Eye disease

Question
Hi,
Over the last weekend while we were out of town our filter in our 10 gallon tank broke. The tank was already in need of a regular cleaning so you can imagine how cloudy the water was when we returned. We changed the water 3 times before it was clear again. We also changed the rocks and plants to prevent an algae problem. In the process, I noticed our Orange Telescope's left eye was cloudy and slighlty deflated. Over the last few days it has gotten much worse, and it seems as though his eye is decaying away. There is a rather large open hole behind his eye where you can see into the socket. His behavior hasn't changed at all and he is eating normally. In fact, it doesn't seem to bother him at all, but I am really worried about it. What could this be? This can't be normal can it? We have one other orange/silver/black spotted fantail with him in the tank. She is completely normal. Please help! Thank you very much, Amanda  

Answer
Good afternoon Amanda, thanks for your question.

That is some bad luck. A similar thing happened to me when I told a friend to feed my fish tanks over a long weekend. Turns out she got sick and couldn't come, so she sent her grandparents instead. They fed so much that the whole tank bottom had an inch thick layer of flakes on it! I had to act fast, so I transferred everyone and cleaned all four tanks in a hurry. I was just so grateful that nobody died.

I am really sorry to hear about your goldfish. Maybe you could make the most of this situation by upgrading to a bigger tank. Your two goldfish are going to need 10 gallons all to themselves to live healthy lives. They are quite long-lived, you know! So it would be worth it for you to invest in a 29 gallon tank about now, or at least a 20 gallon tank. You can still keep your 10 gallon tank and use it as a hospital tank for treating your telescope goldfish.

As you can imagine, telescope goldfish have sensitive eyes that are vulnerable to disease and injury. It might have injured its eye on something, but more than likely it is experiencing popeye, a secondary bacterial infection. You can treat with antibiotics, but I would try a natural remedy first, such as salts. Use aquarium salt at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. Then dissolve 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt in two cups of dechlorinated water and add this to the tank.

Make sure your filter media is rinsed or replaced, if it is the disposable kind. Add some fresh carbon (carbon/zeolite mix would be best) to the tank to help with any ammonia spikes you may be experiencing. Since things are a little touch and go right now, I would be testing your water once a day. You should not be detecting any ammonia or nitrites - this is toxic to fish, and must be tapered with water changes and/or emergency ammonia neutralizer such as Prime - and you should be seeing readings of under 20 ppm nitrate.

If you feel the need to medicate, Maracyn I and II would be my suggestion, but I would not do this in the main tank as it will damage the beneficial bacteria colonies that are trying to stay alive in spite of all of the sudden water changes! I am sure this whole experience has shown you that a little bit of regular maintenance will go a long way. It's the old adage: an ounce of prevention...

So from now on, perform at least a 20% water change weekly - in fact, I would up this to 30% or 40% since you are overstocked right now. Three or four gallons of water is not too cumbersome to change. Rinse your filters every week in the tank's own water until they are ready for replacement, again, if they are disposable. And be careful with feeding! Goldfish are gluttonous, they beg for snacks all day, but they should really only receive two light feedings daily.

I am sorry to say that if your fish recovers, it sounds like he is going to be permanently blind in one eye. If it is any consolation, telescope goldfish have poor vision as it is. Here's an article that talks about their eyesight:

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/universal-viewid203.html

Your priority right now, of course, is to get the tank stable again by keeping the water as clean as possible and testing the water frequently. This, along with the salt treatment (you can add back the salts proportionately after each water change, but don't salt for more than a week) should help speed your pet's recovery. Continuous good care will ensure he lives a long life, as he would in nature!

Good luck and happy holidays to you.
Nicole