airstone/popeye

[heddy]

i just read on another post that putting an airstone in the tank can give a fish the popeye. please, please tell me that i did not give my fish the popeye he now suffers from......
a little background.... gunther the coral beauty angel was bullied by a blue hippo tang and kole tang. i rescued him to a hospital tank and thought, hmmmm maybe i should make sure there is enough air in the water and put in an airstone.....
3 days later (he looks 100% better by the way) he has one eye popping out..
atleast his fins are growing back...... color looks better too.... the dog bumped the table the tank is on and scared the crap out of the fish and he ran into the landscape in the tank, maybe that did it?
any help or input is appreciated! :help: :help:

 

[nicetry]

Sounds like it was most likely trauma to the eye, specifically the fish striking the rocks. If you netted the fish recently, this may also have caused an abrasion. You also want to check your water parameters in the QT.
Doubtful it was the airstone.

 

[heddy]

thanks - i didnt think it was the airstone, but then again- who knows! any ideas for treatment? he still looks pretty bad (beat up) but is better than when i got him out.... gunther was my first fish ever (age 2)

 

[seannmelly]

popeye is normally b/c of fighting or poor water quality or both... post your parameters
sepultian, where are you????

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by seannmelly
popeye is normally b/c of fighting or poor water quality or both... post your parameters
sepultian, where are you????
LOL I am here. an airstone can cause popeye if it is in the tank all of the time. If this fish just got popeye then I am wondering about the quality of the water. Post your readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, SG, and temp.

 

[heddy]

currently at work, but will post paramaters tomorrow... took water from maintank to fill hospital tank.... main tank is ualways in good condition when i test (weekly).... tried to keep temp same, but stinkin little heater sux and cant keep up, so there a 2-3 degree temp difference from one tank to the other...
why does the airstone do this? is that a stupid question?

 

[beth]

Airstones for the marine hobby is just about worthless and can cause other types of problems both in the aquaria and for fish. A small powerhead will go a long way to improving water quality in a QT. Likely the popeye comes from the bout with the tangs.
Is your QT well established? How bad is the popeye. One thing you have to be aware of with tang fights is there ability to slice during battles with other fish. The slice may go unnoticed due to the sharpness of the tang's spur. If you have a well established QT, with good water movement including powerhead(s), then you can do a round of antibiotic treatment using Maracyn Two for saltwater fish.