Cloudy Eye? Or Fish cataracts???

Hey everyone! So, first things first, I'm happy to announce that I just recently got married! I went to WAY upstate New York to get married, since a lot of Kelly's (my wife!) family lived there, and I thought the scenery would look so much better up there!

Anyway, I'm happy to report that none of my fish died during my absence, but they did look a little starved, since I put them on a "one-meal-a-day" diet, while I was gone (automatic feeder), lol!

Unfortunately, my Lethrinops Intermedius has something wrong with his eyes. I would say that he has cloudy eye, but I could be wrong, becuase instead of the whole eye being cloudy, he has distinct patches of "whiteness" on his eyes, while the unaffected areas look clear. Also, his left eye is outlined in blood (not actively bleeding, but the blood looks to be internal, but showing through the edges of his eyes). Is this cloudy eye? Or aggravated injuries due to other fish being overly aggressive because of the "food shortage"? Or does he have "cataracts" or something?

He still has a fierce appetite, and he's still very active amongst the other fish, and swims around as if nothing is wrong with him. No fin damage that I can see, or any other battle/fight related injuries that is visible.

Should I solo him? Or feed the tank medicated food for a week, and see if his eyes improve? I have metro medicated flake from kensfish.com, and they all seem to enjoy it.

So what do you guys think? I look forward to any and all responses! Thanks in advance!

Don't risk it .... Isolate him to be safe ..... Congrats on the marriage ..... Best piece of marital advice about hobbies I ever got "it is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to beg permission "




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Acpape0 said:

Don't risk it .... Isolate him to be safe ..... Congrats on the marriage ..... Best piece of marital advice about hobbies I ever got "it is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to beg permission "


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Haha, I think that "advice" applies to relationships in general!

Couldve been a water issue, how long were you away for? I'd start by changing water I've had fish with eye issues that were non contagious others can be either way clean water is the best thing. If its possible to give him a break in lone tank I would just to be safe. Salt is also very good if you use enough.

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cichlidaddicted said:

Couldve been a water issue, how long were you away for? I'd start by changing water I've had fish with eye issues that were non contagious others can be either way clean water is the best thing. If its possible to give him a break in lone tank I would just to be safe. Salt is also very good if you use enough.

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I did numerous partial water changes (about 1 every other day) the week before I left. I was gone 15 days. And I'm getting ready to do more water changes now that I'm back. I programmed my feeder to feed only once a day to minimize polluting the water.

Yes, I do want to catch him and put him in my hospital tank, but my 110 gal high tank, with a HUGE holey rock decoration that can only move 3 inches in either way before it hits the side of the tank, will make it very difficult to catch him. And I fear if I spend too long trying to net him, it will only stress him out even more and aggravate whatever is going on with his eyes. But if his condition worsens anymore, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and try to catch that rascal.

Sometimes its easier if you try to get them out at night. You could also try to find something to use as a divider I use a fluorescent light cover. Basically white plastic mesh, it Would take days to catch a fish without it. If you go away again consider only feeding every other day or even 2-3 times a week. Your water will stay much better. The fish can go a week or two without food and you won't have to worry about your water quality. I used to worry about not feeding but I've learned the benifits. Water quality is far more important.

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cichlidaddicted said:

Sometimes its easier if you try to get them out at night. You could also try to find something to use as a divider I use a fluorescent light cover. Basically white plastic mesh, it Would take days to catch a fish without it. If you go away again consider only feeding every other day or even 2-3 times a week. Your water will stay much better. The fish can go a week or two without food and you won't have to worry about your water quality. I used to worry about not feeding but I've learned the benifits. Water quality is far more important.

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Any automatic feeders you recommend? I'm using an Eheim Everyday Feeder, and the lowest frequency I can set it at is once a day.


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What is your water quality, anyhow? Everyone is saying "Could be a water quality issue," but no one has asked that question. Have you tested the water?

It could also just be an injury, in which case it'll heal on its own.

JLW said:

What is your water quality, anyhow? Everyone is saying "Could be a water quality issue," but no one has asked that question. Have you tested the water?

It could also just be an injury, in which case it'll heal on its own.

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It has been a long time since I updated this, but to catch everyone up, my Leth. Intermed. is making a full recovery! I do suspect that it was an injury, either from another fish, or from me unintentionally spooking him and making him crash into the rock decorations. I come home at midnight every night, and by then the tank lights are off, and usually my wife is already upstairs and all the lights downstairs are off as well (where my tank is). So when I come home and throw on the lights, sometimes my fish get spooked. I've installed dimmers on almost all my light switches downstairs so I can keep the lights low when I turn them on at night, as to not disturb the fish. But sometimes I forget to check the dimmer for the lowest setting, and sometimes I full on blast my fishes with "daylight" and it scares them and they go darting everywhere.

So, I think that's what happened to my Leth. Intermed.. The red around his eye is completely gone, and that cloudiness I was reporting is gone as well, but he does have a few lingering specks, but I think those will clear as well as time goes on.

To answer your question about my water quality, I do 50% water changes at least weekly, if not twice a week. Ammonia and nitrite at 0. The highest I've seen my nitrates before a water change is 20-25ppm, and that doesn't happen often. Although, I am having a problem with algae, due to the location of the tank in my house. Don't blame me, blame my wife, but the only way she would let me have an aquarium is if we put it in the dining room next to two windows that get A LOT of sunshine. Despite my best efforts to tell her that we're just begging for an algae problem putting the tank next to the window like that, she still wanted it that way. If you look at my avatar, you'll notice just how white my sand is and how white my holey rock is.......if you saw my tank now, you'd think I was neglecting maintenance on it, lol. My wife now sees the error of her decision, and she's willing to compromise, she's going to buy blackout curtains that will stay drawn, unless we're expecting company. To her credit though, that tank in the dining room is AWESOME! It really does bring the room together. And when we have guests, they just can't stop staring at the fish! It's definitely the main topic of discussion at dinner!