Pop eye on Gastromyzon

This forum is for all health-related questions on Loaches and other freshwater fish.

Moderator: LoachForumModerators

Post Reply
jakob
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:30 am

Pop eye on Gastromyzon

Post by jakob » Mon Dec 31, 2018 7:16 am

Hello,

for several days i have been observing and treating an enlarged eye on one of the gastromyzons. It's on one of the biggest ones, and it does not seem to bother him, he is still feisty and shoves others from their preferred rocks and even fighting a sewellia, and has great colours - dark brown with bright spots, shiny blue black fins with reddish margins and all that. There is no evidence of anything wrong on his belly - everything nice and whitish, a nice heartbeat, no ulcers or anything. It's just a slightly enlarged eye, i probably noticed late, because it is only noticeable from the top, where you can see both eyes. It has no patches and does not seem bloated otherwise.
They are a recent acquisition (5), and they share a 120 hillstream tank with 2 sewellia marmorata, 9 sicydiine gobies, 2 other small loaches and two Danios.
What I have done untill now is:
- immediately upon noticing it, i changed between 75-80% of all water
- the i added ~ half a dosage of esha 2000
I hoped this will make it go away, since i persumed it was worsened water quality (i was feednig a bit more, i have two sicyopus and the bigger one does not let smaller one eat, so i was spot feeding them with a pipette, but to do that i had to feed everyone else in the tank untill they left the pipette alone). I also knew that gastromyzon bodies do funny things when they either get sick or the water quality gets bad - that's why i changed so much water (this would not worsen the problem, our tap water is not chlorine treated, and i use water conditioner anyway) - of course i was careful about the temperature (the last batch i did a bit colder to cool the aq from 24 C to 22 C).
I do not havethe measurements of nitrogen compounds (everything expired), but observation of algae, plants and animals tells me, there shouldn't be much nitrogen in the tank.
next day the eye was still enlarged. I continued the esha treatment (half dose).
Yestred day the eye was still enlarged, so i put a full dose of esha.
That brings us to today. I have done a 50% water change.
Should i continue with the esha treatment or use something else (i'm in EU, so antibiotics are difficult to get)? Anything else i should do? Anybody know what it might be except that it's a popped eye?

I really do not want to lose this one - i bought seven, one vanished from the quarantine and was nowhere to be found (the only explanation i have is, the quarantine tank was stood on another sturdy tank, that's always open, and it fell in... but i haven't seen him in to confirm), one climbed out got found a bit later, but he got injured, the wound got infected and it perished (the quarantine tank was tightly closed. the only hole was filled with blue filter foam, but they managed to squeeze out somehow).

I can't take a good photo, they are camera shy - when they see the light, they run.

Bas Pels
Posts: 360
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2013 9:08 am

Re: Pop eye on Gastromyzon

Post by Bas Pels » Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:42 am

As far as I know, a pop eye is mostly bacterial, and as you assumed, this is often due to lack of water quality.

Rapid moving water is most often very poor in dissolved organic matter, hence no large amounts of bacteria can exist. Which made the fish need less defence against them.

In our tanks the levels of this organic matter can easily raise, resulting in too much bacteria.

Quite a lot of Loricarids from these places have trouble growing up in the first, most sensitive stages, precisely because of this.

I had similar problems with cichlids from these environments, which improved dramatically by removing all wood from the tank. Only rocks, and sand, in a tank enxures far less problems for your fish - assuming the come from rapids. Rainforest fish just need the wood.

Further I'd advise changing water as you did, daily 50 % or more,. EshA is an ancient recepy, which will only help for wild-caugt bacteria. Our native ones are all more or less resistent.

I can opnly hope this will help. Popeyes are most often deadly - remember, the eye has a direct nerve to the brain, precisely and that area is now infected….

jakob
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:30 am

Re: Pop eye on Gastromyzon

Post by jakob » Mon Dec 31, 2018 12:32 pm

Thank you - that's what i assumed.

Can you recomend another brand of antibacterial? I know sera is little better than blessed water, i have JBL ektol that's also antibacterial, but ia have a feeling it's also an ancient recipe...I'm tryng it now, with little hope...

If things won't improve, I will visit the veterinarian, maybe he'll give me some antibiotics - which one should I ask for and in what concentration should I administer?

Bas Pels
Posts: 360
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2013 9:08 am

Re: Pop eye on Gastromyzon

Post by Bas Pels » Tue Jan 01, 2019 4:51 am

Honestly, I can't

Partly because I did not have any reason to gain experience with fighting deseases in the last 5 years, but also because before that I decided, after a presentation by a vet, never to use antibiotics for fishes.

The thing is, after I treat the fish with something, the baceria will become more resistent to the stuff - which might resut in me having an incurable infection.

jakob
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:30 am

Re: Pop eye on Gastromyzon

Post by jakob » Tue Jan 01, 2019 12:22 pm

I have never yet use an antibiotic in an aquarium before. For more than one reason i know this to be a bad idea (even if i use it on this one, it will be in a separate tank, which would be disinfected with acetic acid and ethanol). It's also unlikely i will get one for ornamental fish - legally I can't get it without perscription, which i cannot get if I don't bring the animal to the vet...

Anyway, it seems to have gotten a little bit better.

Bas Pels
Posts: 360
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2013 9:08 am

Re: Pop eye on Gastromyzon

Post by Bas Pels » Wed Jan 02, 2019 2:35 am

Getting the fish to the vet is a very bad idea. But perhaps you can get the vet toi the fish?


Most vets know nothing about fishes, and here I really mean nothing, there are vets who don't even realize water can have influence. But you might be Lucky and know a fish vet.

lof
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:39 pm

Re: Pop eye on Gastromyzon

Post by lof » Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:15 am

Look for Microbelift Artemiss it is a herbal anti bacterial formula that could help with your Gastromyzon. Available in Europe as well.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 33 guests