Ok sorry about last night, had some minor drama to deal with, which took a lot longer than expected. Short version - zebra wedged herself in a crevice a tad too small, even for her to wiggle out of, had to get in and deal with it. Anyways, moving on to your fish, well... This is definitely a problem. From the picture you provided, I am looking at a Juvenile, Harlequin Sweetlips,(Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides) correct? Your little buddy has some serious infections taking over here. From the looks of your picture, it's clear that pop-eye is severe, and the "something wrong with his head" that you were talking about - - I am taking it you mean the white cottony growths spread over the head? - - well this appears to be a pretty pronounced example of a fungal infection, more specifically Saprolegnia. Fungal infections are nearly always birthed as secondary infections to a primary injury or ailment. Pop-eye, or more accurately - Exophthalmia.. (Unilateral if it is only that eye), is not an actual disease in and of itself, but actually is more of a symptom which is usually always brought on by blunt trauma to the eye, or scratches from decor, or pecking from tank-mates. Occasionally - though not rarely, just not as often, exophthalmia is caused as a secondary condition or "symptom" to a bacterial infection - stemming from an internal aggressor, and in some situations, an injury can be further inflamed, causing exophthalmia by factors such as diminished water quality - all injuries are subject to secondary infections, and if not kept in pristine conditions, away from more aggressive tank mates, who induce stress and might further traumatize the wound, you can expect to battle a secondary infection. It is important that you note that you are not actually treating the "pop-eye", but are more accurately, treating and correcting the initial source of concern - being either an innitial injury or bacterial infection. For example - when you get a cold virus, you may also show symptoms of chest congestion and a runny nose. Your chest congestion and runny nose are not the cold virus, and you are not fighting your runny nose (your tissues are, but not you, lol), you are fighting the cold virus. A runny nose/congestion is a secondary condition - or symptom - brought on by the presence of the virus and your body's reaction to such. You may think you are taking medication to kill the cold, but really all that medication is doing, is alleviating some of the discomfort of your symptoms of that virus, it is not actually doing anything to the virus, no matter what it claims, the virus has to run its course..... Same is true with pop-eye. Pop-eye is not the "virus" you are fighting, but rather a symptom you need to address to alleviate discomfort, the possibility of secondary infections, and potentially long lasting to permanent membrane damage (Resulting in blindness, partial or total). But what is really key, is figuring out what brought on the pop-eye - was it a bump, scratch or nick from something within the tank, or was it an injury caused by another tank mate, OR, are we looking at a bacterial infection. It's already apparent that a fungal infection has bred, which too is point for concern, and needs to be addressed initially as we figure this out.
Time to freak out? - Not necessarily, but you do need to be ready to act quickly. I have a few questions that I really need answered before I decide on the treatment to recommend. There are a few ways to battle these situations, all of them relatively simple and quite effective if caught in time - - but treatments vary with severity, accompanying symptoms, and original source of the problem, so I need to make sure we cover our bases.
Some questions I have are this;
*how long has this eye been bulged,
*when did it become opaque,
*was it clear at first, or
*did the cloudiness of the eye accompany the initial bulging,
*is it just this eye that is infected, or both,
*are there any other tank-mates who are exhibiting any bulging eyes, cottony growths, cloudy eyes, or other physical disturbances,
*what are your water parameters - please provide me with numbers, not "Nitrates are good, ammonia is fine- etc.",
*Is your sweetlip eating, or has the appetite diminished,
*has there been significant weight loss, or on the flip-side, have you noticed any swelling of the abdomen
*look carefully at the fish, is there any other disturbance you can see - any torn fins, raised scales, bloody streaks through fins, lightening of the gills (From a deep pink to a more grey-ish appearance, or muted coloring), any ulcers present, damaged tissues, and especially - are there any other bumps, bubbles, or raised areas along the body or even in the fins (looking like little bubbles)?
Also if you could take another picture - full body shot - and make it as clear as possible, that would be great. I need to see the whole body. Answer the questions as soon as possible, and I will respond to the information you provide. Right now, I would suggest removing the fish from the display tank, and placing him into a QT/Isolation tank for now, apply 1 tbsp of Epsom Salt per 10 gallons to start (or depending on the size of your QT and your conservativeness - 1 tbsp for 5 gallons, or 1 tsp per gallon), and raise temp slightly, but make sure aeration is high. Also dose with pimafix to address the fungal infection. (Important - if your QT tank is 10gal or larger, do not add more than 1tbsp per 10 gallons - even though 1tbsp for a 5 gallon is acceptable, it is a higher dosage, and if your tank is larger than a 5 gallon, stick with the 10 gallon dose, if smaller, initially go with 1tsp/gal.) Hope you get back with me soon.
Also - in closing I noticed a previous post of yours stating that there was a "slime" covering the body and that your local fish guy gave you some "stuff" for it... Please explain, this is concerning, also Ich does not produce cottony growths, it is a parasite with a defined body, and appears as small white "dots" on the body and fins of the fish, any slime present with Ich is due to the fish's secretion of mucus to try and slough off the parasites - unsuccessful, but an attempt. But slime in other forms is a sign of totally different conditions and needs to be addressed accordingly.
Time to freak out? - Not necessarily, but you do need to be ready to act quickly. I have a few questions that I really need answered before I decide on the treatment to recommend. There are a few ways to battle these situations, all of them relatively simple and quite effective if caught in time - - but treatments vary with severity, accompanying symptoms, and original source of the problem, so I need to make sure we cover our bases.
Some questions I have are this;
*how long has this eye been bulged,
*when did it become opaque,
*was it clear at first, or
*did the cloudiness of the eye accompany the initial bulging,
*is it just this eye that is infected, or both,
*are there any other tank-mates who are exhibiting any bulging eyes, cottony growths, cloudy eyes, or other physical disturbances,
*what are your water parameters - please provide me with numbers, not "Nitrates are good, ammonia is fine- etc.",
*Is your sweetlip eating, or has the appetite diminished,
*has there been significant weight loss, or on the flip-side, have you noticed any swelling of the abdomen
*look carefully at the fish, is there any other disturbance you can see - any torn fins, raised scales, bloody streaks through fins, lightening of the gills (From a deep pink to a more grey-ish appearance, or muted coloring), any ulcers present, damaged tissues, and especially - are there any other bumps, bubbles, or raised areas along the body or even in the fins (looking like little bubbles)?
Also if you could take another picture - full body shot - and make it as clear as possible, that would be great. I need to see the whole body. Answer the questions as soon as possible, and I will respond to the information you provide. Right now, I would suggest removing the fish from the display tank, and placing him into a QT/Isolation tank for now, apply 1 tbsp of Epsom Salt per 10 gallons to start (or depending on the size of your QT and your conservativeness - 1 tbsp for 5 gallons, or 1 tsp per gallon), and raise temp slightly, but make sure aeration is high. Also dose with pimafix to address the fungal infection. (Important - if your QT tank is 10gal or larger, do not add more than 1tbsp per 10 gallons - even though 1tbsp for a 5 gallon is acceptable, it is a higher dosage, and if your tank is larger than a 5 gallon, stick with the 10 gallon dose, if smaller, initially go with 1tsp/gal.) Hope you get back with me soon.
Also - in closing I noticed a previous post of yours stating that there was a "slime" covering the body and that your local fish guy gave you some "stuff" for it... Please explain, this is concerning, also Ich does not produce cottony growths, it is a parasite with a defined body, and appears as small white "dots" on the body and fins of the fish, any slime present with Ich is due to the fish's secretion of mucus to try and slough off the parasites - unsuccessful, but an attempt. But slime in other forms is a sign of totally different conditions and needs to be addressed accordingly.
