Peanut's Puffy Eyes

[kortniee 452]

Ammonia Level: 0

Nitrite Level: 0

Nitrate level: 40 before water change yesterday

Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines): 8.1, 8dKH, 7dGH

Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines): at least 8.8, 5dKH, 8dKH

Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops? API Drops

Water temperature? currently 78 degrees F

Tank size (how many gals.) and how long has it been running? 20 gallon long, running for 11 months

What is the name and "size of the filter"(s)? AquaClear 50, 200gph

How often do you change the water and how much? weekly, 75-90%

How many days ago was the last water change and how much did you change? Yesterday, 90%

How many fish in the tank and their size? just one Peanut, about 3" minus tail

What kind of water additives or conditioners? Seachem Prime, Seachem Alkaline Buffer

What do you feed your fish and how often? Hikari Lionhead or Omega One pellets, 3x daily. Occasional veggies.

Any new fish added to the tank? Nope.

Any medications added to the tank? Not recently.

List previous issues experienced (dropsy, SBD, etc.) Had some red streaks in his fins and some lost scales 3/14/12 to 5/6/12. These have since healed.

List entire medication/treatment history for fish and tank. Please include salt, Prazi, PP, etc and the approximate time and duration of treatment. Nothing during initial QT because he's an only fish so his whole life is QT. For problems noted above, approx. 1 week of Melafix, followed by 4 weeks of .3% salt and prazi treatment.

Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt," bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? I noticed that Peanut's light eye (his left) has a puffy ring around it, and an odd circle of opacity, not cloudiness, in the center. Even though it's rather extremely puffy, I just noticed it, though it's possible I might've noticed earlier on a non-telescope fish. Upon further examination, it appears that his other eye, the dark right one, is also slightly affected by the puffiness, but not so I'd notice if I didn't have the other eye as an example.

Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.? Peanut is behaving fine. When I was taking a video of him the other day, I noticed he was eating his tubifex in a different way/pattern from usual. He was approaching the food more sideways than head-on. Maybe it was because he was having even more trouble seeing than usual? I don't know. Other than that, he is still the same food-driven, puttering-around-the-tank-tasting-everything Peanut I know and love.

Here are pictures of what I am talking about:

Having never seen it in person, this looks like pop eye to me. But I know far less about disease than I do your average pond pump, so of course I need help here.

My nitrates have been a little higher than I'd like lately (I think the brown algae that I seem to have gotten rid of was eating up the extra), so I've been trying not to feed quite so much, to compensate. The nitrates were even higher than usual this week, and I don't have much of an explanation for that as I have been feeding the same amount for a while. So sadly, the water is not completely pristine, but I am trying to keep it under reasonable control.

I don't think this is a mechanical injury, because both eyes are affected, though one much, much more so than the other. I haven't added any new things to the tank in about two months (at that time I added plants back after his recent other treatments), so I don't think it's something new changing the water chemistry or something like that. It has, however, been extremely hot in my house in the last week or so. With the AC running 24/7, it's still been in the mid-80s in my house during the day, and the tank heats right up with the house. I know Peanut's been not so happy about the increased temperatures, particularly the bit about hot water not holding as much oxygen. I've been trying to keep the water level a tad lower to kick up more bubbles from the filter flow to compensate. The last day or two have been much cooler, so that's hopeful. Maybe this is a combination of a lot of little stresses--a bit less oxygen, a handful too many nitrates, water that's a tad too warm for comfort.

I have some epsom salt. Would this be a good first step? If so, how much do I add, and how do I add it?

[dnalex 13,633]

Hi Courtney,

I'm curious to see what Helen & Koko, among others, have to say about this. For the life of me, I just have major problems deciding if it's popeye in telescopes. The reason I say that is because when their eyes are growing, they also can puff up. I do not think that this is popeye.

Take a look at this thread, and tell me what you think.

http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?/topic/88708-how-can-you-tell-if-a-telescope-has-popeye/

[ashlee18 1,169]

I think it does look like popeye. It doesn't look like any growth rings I have ever seen.

I would do just the epsom for now. At 1/4th teaspoon per 10 gallons of water.

Edit: after looking at the first pic again, which is awesome btw, I change my mind. It does look like a growth ring. The growth rings are closer to the head. Popeye would take up the entire eye. Sorry that I didn't look at it closer the first time.

Edited July 10, 2012 by ashlee18

[kortniee 452]

Hi Courtney,

I'm curious to see what Helen & Koko, among others, have to say about this. For the life of me, I just have major problems deciding if it's popeye in telescopes. The reason I say that is because when their eyes are growing, they also can puff up. I do not think that this is popeye.

Take a look at this thread, and tell me what you think.

http://www.kokosgold...ope-has-popeye/

Hm. I think I looked at that thread (and many others) when I was trying to figure out if it is or is not a problem, but none of the things I saw really looked like what's going on here. So therefore, I post.

Here are the second-string pictures I took, for more information.

Also, what do you make of the little opaque bit in his light eye? As far as I can tell, that is not present in the dark one, though if it were black there's no way I would see it.

[dnalex 13,633]

I forgot. Ashlee also has quite a few teles

As I said before, when it comes to teles and their eyes, I am baffled

If it is decided to be popeyes, then Epsom is at 1/4 teaspoons per 10 gallons, as Ashlee said, and I would only expose him to it for a few days max. I would treat with either Metro-Meds or Medi-Gold, because at least in my experience, salt to 0.3% only delays the inevitable; the popeye comes back shortly after salt was withdrawn.

[amynmitchell 61]

I am terrible at telling with teles as well, but it does look slightly like popeye to me.

[coco 27]

* sending healing vibes / get well soon* peanuts

in the last pic, the eye size difference is most pronouced, also there is a speck of opaqueness in the well eye

Edited July 10, 2012 by coco

[kortniee 452]

I think it does look like popeye. It doesn't look like any growth rings I have ever seen.

I would do just the epsom for now. At 1/4th teaspoon per 10 gallons of water.

Edit: after looking at the first pic again, which is awesome btw, I change my mind. It does look like a growth ring. The growth rings are closer to the head. Popeye would take up the entire eye. Sorry that I didn't look at it closer the first time.

So popeye would mean the whole eye, from the head to the pupil, would have a puffy area around it? I am so confused...

I feel like this looks different from anything I've seen on him before, and his eyes have already done a significant amount of growing. But maybe they didn't grow so fast before or something.

I forgot. Ashlee also has quite a few teles

As I said before, when it comes to teles and their eyes, I am baffled

If it is decided to be popeyes, then Epsom is at 1/4 teaspoons per 10 gallons, as Ashlee said, and I would only expose him to it for a few days max. I would treat with either Metro-Meds or Medi-Gold, because at least in my experience, salt to 0.3% only delays the inevitable; the popeye comes back shortly after salt was withdrawn.

I am also kind of feeling iffy about the salt because we JUST did salt a few months ago; I don't want to be over-salting the Nut. (Or making any bad bugs in the tank okay with salt.)

Thanks, Alex and Ashlee, for the epsom dose info. Do I dissolve it in some tank water like regular salt or do I add it some other way?

I am terrible at telling with teles as well, but it does look slightly like popeye to me.

Hm. Thanks for checking it out for me. I hope it isn't, but if it is, I want to treat it. Maybe some others will stop by with an opinion.

* sending healing vibes / get well soon* peanuts

in the last pic, the eye size difference is most pronouced, also there is a speck of opaqueness in the well eye

Peanut is definitely developing an eye size difference, with or without the puffy parts. I think the opaque bit in the dark eye in that one picture is actually a water spot on the glass. When viewed in person, that eye is uniformly dark in the middle. Thanks for the healing vibes.

[dnalex 13,633]

The Epsom also should be dissolved first in some tank water before adding. Because there is so little of it, it should dissolve nearly instantaneously.

Do you have Metro-Meds or Medi-Gold? I have both, and can send you some.

[kortniee 452]

The Epsom also should be dissolved first in some tank water before adding. Because there is so little of it, it should dissolve nearly instantaneously.

Do you have Metro-Meds or Medi-Gold? I have both, and can send you some.

Thanks, Alex. I don't have either one; I have been so waffley about getting them in the past because I've never needed them and I only have the one fish who, until this spring, was surprisingly healthy. This fall I will embark on a bunch of fish-buying and QTing, though, so maybe I should get some.

[dnalex 13,633]

Well, you can wait until the fall for that. I'll send some out later today.

[kortniee 452]

Thanks, Alex. Hopefully I won't need it.

[haley_tichonuk22 1,157]

Poor nut. I have no advice whatsoever since I really can't tell between popeye and growth rings, but I hope the little one get better

[motherredcap 6,284]

Hope Peanut is feeling better soon!

[koko 14,341]

I would say thats the on set of Popeye. I had two fish that got it, one only had it on one eye. I think Honestly you caught it early.

If it was me and your worried about over salting... I would do the Metro Food for now hun... If we dont see it go down, then add it in... That just me ....

Oh man not Peanut hun...

[kortniee 452]

Hm. Well, I have the epsom salt right now but do not currently have any medicated food. Is a short course of epsom likely to do any harm? If it's not, I think I would like to try that rather than doing nothing. The over-salting I'm worried about is the regular salt (sodium chloride), not epsom (magnesium sulfate).

[Captain Findus Goldfish 272]

I am not sure. It is so hard to see clearly on teles. Right now Mogg has similar eyes. I will take pics of him tomorrow. His swelling is mostly like a donut near the socket.

[Sharkbait3 310]

it's hard to tell.............I know that their eyes do grow at different rates..............one eye will be smaller and the other larger..............but my first thought was on set of pop-eye, Do you have medicated food?................others with more knowledge than I can help you with this............Good luck and fins crossed.

Deb

[dnalex 13,633]

Courtney, go ahead with the Epsom. It won't hurt, and we may have a better idea of what's going on based on the response we see with Epsom. The meds should get to you Friday, or Saturday at the latest.

[kortniee 452]

Will do. Thanks, everyone, for all your help. I appreciate all the advice and opinions.

[ShawneeRiver 2,720]

Good luck. I hope it's a growth thing.

[MissColonel 256]

I am sending healing vibes for sweet Peanut!! He is such a cutie <3

[kortniee 452]

I have added 1/2 tsp epsom salt to Nut's 20-gallon tank. Now we shall see if this has an effect.

Good luck. I hope it's a growth thing.

Thanks Shawn. I hope whatever it is does not do lasting harm, also.

I am sending healing vibes for sweet Peanut!! He is such a cutie <3

Thanks Karen. He is my favorite fishy.

Edited July 11, 2012 by Courtney

[kortniee 452]

Okay, so when I got home from work today, I thought Peanut's eyes looked puffier than this morning or yesterday. However, I went out running errands, and when I got back a few hours later, I checked out Peanut and I thought he looked better than he did when I got home from work. Is this indicative of anything other than my inability to decide how puffy a given eyeball is?

Edited July 12, 2012 by Courtney

[dnalex 13,633]

Do you have pics, Courtney?