Penn / Joliet
I walked into a pet shop on Sunday - brand new owners and they don't know much about fish yet. Found this ± 15cm Ossie in a big 2m tank with other big fish, but in terrible shape. It looks as if he's got popeye, but his eyes are so cloudy you can barely see the color! Two holes are forming in his head and his fins are torned. I think I reacted like a total mad person:unsure: but I had a small coolbox with me, took a jug, pour some water from his tank into it, caught it with a big net (the woman asked me if "I'm catching my own fish now") and took it home. Gave the guy my nr & said I won't allow that fish to stay there. Fortunately I had a ready cycled tank which is running for about 10 weeks now and tested good. Put him in there, treated with general tonic, parasite clear and salt. Will do water change every second day. Already he's moving around a lot (he was only lying at the bottom at the pet shop). What worries me is that it looks as if he cannot see properly. He bangs into the pump, airstone, etc. He cannot see the food either - scoops the gravel with his mout until he finds something. Will his eyes ever recover from this?? The holes are also looking better already and the strange things that were hanging from his body is gone. Sorry if this is a long posting, but I desperately need to know if his eyes will heal??? Its heartbreaking to see him like this and he is so thin...how do I feed him properly?? Will get metafix a.s.a.p. and do whatever is necessary to help the poor thing...

Cloudy eyes are often a symptom of poor nutrition. Sounds as if the eyes on that Oscar you've got are too far gone. Just checking my book, the fish could be lacking in vitamin B (Riboflavin) cloudy eyes can also be caused by a parasite and damage. However, if it's both eyes, it's probably poor nutrition. It sounds as if the people who had the fish before didn't care for it properly. I think you're doing the best you can. There are no miracles when it comes to these situations I'm afraid. What you could try and do is get the fish into a routine when feeding. Try and come up with a way that the fish knows where the food is and do the same thing every time. Rather like blind people have their house laid out so they know where everything is and they don't move things.

Good luck

Thank you so much - is there anything to up his Vitamin B in any case? I am trying to get him into a routine - I found that my goldfish food (bloody small expensive high protein sticks) tends to attrack his attention a bit - it sinks fast, so I put it in right over his head and he bites at it when he feels it and actually get something in. I've put in some bloodworm this morning - maybe he wil get some of it in while swimming. This morning he even came to the top of the tenk, trying for some food - its heartbreaking, but I desperately believe that he will make it - if his sight does not improve, there is no way that that new pet shop owner is getting it back

Come to think of it... I don't think he'll get it back anyway

In my experience clouded over eyes is one symptom of a fish living in crap water condition. Your Oscar has other symptoms as well . Strange things hanging from its body sounds like its shedding the mucus on its skin another sign of stress brought on by bad water quality. Thirdly two holes forming in the head sounds like it may be the start of hole in the head disease again something that is thought to be brought on with stress probably caused by bad water quality. Youve done the best thing put him a whats sounds like a good clean tank. Keep up water changes each week to maintain it and check nitrates regularly. As for feeding him i would try things like prawns or small bait fish. Wave them in front of his mouth as he comes to the surface. I don't think he will get his eyesight back but it may depend on how long he was living in his old tank. My guess is that the nitrate level being sky high may have been the cause of all this. Why don't you nip down the shop and tell them to check it.

Back in the days when I didnt test my water and overfed and didnt do enough water changes my jaguar got pop-eye and cloudy eyes. I treated with myxazin. It took 2 weeks to cure him and he didnt eat in that time so I dont think all is lost. My friend has an oscar that can only see out of one eye. The blind eye doesnt look right. Its hard to explain but it looks like you can see in the eye further than normal

To feed your oscar while he cant see you need to hand feed him. The trouble with this is he might get scared if you put your hand in the water. Get a decent size worm and with your hand on one end(you might need to put your hand in the water) dangle the other around his mouth and on the forehead area. When he feels the worm he will hopefully eat it. Another option is to put a prawn near his mouth and hope he goes for that. Watch your fingers. If either of these work then you need to train him to come up for food to make it easier to feed him. I suggest you lightly tap the tank several times before hand feeding him to give him something that will tell him its food time. In time he will realise that the tapping means food and then he will come to the surface for food

Have you thought about explaining to the new owners about the principles of keeping fish and oscars in particular. Why not suggest to them that the check this site out.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

Thank you very much for everyone's valuable advice - nothing so bad than to see a fish struggles like that. Is it really fair to keep him alive when he suffers like that? I discovered a third small hole, but as for the other 2 holes, it looks nearly a 100% better - not gone yet, but getting there. The things that were hanging from his body is also gone - looks pretty much like my other Ossies now - I think he will be a beautiful tiger when he's over this ordeal. However, what is his quality of life? I am tapping against the window now everytime I try to feed and yes, he got scared when I've put my hand in the tank the first time. I will get feeder fisht, etc. maybe that is also a good solution. On the other end, I am also considering to get a vet out to have a good look at him, if I can just find one that knows about or specialises in fish. And yes, I am going to phone that guy today (he's got someone else running the shop for him) and inform him about the fish's condition as well as this site - he really needs it and I think he will find it just as helpful and interesting like I still do. Will keep you posted on his progress, but hold thumbs that he might get his sight back.. if only partial, i think that will also be great

Great to hear the fish is getting better i think you will be hard pushed to find a vet that is good on fish normally they want you to bring the fish into them but this only stresses the fish even more. Stick with it the oscar will adapt to life without sight.

No matter what cloudy eyes are caused by- whether it be lack of nutrition of poor water quatlity- it's bad. I think you ought to have a word with that guy at the lfs.

Anyhoo, it's great that you saved him!

Somehow Hilton (that's what I decided to name him) does get some food in somehow - feederfish does not work. I've put in a lot of reasonable sized young swordtails, but he does not see them - got anoter type of pellet that sinks a bit faster and he tends to grab some of it. Had the guy of the petshop there again yesterday and he's really interested in learning about them, so he's really trying his best. Unfortunately he doesn't know who the people were who brought him in in the first place, I would really have reported them to the SPCA for animal cruelty. Well, little Hilton is going strong, hopefully I will have good news shortly.

Quick update - I'm very proud of Hilton - he has figured out a way to get his food. The floating pellets goes to one corner (between the internal filter and the heater) - he then swims slowly to the top and not sure how far he is from the top, he slurps in some water and food - and so he gets his food. However, I throw in quite a lot of pellets, because he does take some time to complete each ritual - which in turn have my nitrates soaring! I do a 30 - 50% water change every second day in order to keep the nitrates under control, but at this stage I don't know how else to do it - he needs to eat and get better. Any other suggestions? (His skin color looks 100% better and the holes as well, nearly gone.)

Im pleased Hilton is getting food! That is the most important thing. What you need to do is scoop out the uneaten food to stop your nitrates getting too high and thus reducing your need for water changes. How is the hand feeding going. Have you tried the worms and prawns?

If his dodgy eyesight is a temporary problem than the problem of higher nitrates and thus increased water changes will go away. If his eyesight doesnt improve then you will have to either remove the excess food or try to train him to go to the food spot to eat