4 year old Giraffe cat suddenly sunken eyes help!

SublimizeD

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 19, 2019
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Have you tested your water?
Yes
If yes, what is your ammonia?
0 ppm
If yes, what is your nitrite?
0 ppm
If yes, what is your nitrate?
5 ppm
If I did not test my water...
...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.
Do you do water changes?
Yes
What percentage of water do you change?
71-80%
How frequently do you change your water?
Every week
If I do not change my water...
...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.
He’s the only fish in the tank with symptoms. All other fish are normal. Just did a large water change a few days ago and my current parameters are what they should be. Any advice would be appreciated
IMG_9943.jpeg
 

cockroach

Goliath Tigerfish
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Jul 28, 2005
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I don't think the eye issue is the first issue. This fish seems to have growths on the head and dorsal area as well as some kind of infection on the flanks. I don't know if just the pic, but the tail seems to have an issue along the back edge as well.

Remove, quarantine and give some serious TLC to it.
 

kno4te

MFK Moderator
Staff member
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Dec 24, 2005
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Would move to a quarantine tank like cockroach mentioned. Add some salt 1 tsp per g and make sure it’s eating.
 

SublimizeD

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 19, 2019
10
5
8
29
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I don't think the eye issue is the first issue. This fish seems to have growths on the head and dorsal area as well as some kind of infection on the flanks. I don't know if just the pic, but the tail seems to have an issue along the back edge as well.

Remove, quarantine and give some serious TLC to it.
for some context I found him stuck behind the back glass and a piece of wood. He only began swimming again once I moved the wood. I’ve dosed with salt and did a small WC with stress coat
 

koltsixx

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Feb 13, 2007
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First, I want to say I'm no expert, but I'll give my opinion based on my own experiences and limited knowledge base. I agree with cockroach cockroach and kno4te kno4te , quarantine if possible but the cat looks pretty rough which means whatever it has, has probably spread to other tankmates.

In the pic there appears to either be free floating particles or perhaps planaria on the glass? Neither of which would be positive sign. I'm not sure due to the quality of the pic.

The fish appears to be covered in as cockroach said growths, The picture makes it hard to tell but it could possibly be ich. The over saturation of light but lack of detail/blur in the pic makes it hard for me to discern. Also, as cockroach mentioned there is an injury on the cats flank. Possibly caused by the cat scratching/flicking/flashing due to the irritation of the growths on it's skin. Or from it trying to hide with more gusto than usual because it's sick causing it to scratch itself by wedging between decor, etc.

As for the sunken eyes, I'm sorry but that's the worst case of sunken eyes I've personally seen. In my experience and from what I've gleamed over the years online it's usually a death sentence. It can have many causes all of which are pretty bad such as secondary infections, dehydration, etc. All of which usually means the primary cause has advanced to a deadly point.

The cat hiding and not moving till you forced it from its hiding spot while typical for many cats is also typical for a very sick fish. They are wild animals and being sick makes them a prime target for predators so they instinctively hide signs of disease first and when they can't any longer hide themselves.

One more thing of special note is that cats tend to be more sensitive to treatments than other fish, even salt. They make up for it by being in my experience hardier than many fish.
 

SublimizeD

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 19, 2019
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One more thing of special note is that cats tend to be more sensitive to treatments than other fish, even salt. They make up for it by being in my experience hardier than many fish.
that last bit actually makes sense. I dosed the tank with salt to help my arowana that jumped. It helped the arowana but a few days after the salt dose the cat was found like this. These could be connected.
 
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