Pop Eye? What to do??

aredmon

Member
Hello.
I have a 75gal.
Readings
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0 or 5 (hard to tell)
PH 8.4
I have a FOWLR but only 13lbs of LR. Tank inhabitints are:
1 clown
1 firefish
1 4 stripe damsel
1 CC star
1 Cleaner shrimp
snails and hermits and a crab
I noticed yesterday that my firfish was MIA. I couldn't find him anywere. So yesterday was feeding day so when I dropped the food in he came out. My feeling of comfort soon turned to
again when I noticed his eye was kind of buldging out and what looked like a sore spot on the back rim of his eye. I put a stonger powerhead in the tank because I only had one little one before. The fifrfish seems to be having a hard time with this and is always huffing and puffing. I wonder if the powerhead didn't blow him into a rock or something. Should I QT him or just let it heal on its own. It is not clowdy and the pop eye doesn't seem to severe. I have never dealed with this before for I am new and they just got to go back in the tank about a month ago after being QT for ick. Please help.
:help: :help: :help: :help: :help:
 

unleashed

Active Member
well fist question is the power head hanging on the side panel of the tank blowing across the tank?if so place the powerhead on the back wall facing the front .if its already placed in this position and blowing your fish around i would get a less powerful powerhead.as for the popeye its very possible your fish was injured due to being blown about.personallly i would treat the tank with melafix for a few days just to help keep infection away and promote healing.but if left alone without treatment it may also heal in time.ps i noticed you hadnt posted Sg if that is on the very low side it could be a contributing factor in the cause
 

aredmon

Member
I am sorry. My sg is 1.025. If I use the med you said do I have to qt him or is that stuff safe on inverts?
 

aredmon

Member
Thank you. My other fish don't seem to have a problem with the new added flow. Just the firefish. The clown is a litte bigger than the firefish but the damsel is smaller. I will try positioning the powerheads how you described. Thank you again. BTW will my other fish get sick. I am 90% sure they will not get anything from the firefish but I am not sure so I have to ask. Thank you again!!!!!!!!!!!
 

unleashed

Active Member
yes its safe for corals and inverts I have used it many of times with good results.in fact I add it to my tanks when ever I add a new fish to my main tanks to reduce stress I have practiced this for 4 yrs without any problems
 

aredmon

Member
Ok.

I woke up this morning to find my firefish dead in the clutches of my cleaner shrimp. I pulled him out to look at him and the eye that had pop eye was missing and the whole contents of his head had been pulled out through the eye hole. His head looked like a molt. A perfect replica of him but see through and empty. It was weird. What could have caused my firefish such a sudden nasty death? I wouldn't think the pop eye. It wasn't that bad. Not near anything anyone else has described. I can now safetly say I have about $100 worth of fish down the toilet.

Thank you for any help you may provide.
 

unleashed

Active Member
very sorry for your losss
unfortunatly this a big part of this hobby always hard to deal with but a def part of it.
 

aredmon

Member
Thank you. My real concern is what killed the poor little fishy? I am afraid to get anymore fish if it is something in the tank picking them off but the other 2 seem to be fine.
 
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