Gsp With Injured Eye

[blibdoolpoolp]

I was doing a routine water change in my green spotted puffer tank (20 gallons, brackish water, two gps' each five years old) with a siphon tube and while I was looking down at the dirty water draining into the bucket, suddenly the water flow stopped and there was a violent thrashing. I looked up and my puffer Bossy had gotten sucked up into the wide part of the siphon and had fully puffed up in mortal terror as they are known to do. I was able to gently shake him back into the water and he deflated back to normal. The fish was fine except one of its eyes was dull and milky. A day later the eye looks almost totally white and more swollen. I feel terrible about this because I'm sure it was due to my own carelessness.

Is this permanent? Have I blinded my poor puffer? Is there any reasonable treatment I could try? I've added more stress coat to the water and just kind of hoping for the best that it doesn't get infected.

I just checked the salinity, it is between 1.010 and 1.012 which seems kind of low. I'm out of aquarium salt at the moment, I'll have to get some in the morning.

 

[nmonks]

The best way to handle eye damage is three-fold.

First, ensure good water quality.

Secondly, add Epsom salt at a dose of up to 3 teaspoons per US gallon (3.75 litres).

Thirdly, add an antibiotic as you'd use for finrot. The best medication is a combination of Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace. If these aren't available in your pet store, you'll need to get them from a vet.

Damage to the eye may take a long time to heal, and if there's more than superficial damage, the eye usually ends up becoming infected and eventually lost. In itself this isn't normally fatal and most fish seem to adapt fine to having just one eye.

Cheers, Neale

PS. Your salinity is fine for GSPs. They don't need marine conditions as adults, even though there's some evidence to suggest they spawn in fully marine conditions.

 

[blibdoolpoolp]

thanks for the advice.

I have added epsom salts. I could not find the antibiotics you mentioned but I'm trying tetracycline as a precaution against further infection.

All I can do is wait and see I guess