Cloudy Eye On Regal Blue Tang

[coralbeauty]

Every few months, maybe three times in the past year, my regal blue tang will get a cloudy film on his eye. His eye also becomes a little swollen. He act relativily normal, maybe a little more skiddish. However, I think he can not see as well, so he gets a little scared. It normally clears up in two to three days. Each time I have feed him a little antibotic laced food. However, I am not sure that is a good idea, and I have not started that treatment this time. I think he might just be scratching it on the rocks when he sleeps.
Does anyone else have this problem?
Should I go ahead and treat him with antibotics in case it is early pop-eye?
Thanks for your help and advice,
Connie
PS: I can not post water parameters at this time since I am in Texas on business and my family is reporting this to me. (I have asked them to do the noraml tests and report back.) I did test the water about 36 hours ago, before I left, and everything was normal and excellent.

 

[beth]

You are on the right track in terms of a diagnosis. This is most likely a bacterial eye infection that could develop into full course pop-eye. The medicated food you are giving has probably supressed the infection but not quite enough to get rid of it. Frankly, in my experience with eye infection, once a fish has it, they are always prone to get it from time to time. If you can treat with the food, go ahead it do this as long as it works. You might try treating with the food for a full 2 wks rather than stopping it as soon as the situation improves.
If the food is not working, as it may not because bacterial infection is developing immunity to repeated courses of food antibotics, then I'd suggest going to actual antibotic treatment.
And, yes, your fish will have a hard time seeing with a cloudy eye and repeated problems could end up in blindness [in that eye]. You difinately don't want this to develop into pop-eye, cause then the fish will be permanently deformed in that eye.

 

[coralbeauty]

Thanks Beth!
I instruct the crew at home to begin the antibotic treatment. He readily eats the stuff, so I will complete a full two week course.
Connie

 

[beth]

You may want to add Zoecon supplement to the food if you can find it at your lfs or online. It seems to work very well for tangs---which tend to have various health problems anyway.

 

[coralbeauty]

The report from Portland (home) is that after one feeding of antibotics the eye is back to normal! (I am still in Texas, I leave in the morning) I am going to complete a two week course, and see if I can keep if from reoccurring.
Thanks again Beth. I soak their seaweed select in Zoecon everyday. I have had this fish for two years. I love him and he is beautiful, but he makes me crazy! I know it is the nature of tangs.
Thanks so much for your advice. I really do get stressed out over this fish more than any of my others. (For good reason!)
Connie