black moore eye care

Question
I have had my tank for over 2 years and my black moores are probably 2 months to the fresh water tank.  One of my moores eye yesterday is white.  Is this a sign of ich?  Or is there something else wrong with my fish?  And if you have an idea what should I treat him/her with  

Answer
Hi Stephanie;

Ich shows itself as tiny white pin dots that look like salt. Your moor has probably injured itself on something. It is quite common with those big-eyed guys. All it takes is a bump or scrape and it can get sore. It helps to keep the water very clean in order to avoid infection. Make a water change of 25% once a week and vacuum the gravel every week or two. Goldfish are pretty messy guys without even trying so they need good maintenance to stay healthy.

Watch to see that the eye isn't getting any worse in the next couple of days. Use aquarium salt to help support the slime coat and help prevent infection. Melafix is good for that too and both are excellent to keep on hand in case of emergency. They can be used together. If the eye keeps getting worse he may need an antibiotic. Check out what the local fish store has and look at the labels for the symptoms your fish has.

It would also be helpful to have your aquarium water tested just to be sure there isn't something lurking that needs attention. Have the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tested. Get them to write down the actual readings of each so you have a reference point. Don't let them tell you it's "okay" or that something is "off". You want numbers. Let me know if anything looks weird and we can go from there.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins