cloudy eye?

[clarkiiboi]

I have a coral beauty about 4 in. long (for 3 months). I have noticed it "scratching" on the LS ALOT! for about two weeks, I thought hummm Ich, but no signs of that. Looked today and now it has a cloudy eye (on the side it was scratching LS with). Moved to Hospital tank treating with copper (per LFS recomendation). What is this? Is copper the treatment of choice? and what do I do with the main tank, is it contagious?
Tank: 75 gallon, 4 blue devil damsels, 1 orange (looks white to me) damsel, 1 scooter blenny, 3 anenomies, 80-90 lbs LR, DSB (all live when added), a few turbo snails.
Thanks

 

[beth]

Well, I would not have begun a copper treatment wo even knowing what the problem is. The LFS is suspecting ich. The fish is symptomatic for ich, but I would have used hyposalinity treatment rather than copper. Hyposalinity would work very well for ich and it certianly does not have the toxicity of copper. Additionally, you would have been in a much better position to treat the fish with antibiotics, if the eye problem develops into an infection.
Have you added any new fish in to your tank resently?

 

[clarkiiboi]

Beth, I confused you. I thought because of the initial scratching on the sand that it May be ich, but it is not ich (no spots and its been a few weeks and I do know what it looks like, 25 years FW). So I continued to watch the CB and just yesterday I saw the cloudy eye, which is on the same side that the CB always scratches into the sand, I have had this CB for about 3 months and the tank has been up for 6, and the CB has been fine. I called the LFS and told her it had a cloudy eye, never mentioned ich, and she said put into my hospital tank and treat with copper. I also have a 30 QT available and running, so if I need to put into that tank (free of copper) how do I go about that? I dont want to shock the CB anymore or I may get an ich breakout on top of this. The salt level in the QT is 1.009, I did this because of all that I have read about true hypo, is this ok? Just let me know how and if I should move out of the hospital tank (with copper)and should I have the salt that low. What antiboitics to use? Sorry so long I just dont want to lose the fish, And now I could kick myself for what I did. Thanks for the help, I hope this clarified.

 

[clarkiiboi]

Thanks twtrojan, I will leave the CB in the hosp. tank and raise the salinity in the QT tank for further additions. So it is ok to leave my CB in the hosp. tank and monitor the copper? I honestly dont think its ich, like I said I got 25 years in FW, but I still could be wrong, but definately has a cloudy eye--- seems to look larger than the other. I heard of pop eye (sp) is that a factor seeing that I am not familiar with this? To this point it just looks cloudy and he/she is acting normal. And as with the QT I never used it before and if I were I would acclimate, is this still to low of salinity? Was thinking if I got a new fish I would "kick" anything it may/may not of had.

 

[clarkiiboi]

I am not using that type of copper, and I dont want to harm the fish so does this sound ok to do---get my QT tank salinity up to match the hosp. tank, which is where the CB is right now. Then once the salt is up to the same as the hosp. tank, catch the CB and add to the QT where it will be free of copper and I can then go from there and lower the salinity to hypo over the next few days. If this is ok (seems like the same as going from main tank to hosp. tank) should I start an antibiotic treatment just to be safe? And is ok not to finish the cycle of copper and move the CB? Thanks all.

 

[clarkiiboi]

Thank you all. I know what I need to do now, will begin to get things started tomorrow. Thanks again.......

 

[jdl/dayton]

Thus far it sounds like nothing is being done for the bacterial infection. Could be from accidentally scratching the eye or a secondary bacterial infection.
I personally do not like using copper due to the inherent toxicity issues.
I would use a 2 pronged stratagy of Hyposalinity and the antibiotic Kanamycin Sulfate. Sold as Spectragram or the generic version Kanacyn. Might be available under other names. Just look for the active ingredient Kanamyacin Sulfate.