Striped Raph

[fishguy1978]

Have you tested your water?

Yes

If I did not test my water...

1. ...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

If I do not change my water...

1. ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

Eyes are cloudy and red hue under skin.
Tested pH and nitrate.
Stressor

Other tank mates include two more male tapajo and more raph's.

 

[anitstuk123]

Are those brine shrimp swimming with them? I'm not sure what could be happening to your striped Raph but you could try a different food source for a bit to see if there is a difference.

 

[fishguy1978]

Are those brine shrimp swimming with them? I'm not sure what could be happening to your striped Raph but you could try a different food source for a bit to see if there is a difference.

Tapajo fry

 

[Deadeye]

thebiggerthebetter Fishman Dave

 

[tlindsey]

Whatever you do don't add nothing to the aquarium such as meds because of your Tapajos fry.

 

[svtim]

my stripped ralph is about 7 years old and the eyes look identical to yours and have been for awhile.

 

[fishguy1978]

Whatever you do don't add nothing to the aquarium such as meds because of your Tapajos fry.

They spawn regularly and I already have a batch that I stole. This batch may get pulled for feed.

 

[fishguy1978]

Pulled to hospital. This one is a CL rescue that had some slight red hue when I first obtained it. None of the other raph's show any distress.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

The reddishness and the cloudy eyes can be pretty inconclusive and may not be related. As I said in your thread, I personally would just be wary and observe closely. If the fish feeds well and behaves normal, there isn't much to worry about right now then.

As you stated this is a rescue from Craigslist, so the prior history and care are unknown. It probably came with cloudy eyes. If it came with clear eyes and they turned cloudy in your tank, then I'd be a bit concerned. Perhaps the prior keeper kept it in low pH water, while yours is on the high side, but really cloudy eye is very non-descript kind of a symptom it seems and the root causes can be numbered in dozen or dozens.

The reddishness could be from what it was fed before or also from a big change in water chemistry, albeit this is a pretty weak speculating, I'd say.

 

[Fishman Dave]

Agree with the above. Could be a number of reasons including,
Water chemistry, ph is high and may have been from an acid tank although problems usually occur going the other way too quickly.
Could be arguing over space with other fish causing superficial bruising / damage.
Could have got itself stuck in decor and only just released itself.
Could be that the Tapajos have been overly protective and bullying, especially if there are other male tapajos in the tank and the pair are protecting fry.
Could be an allergy or reaction to a change in food.
Could be a mix of the above but could be something else altogether. As it’s out now try getting the water to neutral, just the one piece of lose fitting decor for it to use and monitor condition for a week or so.