Catfish

Teammuir1

here goes.. I have noticed that my catfish is now staying up on the glass
and he has some sort of spot on his eye....?????
he normally hides.. and stays out of site..
but here recently ( YESTURDAY ) he has been staying out and
in the return line water stream against the glass....
If anyone knows what this could be PLEASE let me know...
here is a pic of him.

Attached Images

cat fish eye a.JPG (52.0 KB, 32 views)

Angel079

As you see the fish better then me on the picture...compare it with post no 4 here the cloudy eyes Freshwater and Saltwater Diseases

Twistersmom

Can you give us some more details.... The more info, the better

What size tank?
Test results for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?
How long has the tank been setup?
Have you recently used any medication and/or salt?

Teammuir1

OK.. sorry I have not posted till now but we have been out and about today...
thanks for the replys...
fist off the water perameters are just fine....
I tested everything yesturday....
I can do a water change but what difference will that make
if I have no problems with the water????
This of course is not my first tank and this tank has been set
up now for almost 5 mths !!!!

are there any other suggestions?

bettababy

That appears to be the beginnings of a fungal infection from what the picture shows. It could have happened from an injury. In order to be of much help I am going to need more information.
I am assuming this is the 75 gallon community tank?
What other fish are in that tank? (please list species and how many of each, and approximate sizes)
What are your water params for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH?
What is the water temp?
How often do you perform water changes? How much water each time?
What type of filtration is in the tank?
Live plants in that tank?
What type of substrate is in that tank?
How long has this tank been set up?
When was the last fish added?
Do you have a quarantine tank available?

The more info you can provide about that tank the easier it will be for me to find a safe and effective treatment plan for you.

1077

When you say water parameters are fine, You offer next to nothing for those that might be able to help you. What you call fine, may or may not be.
Water quality or lack thereof,is primary factor in 80 to 90 percent of all fish health issues. Water changes always benefit the fish by reducing /diluting all dissolved organics,along with any toxins that may be present. Water changes also provide minerals that fishes need and help to keep your pH stable.
Is hard to even guess what could be affecting the fish without the info asked for before posting in tropical fish disease or emergency section of this forum.
Will say that there appears to be damage to the fishes side and gill cover in addition to the eye problem. As mentioned,water quality may be not as fine as you think.

Teammuir1

I am just over whelmed at your statements.
I started writing this reply and STOPPED myself in mid stream because it sounded very
diragatory.....
.. when someone states that water parameters are fine YOU can only assume that they have checked the Ammonia levels , Nitrate levels , Nitite levels, and the Ph... now besides checking the Hardness of the water itself = KH and the GH.
I AM NOT SURE THERE IS A TEST KIT OUT THERE that TESTS TOXINS that you SPEAK OF... so if there is PLEASE EDUCATE ME .........
then you as a person looking in can only deduct that he or she has checked the quality of the water.


so lets break down what you just said.....
WHEN ANYONE ON THIS FORUM asks about their fish thats the fist thing
that someone says " WELL whats your water parameters?
IF I GIVE YOU AMONIA levesl = 0 ppm
NITRITE levels = 0 ppm
NITRATE levels = 0ppm
and the PH level is right at 8.0 ( Can see that this tank had Crushed Shell for Substrate, so that buffers the PH level and keeps it steady 8.0 between regular water changes.)
water temp..... 80.6 degrees ( use Digital Thermometer in all my tanks )
these numbers which that is what they are then your telling me that your satisfied..?????
but If I tell you that my water parameters are ok then your telling me " VAGLEY " that
it does not tell you much.... well thats plain silly.......MOST people that have posted more than
200 times on this forum should know how to check there water quality....and if a person tells
you that their water checks out " OK " then you can only deduct from that, that they have
checked the basics.....
SO know I am putting you on the spot..... PLEASE tell me about another TEST KIT that
checks TOXINS..... and what TOXINS you speak of?

I see so many times people POSTING ON THIS FORUM and other FORUMS silly comments just
to get a posting number. EXAMPLE.... just yesturday I posted about identifying a couple of
fish... and one posts on there
WELL I am not a cichlid person so I cant do you much help... ( WHY THE HECK even POST anything then? ) I know why Just to add to their Number of Posts......

SO I hope you reply back with a substancial answere.... for my Water Quality and so called Toxin Problem......

Thanks
Ron

bettababy

Ron,
Before things get too heated here, there is a good reason for needing exact numbers. First and foremost, it is vital to check for any traces of ammonia and nitrite, and to know how high nitrate is before medications can be administered. Traces of ammonia and/or nitrite that may be acceptable to some people as "fine" can turn a specific medication lethal. Secondly, pH plays a huge factor when working with medications as well. Some medications cannot be used within specific pH ranges for safety's sake. The answers are also not always in the individual numbers but in how those numbers correlate to each other. What one person may find as "acceptable" may not be safe for specific situations (such as meds as I mentioned) and it also gives us a better idea of what else to look for.

I see that your nitrate reading is listed as 0. So, again I must ask how long this tank has been set up, along with what test kits you are using? An established tank with animals in it and food going into it should be showing "some" level of nitrate, even if it is low. With 0 nitrate we are left to wonder... does that mean the tank is not cycled? In which case ammonia and nitrite spikes can then be expected.

I asked what type of substrate is in the tank, along with what other fish? Substrate affects not only water chemistry but some animals, such as scaleless catfish, can be injured by some types of substrate. We are attempting to trace the source of the problem because that plays a huge part in treatment of the problem. If we can't identify a source, even if treatment is administered, there is no way to ensure that the problem won't return.

Knowing what other fish are in the tank is vital before meds can be considered because not all medications are safe for all fish species. Without knowing the other fish in the tank, someone could suggest a medication safe for the sick fish but in the process that medication may wipe out another fish... or entire species of fish in the same tank.

All of the questions asked here are standard and valid. Please be aware that diagnosing illness and disease in any animal, but especially in fish, is difficult and sometimes near impossible when doing it via internet. People are here to offer help and some just to offer support. Please do not turn this into something offensive. There is no need for that. FF is a very friendly forum with some good advice and lots of attention to issues. Our goal is to help each other and to help the animals.

If you were to call an aquatic vet and ask for help via phone or internet, you would go through this same list of questions, and as those get answered, that will lead to others. If you still want help I am here to offer that, but I do need the info to the questions I asked before I can advise anything.

bettababy

An afterthought I feel I should add here... as far as toxins go... ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all toxins.

Teammuir1

First and for most here is were I messed up....
I posted this same issue 2 times.. once on the thread
I have were its the DIY 180 gallon tank.
then posted here as well and here You all do not
know that its a 180 gallon or what all is in the tank.

But that does still not excuse the comments about
water parameters.....
So I will add more to this......
This tank is a 180 gallon tank with crushed Shell for substrate.
this tank has already seen its cycle... ite been up and running
now for about 3 mths.
This tank was not set up with all new substrate... ( meaning )
this tank is used and when I picked up I saved the crushed
Shell and the bacteria in it... so the tank actually cycled much
faster than normally if it were all NEW.
This tank has Mostly Cichlids in it.

I have just finished another 55 Gallon water change.. using Prime
as a Conditioner.