# delhezi bichir has one clouded eye with white fuzz on it, help!!!



## haikyoboy (Jun 6, 2013)

I've got a delhezi bichir about 5 inches long that ive had for three months. I'm usually pretty good about doing my research, but I recently bought him a feeder goldfish on a whim. i didn't quarantine it all and just popped it into his tank. he took it right away and I was very pleased with myself. anyway now about 3 days later one of his e*yes is clouded over almost by a bubble, and on top of the bubble is a bit of white fuzz or fungus jutting out*. he is otherwise looking healthy but he rubs his eye along the glass fairly constantly. I've never had problems with sick fish before, but i do have your basic "general cure" fungal and bacterial medications in a box of fish stuff I inherited.

is the feeder to blame?

should i quarantine him immediately? there are a few other fish in the tank.

can some one give me a diagnosis and tell me what to do? is the eye already a goner?


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

Is it just one eye? There's a great article on fish eyes but I can't remember what it's called. Basically, if it's just the one eye it's likely that your fish injured it on a rock or plant. There's a chance it will be blind in that eye. I've had a couple fish lose eyes from plant stems.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

No expert but I don't think it it the goldfish to blame. might be helpful to list the water parameters if you can....temperature, Ph, ect...
If it isn't an injury as Steve mentioned it might just be a fungus. Last time I had fish with that I just did daily water changes and added some aquarium salt I believe and that cured it. I'd start off with a good water change, maybe try the meds you have


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## haikyoboy (Jun 6, 2013)

thanks guys, fairly certain this isn't trauma related. i read that true fungal infections in aquaria are rare. i did a close inspection and noticed white spots on the sides of several of my columbian jewel tetras . i'm thinking ich maybe?


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## C-kidder (Aug 2, 2014)

Usually when your fish start to get sick multiple symptoms will show and its usually a sign of poor water quality. Do 40% water change to try and get rid of some of the bad. Take some extra pictures of the sick fish and post them It will help people trying diagnose them to get a better look. 

Sounds like it could be a fungus to me. My moms tank recently broke out with a fungus, Effecting 25% of the fish in white tuff's on the body and fins and a couple denisonii's even had cloud eye.. I had to get her on a fungus treatment and its now under control but it almost looked like ich, but I decided it was a fungus because the fins were effected.


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## King-eL (Apr 21, 2010)

What are your water parameter and other fish as tank mates? Bichirs are generally hardy fish and can tolerate a wide range of water parameters. Also by the way that's not a polypterus delhezi but a polypyerus endlicheri endlicheri.


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## haikyoboy (Jun 6, 2013)

ph is 6.5, everything else looks good. temp was at 79f, but i moved it up incrementally to 85 because i read that can help fight infection. 

i've been dosing pimafix in the morning and doing 20% water changes at night.

I don't have any aquarium salt, could sea salt from my kitchen work at all?\

also king-el are you absolutely certain its endlicheri? either I'm crazy or he was being sold as a delhezi... I was prepared for him to get 14" long but not 30"!!


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## King-eL (Apr 21, 2010)

I've kept all the bichir species known to science even some of of the undescribe species as well as regional variantions. From wild caughts to captive breeds. U can check out some of my old tread. Delhezi and endlicheri are easily can be tell apart.

This is my 24" endlicheri.


My former 16" delhezi


See the big difference? Endlicheri are considered as a lower jaw species while delhezi are considered as an upper jaw species.

Might wanna separate ur fish as not sure if those plants can handle salt.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

haikyoboy said:


> I don't have any aquarium salt, could sea salt from my kitchen work at all


I was once told by Grant, the previous owner of IPU .... that aquarium salt is sea salt. If that is the case.... I would imagine it would work in place of


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## haikyoboy (Jun 6, 2013)

ok, i'm thinking of adding salt, the eye remains cloudy but the actual funguslike protrusion is gone from the eyeball.

how much salt would i use in my 33 gallon aquarium? i googled around for a bit but I can't find a clear answer.


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## King-eL (Apr 21, 2010)

Bichir can stand high salanity level. When I cure my fish I usually use 1 table spoon per 5 gallons and add tetracycline and melafix/pimafix. However it's those plants, not sure if they can stand up to salt.


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