Often, aquarium owners notice that one of the fish has a swollen and cloudy eye. First of all, they begin to suspect injury or infection, while bloating and cloudy eyes in fish are most often a symptom of exophthalmia. What is this disease?
Ophthalmic eye
In the presence of bulging eyes, clouding of the eye and the appearance of blood in it, the fish can be safely diagnosed with exophthalmia - a disease that is a sign of internal pathology, which is caused by the state of the environment or pathogenic microorganisms. Bloating is caused by a buildup of fluid in or behind the eyeball. Its causes may be a viral, systemic bacterial or fungal infection, as well as a violation of intraphysiological processes.
If exophthalmia is caused by a systemic infection, the fish may show symptoms of this infection at the same time.
The main predisposing factor for the development of exophthalmia is most often poor-quality water in the aquarium, which has an unsuitable biochemical composition. It negatively affects osmotic regulation and other processes, causing exophthalmia in fish. In most cases, the disease is treated with chemicals, but improving water quality can help avoid drug treatment.
Exophthalmia treatment
With bulging and clouding of the eyeball in a fish, it is necessary to establish and eliminate the causes of exophthalmia. If a sick fish does not have symptoms of a parasitic or pathological disease, then the problem is in the environment - for example, the reason is the quality of the water in the aquarium or its chemical composition.
Timely elimination of the cause of exophthalmia in the fish will prevent permanent damage or loss of the eye.
If the aquarium water quality and its chemical composition are in the optimal range for the fish, it is still necessary to partially change the water in the aquarium every few days. Topping up with about one third of fresh water instead of the same amount of old water will completely heal diseased fish. It can take about a week for the tumor to disappear and the eyeball to return to its normal form after taking all the necessary measures.
If parasites are the cause of exophthalmia, 20 drops of Malachite Green, previously dissolved in 100-200 ml of water, can be added to the aquarium. The resulting solution must be poured into water in small portions, and after 5 days, replace half of it in the aquarium with a clean one. If necessary, repeat the procedure and keep the fish in water with a solution for another 5 days. The drug can also be removed from the water using activated carbon.
