air bubbles in the eye

[untamed]

Overnight, my Achillies Tang seems to have developed several large air bubbles in his left eye. I tried to get a photo, but he just swims too fast to get a sharp enough shot to see the bubbles. They are very clear since they reflect the light so well.

There are about 8-10 distinct bubbles and the cover about 1/3 of his eye.

Has anyone ever seen anything like that before?

Other than that, the fish seems perfectly fine.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Is your water supersaturated? I think if air is somehow sucked into the plumbing or some other way into the tank, it can supersaturate the water & affect the livestock. Just a thought.

[bv_reefer]

-that can't be fun @ all, expensive fish 2! -good luck

[prodogg02]

could be a decompresion bubble

[justinl]

how long have you had the fish? if it is a new addition maybe you just never noticed it.

or else, anthony's suggestion of water supersaturated with oxygen is a good one. Ive seen seahorses develop bubbles under their skin from the same thing so it could be related? check your plumbing.

[bv_reefer]

-shipping and transportation can cause unbelievable stress and trauma,
never the less u should've noticed odd behaviour patterns @ the store
if that waz the case. isolation, discoloration,aggression,lathargic, but other than that if none of those apply not sure!

[christyf5]

From Wetwebmedia:

Hello,
I have a red striped squirrel fish that is about 5 inches in length.
Over the last three days air bubbles have shown up inside the left eye and appear to be growing larger. The fish is eating fine and acting normal. What causes this and is this a concern.
Jeff Fiorita
<Such one-sided "bulging eye" conditions are generally due to a physical trauma... a "bump in the night" with consequent damage to the vascular network (the eyes of fishes, as the those of humans, are supplied with a good deal of blood flow/drainage)... As opposed to most "bilateral exopthalmic conditions" which are environmental (e.g. emphysematosis) or pathogenic in nature. Cure involves maintaining optimized and stable conditions... and patience... Will typically resolve itself in weeks to months. Bob Fenner>

And another:

Hi,
<<Hello Deb>>
I have a tang who had tiny air bubbles in her eye, then the next day the tiny bubbles became two larger one then the next day they merged into one big bubble.
<<Can't say I've ever seen this before...still, is possibly the result of an injury or environmental condition>>
Is this the same as POPEYE, or is this something different?
<<Something different, as stated. Popeye infections generally affect BOTH eyes>>
Also I see that Epsom salt is recommended for Popeye,
<<Mmm, not really...a true Popeye infection would require an antibiotic treatment, but the Epsom Salt may prove beneficial in this case>>
if this is what she has can the Epsom salt be added to my tank with the other fish or should she be put into a smaller tank.
<<Separation/quarantine would likely make it easier to observe/treat this fish, but the Epsom Salt can be added to the display tank if you so wish (a level teaspoon per ten gallons actual water volume is recommended)>>
Also how long can you use the Epsom salt?
<<As long as perceived necessary...will not need to be re-dosed until you perform a water change>>
She is eating but her balance seems off and she looks like sometimes she bumps into things.
<<Indeed...peripheral sight/field-of-view is affected, though the loss of "balance" may indicate another problem...emphysematosis, Gas Bubble Disease>>
Can tiny micro-bubbles in tank cause this or is this just something that fish just get?
<<Ahh, yes...is this an issue in your system? If so, definitely remove the tang for treatment...and see here about rectifying the bubble situation in your display: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bubtroubfaqs.htm >>
I thank you in advance for your help.
<<I'm happy to assist>>
I Love this fish and will try anything I can to help her.
Deb
<<Remove the tang and treat as described...and fix your bubble problem. Regards, EricR>>


http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Popeyefaq2.htm

(these two start about 1/3 down the page)

Hope that helps

[Renegade]

My powder blue had this symptom shortly after being introduce into my tank. They arrived 1 day late at my LFS. I was told the shipment was delayed one day causing low oxygen level in the bag. He was in ok condition at the Store, i was given a deal and though I'd try and nurse him back to health in a more stable environment the the LFS's tanks. within a couple days of introducing him into the tank he became very sick, and hung out in one spot of the tank. He developed blotchy spots (like ich but not tiny) across his body. He began to get better and then the bubble appeared on his eye. He with time has made a full recovery and is doing extremely well now.

I however did remove my cleaner wrasse who was stressing him out b/c he would not stop picking at him, the powder was not in the mood to be cleaned. I have since reintroduced the cleaner wrasse with no problems

Kyle

[Mik_101]

Well i don't think its from shipping (well you had him for a long time after seeing your other thread) BTW nice tank. I think he got some sort of eye disease/infection.

[untamed]

Thanks for all the feedback. I had done a water change the day before. During that change, the tank can often get blasted by bubbles, so that could be where the problem occurred.

The fish continues to be unbothered by the symptom. I suppose there is little I could do about it anyway.