Blind LATZ

[kar93]

why do the LATZ go blind after a while?

[kar93]

bump

[Racing1]

what's a Latz

[davocean]

A Latz is a type of clown, I'm pretty sure it's a hybrid.
I've heard lately of some people saying theirs went blind after a year.

[ViPeR_930]

Nope, latz are not hybrids.

[vaporize]

Originally posted by davocean
A Latz is a type of clown, I'm pretty sure it's a hybrid.
I've heard lately of some people saying theirs went blind after a year.

It would be great if we dont speculate

Latez, A.latezonatus, naturally occuring in Australian water, tend to be found in cooler than tropical water. Also called blue-lips, wide-band, part of the saddleback complex.

MSRP (j/k): US$350 in North America, US$80 Australia

http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fi...h/alatezon.htm

[hybridgenius]

I was just going to say... I wouldve known if it was a hybrid. Read my name lol.

[kar93]

Can we get back to the point of why they go blind?

[LargeAngels]

Do a search. This came up in the last couple of weeks here.

[hybridgenius]

Its not a fact that they go blind, but rather they are similar to flame angels. They will develop poor eyesight within a year, but if given vitamin A and nutrients neccessary for its eyes you will be ok man. Dont panic so much lol.

[Slakker]

Originally posted by hybridgenius
Its not a fact that they go blind, but rather they are similar to flame angels. They will develop poor eyesight within a year, but if given vitamin A and nutrients neccessary for its eyes you will be ok man. Dont panic so much lol.

Perhaps...they also tend to be much more easily startled than other clowns, so it's a possibility that they injure their eyes darting around the tank after being frightened.

[hybridgenius]

Very unlikely they hurt there eyes from being frightened and darting. I think that is the most ridiculous thing I've heard yet.

[zma21]

Originally posted by Slakker
Perhaps...they also tend to be much more easily startled than other clowns, so it's a possibility that they injure their eyes darting around the tank after being frightened.

Yea..........doubt it.

[eco-tropic]

Originally posted by Slakker
Perhaps...they also tend to be much more easily startled than other clowns, so it's a possibility that they injure their eyes darting around the tank after being frightened.

A mechanical injury is certainly plausible. Animals can and do get injured when kept in confined spaces. Can't say that I recall A.latezonatus being very paranoid, but my experience was only with a few dozen specimens at best. I know A. polymnus could be nutty, and did suffer from fungal/bacterial problems brought about by mechanical injury. Not the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, but I would look more towards diet, temp, water quality before coming to this conclusion.

[hybridgenius]

Dude... ya talking about a fish going BLIND from being paranoid and darting around because its scared. Kind of ridiculous, but what you were mentioning wasnt.

[MarinaP]

Originally posted by eco-tropic
A mechanical injury is certainly plausible. Animals can and do get injured when kept in confined spaces. Can't say that I recall A.latezonatus being very paranoid, but my experience was only with a few dozen specimens at best. I know A. polymnus could be nutty, and did suffer from fungal/bacterial problems brought about by mechanical injury. Not the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, but I would look more towards diet, temp, water quality before coming to this conclusion.

Blast from the past

What are you up to these days?

Glad to see you posting again, we missed you lots.

[eco-tropic]

AH, MarinaP, my favorite chrysopterus breeder! I'm back in Europe over Christmas. I should be able to settle back in the States for a bit. I finally finished my house in California and decided to throw in a huge tank. 2000 gallons, maybe? Dusted off the old books/photos and remembered all of you cool folks and the awesome discussions. I wax nostalgic. Looks like the board has inherited a few snot noses, myself included. How’s the chrysopterus project coming?

[eco-tropic]

Originally posted by hybridgenius
Dude... ya talking about a fish going BLIND from being paranoid and darting around because its scared. Kind of ridiculous, but what you were mentioning wasnt.

He’s not too far off my friend. The blindness, in this case, would have just been the end scenario in a chain of events. You scratch your eye on the corner of the medicine cabinet door, your eye gets infected, you do not seek medical treatment, and your eye falls out and rolls down the Freedom Trail in old colonial fashion. Sounds ridiculous on its face, but then so do vernal pools and fairy shrimp.

[traveller7]

Originally posted by eco-tropic
I finally finished my house in California and decided to throw in a huge tank. 2000 gallons, maybe?

Sounds like a reasonable starter system ;>)

Welcome back after a long walk around the globe my friend

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the tag:

To Reef Central

[LargeAngels]

Glad to see you back eco.

[chrisstie]

All silliness aside as there are some serious posts in here as well- What do you latz owners feed your latz to make sure they get enough vitamin A?

Is a varied diet enough or is there some super secret latz food no one told me about? ;p

[LargeAngels]

Good point chrisstie. I was just going to ask hybridgenius how many latz he has that are over a year and what he feeds them.

I can tell you that I fed mine mostly a homemade food mixture with various seafoods, vegetables, multivitamins, whole eggs, Selcon, Nori, etc. This was also given to my allaridi, akindynos, occ, percs., caps, GSM's, polymus, frenatus, etc. and they never went blind. Water temp. didn't seem to impact it either. Two pairs in 80's, two pairs in mid to low 70's. No visible eye injury ever and these were pretty calm fish.

I've only ever had two other fish that went blind. One white tail chrysopterus and one yellow belly blue tang.

[chrisstie]

I've only had my latz for roughly 2-3 months now and want to make sure I provide her with all she needs. I also work at a very knowledgable LFS and have been using what I learn about our feeding at the store to apply at home.

So far I'm also using a variety as well: Mysis, formula two, nori, lobster eggs, decap'd brine shrimp (ready to hatch in your tank without the hard outer shell) occasionally i'll cut up stuff from the store like shrimp squid tubes and scallops..

I have garlic and zoe marine as food soaks and the occasionall formula 1 pellet if i am in a hurry and didn't have enough time to thaw the better quality food.

My latz is my largest fish. I'm also feeding cardinals, a pygmy angel, and small blennies and gobies- the blennies seem content with my rockwork, but the gobies love the smaller foods.

I also have the option of getting Rod's food from my LFS from Rod's Onyx fame, but have been seeing results in the store first before deciding to purchase it. It looks like an amazing food but we're seeing the potential for overuse because it has so many small particles for coral, people don't realize you need to use that sparingly. I also have access to selcon but haven't used it personally in my tanks but mostly as a food soak or baby brine soak (we've on occasion raised young fish small enough to eat this and too small to eat larger meatier foods)

That's where I am. Just wondering if there's anything else I can be doing to keep her strong and healthy- she eats like a pig, she'd probably be happy with whatever I put in for her.