[joecon]

Hi I need help fast. I had a juvenile black and white heniochus that was doing very well for 2 weeks. Eating, picking on LR, swimming fine. In 3 days it stopped eating, got really skinny and died this morning. Water parameters are perfect and food is varied (formula 2, mysis shrimp, flakes, and I forgot what it's called but it is frozen with algae and shrimp combo). All the other fishes are fine with the exception of a flame angel which has a cloudy popeye for 5 days, which seems to be peeling. The flame angel is eating well though.

3 questions: Any ideas what happened to the heniochus? Do I have anything to worry about the flame angel? Is the peeling of the eye a good sign the cloudy eye is going away?

Thanks!

[leebca]

Without the Heniochus having been put in the quarantine process, it isn't possible to tell if it came in with something or picked up something in the aquarium. However, a properly nourished fish does not get 'really skinny' in three days without food, and would not die of starvation, if that is what you're thinking.

To complicate matters, if the Heniochus did die of an ailment, disease, infection, etc., the Flame Angel now has it.

Generally, a single cloudy eye is not a concern. It is usually damage, injury or a mild bacterial infection. A properly nourished fish will recover on its own. A fish where this is a secondary condition, or which the single cloudy eye is a sign of worse to come is a different concern and should be treated. A fish with two cloudy eyes should definitely be treated.

A fish with Popeye should be treated. Popeye has three main causes - bacterial, fungal, gas: Usually the Popeye is an outward symptom of an internal, ocular infection either bacterial or fungal in nature. If this condition was brought on by a bacterial infection of the ocular nerve, then action needs to be taken. Some believe the Popeye will go away on its own and sometimes that happens. I take no chances and treat the fish.

The treatment is to move the fish to a hospital tank (quarantine tank) and treat with antibiotics. In the case of Popeye, I recommend using an antibiotic that penetrates from the water into the fish, such as Maracyn Two for Saltwater fish dosed at twice the recommended first dosage on the medicine instructions.

Since nourishment is a connection between the two fishes, you should be taking note, reading, and following the recommendations in this post:
Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

"Peeling" is the 'sluffing' off of mucous. That's a sign that the infection is still going on, not that it is healing. The sluffing off of mucous is NOT to be associated with the human scab (indicative of healing). Mucous comes off as long as the fish is sick.

[joecon]

Lee,

Thanks for the very quick response. I will read the thread you included later today. The strange thing is the flame angel had this condition before the heniochus even got sick and died. I think the flame was sick before the heniochus, but the flame is doing much better than the other did.

Also, the heniochus had no visible signs of having the same as the Flame. It just got really thin and died.

Again, thanks for te quick reply.