Red eye puffer, eyes no longer red

[bettarescue]

Hey all, over the past months I have taken in a handful of new fish. lol Mo' fish, mo' problems!

I have asked this question in the most obvious place to ask (The Puffer Forum) but wasn't give any sort of definite answer, which leads me to believe it's not specifically a puffer thing.

Onto the issue. The baby Fangs has lost his eye color. First, the red opalescence vanished from the entire lense, showing through a flat orangish red Iris surrounding a black pupil. Now it's faded into a thin red circle around the outermost part of the lense and a yellow Iris surrounding black pupil. Considering it's a red eye species I am concerned. Found nothing online of the same experiences. I'm wondering if this could be dietary, genetic, or possible illness? He seems very social and healthy, and the only thing I can think of that varies from his original care is: living alone, larger tank, more varied diet, and wondershells in water. I HAVE seen the pearly red come back over the whole lense, but only when I throw live ghost shrimp in to hunt. When he hunts the eyes go red and body goes dark. I have kept the lights off in his tank for 2 weeks now, so I don't think it's a physical response to high light. Any ideas, no matter how "left field" would be appreciated.

[devonjohnsgard]

I have seen this, but cant say the cause. I treated with methylene blue and a wonder shell and it healed.

[bettarescue]

Thank you Devon, was it a one time bath or multiple treatments?

[Carl]

I have to admit not noticing this either in the past as you have described it (this does not describe a typical eye infection).

I would keep some notes as to water parameters.
Try some changes too and see what happens, this way we can all learn from you!

Carl

[bettarescue]

Can do Carl.

I am making a few changes come Friday, of placing the sponge filter and starting to use the lights. Actually my
Mom threw something out there I haven't considered.... the lights. He is placed next to my television (the family stares at the tv, I stare at my tanks 😁) and the sliding glass door is kinda kiddy corner to it, giving decent daylight when I open the blinds. The reason he has been "in the dark" is bc he hides and scowles when the lights are on, he HATES them! Also with the dim light, he is out and swimming around often! I have water lettuce coming Friday, so I will turn the lights back when i add the floating plants with the pump install. My mom thinks that since they have the red eyes to help with night hunting, and they had the red eyes in the store tank (with meanly bright lights for a lurker puffer tank imo), that since the hunting happens less and it's never very bright, that his eyes are having adjustment issues of some nature.

I was also thinking of trying vitamins for my 2nd round of changes. I'm going to start the MB baths, and start weekly adjustments to see what helps.
This fri- addition of sponge filter, floating plants,
And light. Will do a large volume water change immediately

Next Fri- will add additional al ground planting for more comfort with lights, and will introduce vitamins into thawing routine for frozen food. Will also start feeding more live foods of ghost shrimp, live worms, and possibly more live snails (as he eats tons already).

Any other environmental changes I can make? I already test the water daily, and even though the BB is ramping up I am using stability to keep numbers safe and doing 50% wc's every 2-3 days. Kinda overkill for an already cycled tank, but snails and puffers have vastly dif bio loads. So he's not encountered even .25 ppm of ammonia.

[Carl]

May 17, 2017 22:12:41 GMT -5 bettarescue said:

Any other environmental changes I can make?

Just make sure to track GH, KH, pH. Add or subtract anything you add.
The TV was a good observation, as I have had many clients over they years note changes in fish when the tank was moved next to a TV (although not what you noted)

Carl

[devonjohnsgard]

I did it in a hospital tank. Just tracking parameters and seeing if it gets worse might be better first. Good parameters might heal it.

[bettarescue]

Thank you both. I will make a trio of comparison pictures (with full red eyes, then the faded red/orange that was on his Iris only, and finally him today with yellow Iris and thin red ring around lense. I will post them tonight once he sleeps, it's best time to catch his eyes bc they aren't moving. Will continue to track water perimeters, and hopefully it's something environmental or dietary. He has shown zero signs of illness, but since this happened while in my care O can't help but feel it's something I did. 🙃

[devonjohnsgard]

I think I misunderstood how the eye changed. I thought it was like a cloudiness. I wouldn't medicated by what your saying, just explore what the cause could be, My mistake.

[bettarescue]

Update: got all my packages today and it seems lighting had been the issue after all, as if the red turned off when not needed. Conjecture of course, but within a hour of the less bright tank likght on, and sponge filter in- his eyes reversed back in the order they changed. From yellow Iris to orang/red Iris, to then full dark red sheen over entire lense. He LOOOOVES that sponge filter, hides under it, lays on top of it, chases things as they're sucked to it. He had in in the lfs, so the lights and comfort seemed to have something to do with this color change. Weird.

Btw- I am so thrilled with this combo (Rio Ma-200 air pump and ATI hydro sponge 3), as soon as I plugged it in, it made an INTSTANT change in water clarity. Oh, that reminds me why water was so nasty...

That damn spider wood. I'm LIVID, and scared. So I did another WC and decided to use the syphon to suck some yuck off before pulling it out to try and boil/salt bathe it. Well, it was like popping a burn blister. All this junk and fluid released into the water faster then the syphon could suck it up. And detritus worms. Hundreds upon hundreds releases into the water, I'm assuming we're in the blisters eating the yuck?!?! And the smell, I thought my daughter was making a #2 while I was gravel vacuuming, bc it smelled like rotten eggs and poop. Nope, not the baby pooping...it was the puffs water. I know suffer smell is bad in pockets with AQ's... so I cleaned as much out as I could and left the damn wood alone in fear of popping another nasty bubble! WTH!?!? Once the sponge went in, the water cleared quickly, thank goodness this happened the day I got my AAP package. But now I'm scared to disturb the wood...

[devonjohnsgard]

Great news, up until the wood!

I would honestly take it out and start boiling it right away. eek