Blindness cause?

[sundragon]

I had an ich outbreak when I added new fish about 6 weeks ago. I caught it early and treated the tank (Quick Cure) for 2 weeks with the only casualty being a jumper... *Sigh*

My male Apisto got a swollen eye and I assumed it was either due to his flashing and scratching his eye or an secondary infection. Once the ich treatment ended I started medicating the food with Focus (nitrofurantoin .1%). It's been about a week of that.

His eye swelling reduced in a short time it's 80% better but is still a little swollen - I think he's blind now in that eye because his iris is now a white dot.

In the last two days - I think he's gone blind in the other eye - upon examination it looks normal but he's been obviously swimming like a blind fish. I've noticed he's been bumping things in the tank and when I feed he doesn't "see" the food. I've started to hold it right in front of his face with success - he's still hungry and eats well but I'm gonna have to feed him like this from now on.

Additional Info: I normally do 50% water changes weekly but I changed that to every 3 days with the start of the ich treatment and I've kept that up for water quality. The other fish are fine and he looks normal otherwise.

• What could cause this kind of blindness?
• What anti-bacterial treatment should I use (assuming this is a bacteria)?

[Imi Statue]

Here's a link on the topic you may not have seen: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/eyeproblems.php

Do you have a picture or two closeup of the eye's?
What are the water conditions like Ph and so on?

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by Imi Statue

Here's a link on the topic you may not have seen: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/eyeproblems.php

Do you have a picture or two closeup of the eye's?
What are the water conditions like Ph and so on?

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look.

The lights are out, I'll take a picture tomorrow he comes to the surface for feeding so I can get another shot.

pH is ~6.6-6.8
The temperature is 76 degrees F
No NH3/NH4/NO2
NO3 is ~5ppm before I dose EI - 50% water changes every 3 days currently.

I feed them 2x a day - I make sure I put some food in front of his face and observe him eating.

EDIT: They are fed a mixture of frozen blood worms, Tetramin tropical flakes, and New Life Spectrum small fish formula pellets. Not all at once, I rotate.

[Imi Statue]

Well those conditions don't look like they would be the cause. So I think your looking at an infection as cause. Unless the white spot spreads or the eye gets cloudy all over. (See below)

The damage is probably done.

Some fish show signs of temporary blindness with drug interactions being the cause. Time will tell with that.

More info:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_...html#Cloudyeye

Triple sulfa in a QT would be best if it seems to get worse.

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by Imi Statue

Well those conditions don't look like they would be the cause. So I think your looking at an infection as cause. Unless the white spot spreads or the eye gets cloudy all over. (See below)

The damage is probably done.

Some fish show signs of temporary blindness with drug interactions being the cause. Time will tell with that.

More info:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_...html#Cloudyeye

Triple sulfa in a QT would be best if it seems to get worse.

Thank you, the eye that was swollen and cloudy is nearly cleared up. The other isn't swollen or cloudy.

The issue is that he was able to track food with one eye swollen for a good two weeks but in the last two days it seems like the "good" eye has stopped working. He's not acting the same - he's bumping into things and generally unable to track food unless it's right in front of him.

I may set up the quarantine and take him out and treat with triple sulfa - the medicated food must not be working - I just wonder how the clear eye is not working.

[Imi Statue]

Most likely the clear eye is already damaged, or could have temporary blindness, time will tell.

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by Imi Statue

Most likely the clear eye is already damaged, or could have temporary blindness, time will tell.

Euthanize him if he ends up being blind? I have to hand feed him currently - If I go away, I'd have to train the roommate on how to feed him and the last time I asked him to feed the fish, it was a confetti party in the tank... Sigh

[Imi Statue]

Originally Posted by sundragon

Euthanize him if he ends up being blind? I have to hand feed him currently - If I go away, I'd have to train the roommate on how to feed him and the last time I asked him to feed the fish, it was a confetti party in the tank... Sigh

Instead of Uethanization donate to another person with the time and caring if you know someone with a heart, or offer RAOK here(unless he is old).

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by Imi Statue

Most likely the clear eye is already damaged, or could have temporary blindness, time will tell.

Yeah, but the clear eye shows no symptoms of damage - no cloudiness, swelling, nothing. It's frustrating because there is no obvious reason for it to stop working, literally over night.

[Imi Statue]

He may just have you trained well

Though there's many things that can cause blindness in fish, I am inclined to believe he's blind from the meds or infection.

Test the fishes sight out, by moving your hand fast towards him several times in an attempt to scare him. Do this with both eyes "singularly" to see if he really is blind.

If no matter what, he is blind I would not be able to help you as there are to many things that can cause it. Wait a few days or a week or two to see if it gets better. If not well he's blind and you know what you can do.

[sundragon]

Just an update - He's still in quarantine - I used what I had on hand: API: Furan 2

His color is back - I'm still waiting to see if his sight comes back
He's barely eating - I have to hold blood worms or flakes (in forceps) in front of his face, he eats a little and then swims away.

I've got one more day of medication then I'll do 25% water changes for two days and put him back with the rest and hope he starts seeing again.

[fishwater]

Just curious, did this ever get better? I seem to be going through the same thing with my apisto. However I never had an ich outbreak. Its not to say he didn't suffer through one before I purchased him though.

[sundragon]

Originally Posted by fishwater

Just curious, did this ever get better? I seem to be going through the same thing with my apisto. However I never had an ich outbreak. Its not to say he didn't suffer through one before I purchased him though.

Moved him to quarantine, medicated with Furan 2 - Cleared up the infection but the blindness was permanent. Moved him back to the tank, initially he would come to the surface and I could feed him by placing it in front of his mouth. He was eating at first but it's been hard getting him to eat and I think I'm going to lose him.

When the I first saw his eye one morning, I looked up eye issues and ich and there was a possibility that the trophont had entered the eye. The other possibility was the flashing scratched the eye and caused the secondary infection on his eye and the advice was to keep up water quality and treat the ich (which I did).

Either way, from experience I will with treat antibiotics if it happens because it's nearly impossible to tell if it's an infection or not and the blindness is permanent - you may lose the fish.

Good luck with your Apisto!

[Imi Statue]

Sorry to hear he's perm damaged. Blindness issues along with tumors are probably the worst, as they almost never end well.