Help! Air bubbles in the eyes!

zeuserman1@aol.com · #1 01/07/2002, 08:21 AM

Please help! Anyone! I have noticed in the past few weeks that some of my fish are getting air bubbles in their eyes?! It seems that if the bubbles get large enough then they (I guess) burst and the fish will start eating again. But if they do not go away in a timely manner the fish just floates at the top of the tank until it dies. Teh fish also seem to have lost all protective coating of "slime" over their bodies. Is this a disease or water problem? Local fish stores are baffled! I also have just moved to a new home which has well water and I suspect that this is the cause. The water that I did the change with is a direct tap to the well and is not softened by the softner. Do you suggest I use softened water or just buy distilled water for every change? Just as a side note, the anemone's are doing fantastic!

Heinrich · #2 01/08/2002, 12:12 AM

Alright that's fairly easy but you have to remedy it really fast since this can be deadly.
You most likely have an airleak in an access line to a pump. Somewhere you are getting really itzy bubbles sucked into a pump and these are then broken up so small they are almost dissolved but not quite. The amount of nitrogen is way too high. Fish basically getting the bends. Nitrogen poisoning.
So check and double check your plumbing, make sure you used enough primer, and glue and tape and that the seals on the pump are alright. Also see that there aren't any bubbles going into the pump via the skimmer. Use downward pointed ells and baffles, filtersponges, etc.
Even if the bubbles are on the outside they can easily lead to infections, careful.
Good luck.
93! Heinrich

zeuserman1@aol.com · #3 01/08/2002, 08:11 AM

Thanks Heinrich!
Why is it only affecting a few of the fish and not all. The fish effected are a coral beauty (which i put in my sick tank and she is doing better already), a skunk clown (not doing so well, and a saddleback clown who just sits at the bottom. The saddleback doesn't have the air bubbles but just sits at the bottom of the tank. Is this what they do with the "Benz"? The seem to either float at the top or sit at the bottom. What about the water that I am using? Should I be using softened water from the well or water straight from the well. I was a bit afraid to use direct well water due to the fact that there may be copper in it as one of the minerals and I don't want to lose the inverts. I have by the way lost my fire shrimp during all this but have no idea what or when he died. He just vanished. What is the best way you suggest to get the Nitro levels back in check?
Thanks again,
Rich

Heinrich · #4 01/08/2002, 01:14 PM

Well I was assuming that your levels are alright.
Give me your levels
Best to do waterchanges and use some polyfilters to help with nitrogen waste and copper.
Check why you've got problems first.
Give me a complete description of the system how long and what you've been doing. Get waterquality up and stable.
your done cycling right?
Good luck.
93! Heinrich