# Cloudy/Cotton Eye



## tinman (Nov 22, 2003)

I know I know read the rules! Tons of posts about this problem or ones like it, but I have not found too many answers...if any at all. Long story short I have two very sick fish that I have been attempting to treat for the past 4 weeks and its just getting worse. It started with poor water quality; I admit I went too long with too few water changes. The issue was first noticed on my Frontsa. He started to get a cloudy eye. I began treatment with 50% water change and vacuumed the gravel 3 times for the first week. I added Aquarium salt and kept monitoring. During the 2nd week the symptoms did not change it has now affected both eyes, the left worse than the right has cottony growth in the center of the eye. I began treatment with API fungus cure and continued water changes after the meds. During the 3rd week after no visible sign of the symptoms getting better I noticed a red circle on tail of my Lelupi. I sought help from my local fish store, they said to continue with the water changes and the aquarium salt and it should begin to clear up. It is now 4 weeks in and getting worse the Frontsa's eyes have not changed and the small red circle on the Lelupi has turned into a big chunk of missing flesh. I went to the pet store on Monday and picked up some Tetracycline and begun treatment. It is past the 24 hour mark since I treated and have now added the second dose. I'm not seeing a change it appears that the missing flesh on the Lelupui is getting bigger by the minute. 
55 gallon
1 front about 8 years old
1 Orange Leleupi
1 Julidochromis Burundi (he is perfectly fine so far)
2 Synodontis Cats (They are fine as well)

Water tested perfectly except for the PH was a little too low 8.2 so I bumped it up to 8.8
They have been in the tank together for over 3 years without any incident or fighting


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## tinman (Nov 22, 2003)




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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The eye could have permanent damage and remain cloudy. The patch on the leleupi looks not dark red but maybe grayish or pink? Is/was it fuzzy or shredded-looking? A chunk of flesh missing is also a clue. Google columnaris and see if it looks like the patch on your leleupi.

For columnaris you need an antibiotic. I had limited (but best) success using Maracyn and Maracyn2 simultaneously to treat columnaris. GTZ liked Kanamycin.


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## tinman (Nov 22, 2003)

Thanks for the info! I did Google Columnaris and it doesn't appear to be the same thing. The infected area is grayish white now and pretty deep. He seems to be acting ok and it's tough to tell if the Tetra has done anything yet. The Fronts other eye seems to be doing better. I'll know more tonight after I start the last round of Tetra. Now worry is if they do not make it, is it safe to restock? The Juli seems to be perfectly fine so hopefully whatever is going on in the tank has been taken care of with the Tetra.
Thanks


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Your description sounds exactly like columnaris (grayish patches and chunks of flesh falling away right down to the bone when advanced), but pictures are better than words, so great news that your research says it's not.

I would wait six weeks with no disease before adding fish to the tank. The new ones can be in quarantine for 3 of those weeks.


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## tinman (Nov 22, 2003)

Ok I was wrong and I believe you are 100% correct! It now looks exactly like the pictures that you referred me to. Unfortunately I believe that it is too late for the Lelupi. My Front is hanging in there and the Judio is still not showing any signs. So which do you suggest I try first the Maracyn or the Kanamycin?
Thanks


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Speed is of the essence, so see what you can get your hands on today and start. I find most LFS and chain pet stores carry Maracyn and Maracyn2 (you need to dose both at the same time) and it worked best for me. If you can find Kanamycin that might work too. I tried both but ultimately nothing worked :x .


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## tinman (Nov 22, 2003)

Figured I would check in. I lost the lelupi early this week, my frontsa is hanging in there, he seems to be doing better but not like he used to be. He's eating now so I think that's a good sign. I had to stop the meds due to almost killing every fish in the tank so now I'm back to water changes and watching. The judio and cats are stil showing no sign of whatever it was so hopefully the frontsa will pull through


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Huh. The meds did not bother my fish at all, and they were eating throughout. It's just that the patches kept coming back.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

tinman said:


> I had to stop the meds due to almost killing every fish in the tank so now I'm back to water changes and watching.


What did you treat with? Treatment regimen?


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## tinman (Nov 22, 2003)

I used the Mardel Maracyn and Mardel Maracyn two. So far the remaining seem to be ok. The Frontosa eyes are still cloudy but he is very active and feeding. There are currently no other signs of illness so I think I may be in the clear. I'm going to wait for a few more weeks before I restock.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

If you're not seeing any other physical symptoms other than cloudy eyes, Maracyn (erythromycin) should be sufficient by itself.
Keep an eye on your water parameters while treating as erythromycin can be harsh on nitrifying bacteria.
An alternative would be a methylene blue bath in a separate container.


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