another popeye question

[fluval303]

Last saturday night I decided to combine two 20 gallon reef tanks and a fuge into one 55gallon + fuge system. There were 2 damsels in each tank, both tanks were very healthy. I set up the 55 and removed the fish/rock/inverts and placed into containers keeping them submerged. I then scooped out the sand and placed into the 55. I added about 25-30 gallons of the original water and made up new water to fill her up. I cranked up a millenium3000 to clear it up and added the rock..etc... she cleared up overnight... temp was right... water paramaters were perfect... so I added the fish. The smallest damsel was a yellowtail and was very stressed... I caught the largest damsel picking on him... it was too late... his fins were nipped... he had a big white spot on his side... he was hiding in holes in the rock till i found him laying on his side... almost lifeless... i then removed him and he died. meanwhile, the other fish were getting along well... the yellowback which shard the tank with the yellow tail that died was doing well... holding his own with the other 2 fish that were now his tankmates...other than a little territorial chasing... no injuries to the yellowback... his fins are intact... but all in all over that last 4 days, i'd say he was doing fine. TILL TODAY... i woke up to find the yellowback with a case of popeye in both eyes... both other fish are fine... eating... swimmimg... seem happy. the poor yellowback is at the top corner very listless and not being very active. here's the kicker... when my wife originally saw the yellowtail that died in bad condition, before i could stop her... she went and grabbed a statue from one of our freshwater tanks and dropped it in the tank for the little guy to hide in, I flipped out on her as we lost a beautiful betta who got pop eye in that same tank the statue came from. here lyes the delima, I don't know what caused the popeye this time??... what caused it last time?? i had used melafix in the fresh water tank back when we lost the betta... there were no other problems or fish loss... all the fish in the tank still are healthy... now i'm wondering if it's a bacterial issue... other fish picking on him... did my wife ruin my rock and sand?? she was just trying to help the dying fish get away from his agressors, but mad a serious mistake... I never cross water/equipment from tank to tank... should i use melafix in the salt tank?? will it hurt the rock/sand/inverts?? since I just did a 50% water change last weekend when i moved to the 55... should I change water again?? both other damsels seem to be ok... so i suppose it could be injury and not bacterial... for that matter... the betta that died could have been fighting and both cases of popeye could be from injury. Any ideas?? wait and see?? any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Fluval

 

[thomas712]

First of all popeye is a condition which is not normally transfered from one fish to another so you can realax on that part, baring any pathogen that might be present.
Second don't use meds at this point, you need to do a water change.
Third if you use meds you will need to have a Q-Tank to use the meds with, and don't use melafix there are better meds to use.
With disturbing the sandbed you may have fouled your tank thus causing the popeye. Detritus could have come from the rock as well.
The sandbed normally has waste that it is processing, you could have also disturbed the bacteria bed and this is what made your water foul.
I suggest you start out with about a 30% water change using well mixed and aerated water, and get a second one started as well. Do the water change as soon as it is ready. Run fresh carbon and get a skimmer working if you have one.
I suspect the water quality is poor, a common reason for popyeye, also netting a fish can cause it, runing into rocks, fighting..etc...
Thomas