Fish Eye Diseases
Fish are prone to developing bacterial infections in their eyes. Several different bacteria can grow and have devastating effects on a fish, as well as spread to the other fish in your aquarium. Luckily, many infections can easily be cured by adding medicated drops to your fish tank.
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Causes
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Eye diseases and infections in fish can be caused by a variety of factors, including fungus, bacteria, parasites, a kidney infection or a protozoan infestation.
Symptoms
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Fish can exhibit a variety of symptoms when suffering from an infection or bacterial disease. These include a cottony growth around the eyes, cloudiness in the eyes, eyes that appear to be popping out of socket and film on the eyes.
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Diagnosis
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Diagnosing the cause of the fish's eye ailment will depend on the symptoms. Cottony white growth around the eye is caused by a fungus and a cloudy iris is caused by bacteria. If the entire eye looks cloudy, it is a protozoan infestation, and if the eye appears to be popping out, it is kidney failure.
Treatment
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A fungal infection is treated using sulfate drops, which you can administer to the tank water as directed. Other infections are treated with antibiotic drops, which also are administered to the water. It is OK if there are other fish in the tank; the antibiotic drops will prevent the infection from spreading to them.
Prevention
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To prevent infections and bacteria from forming in your tank, be sure to include a high grade filter. Keep the tank as clean as possible, and consider buying a waste and bacteria eating fish, such as a Chinese algae eater.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Randen Pederson
