Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart
a). Tuberculosis

b). In aggressive species: The fish have been involved in a fight
Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart



Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart
a). Kanamycin + Vitamin B-6 (for 30 days)

b). Use Nitrofuracin green to expedite healing. The fish may live a very long life even without an eye.
If not, look down the chart further
G). Swelling and redness surround the outside of the eye Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart a). Could be an injury from decor inside the tank or pond

b). Gram-negative bacterial infection
Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart a). Treat with Nitrofuracin Green to expedite healing

b). Treat with Gentamycin
If not, look down the chart further
H). The eye on one or more fish "pop's out" Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart The fish are affected with "Pop Eye", a kidney infection Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Treat the fish with Erythromycin for ten days.
If not, look down the chart further
I). Both eyes seem to "pop out" on one or more fish. The disease progresses to ulceration's, raised scales and sores on the body Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart a). These fish are suffering from Abdominal Dropsy

b). The fish are suffering from a secondary Aeromonas (hole in the side disease) infection
Fish Behavioral Disorders Flow Chart Treat the fish with Oxolinic Acid + Oxytetracycline in the feed. Mix 1 teaspoon of each medication with 2oz. of water. Spray contents over 1 lb. of koi pellets with a spray bottle. Let air dry and feed to the fish for 2 weeks. Use Forma-Green in the water to prevent fungus from attacking the ulcerations. Try to bump up the temperature to at least 82°F during the entire treatment if posssible

 

[sreiman]

What's the nitrAte reading? This may not bother most fish, but rainbows are extremely sensitive to it. Nitrate levels over 20ppm are a cause for concern.

Antibiotics usually fix this sort of thing, so it's surprising that maracyn did not work... is it in date?

First off-thx for the response.

He made it thru the night but is barely hanging on.

Yes-the antibiotics are in date.

maybe it is the nitrates.
Here is all the data from a test this AM:
No3 60
No2 0
Ph 7.5
Kh 60
Gh 180

might that hardness reading be an issue as well??

 

[minxfishy]

I would suggest several water changes to lower the nitrAte reading if possible as already said rainbows are sensitive to nitrAte, I dont think hardness would be an issue as they are fairly adaptable when it comes to water hardness.

When you dosed with macaryn, did you remove any carbon from the filter, as carbon removes medication from the water?

 

[sreiman]

I would suggest several water changes to lower the nitrAte reading if possible as already said rainbows are sensitive to nitrAte, I dont think hardness would be an issue as they are fairly adaptable when it comes to water hardness.

When you dosed with macaryn, did you remove any carbon from the filter, as carbon removes medication from the water?

Yes-i removed the carbon from my filter when I dosed w maracyn. He is still hanging in there this morning. The last dose of Maracyn was Saturday-should I hold off on doing a water change because of that?? My next (third and final dose of maracyn) is tomorrow. I also took him out of the hospital tank and put him back in the main tank-he is slightly more active-but my two #### fancy guppies (frik and frak) are abusing him pretty heavily...

 

[minxfishy]

Water change the hospital tank and put him back in, any stress will make the condition worse.

 

[Colin_T]

do you have a pictureof the fish?

your water quality is fine for rainbowfish, however there is no ammonia reading and that can cause issues to fish.

 

[sreiman]

Thx all for your help, but, alas, my noble aussie rainbow Callea now sleeps with the fishes, luca brazzi style..i buried him alongside his partner. two dead fish, with only one good eye to lead them to the giant aquarium in the sky..

lesson learned is that perhaps aussie rainbows are too much fish for my feeble fishkeeping talents..

too bad-they were amazing animals...

 

[Colin_T]

Rainbowfish are normally pretty tough and don't have too many problems. And the one you had, ie: cloudy eye that gets a hole in, I have never heard of. I have heard of cloudy eyes but it is usually bacterial or damage from swimming into something. It might have been something the fish had (a genetic problem) or they were infected with a parasitic worm from a sheep or other animal. The worms get lost in the fish because it isn't their normal host and can end up anywhere, including the eyes.

If you wait a month and haven't had any more problems then perhaps try again. Feed the rainbows with lots of plant matter and do regular water changes and gravel cleans, and they should be fine.