my oscar is blind after being treated for ick

[Angies]

Hi,
i have an oscar not entirely sure what kind he is.. his sides are mostly red coloring .. no lines gray body.
i noticed suddenly after i started feeding him feeder fish that he suddenly got white spots on him.. at first i thought it was bubbles from the water..
so it went 2 days without being treated.. on the third day however it was outragious when i got up in the morning.. he was cover'd in it.. looked like it was even in his mouth.
but his eyes were fine. no coating or anything
so i went to the pet store and picked up a box of ick treatment.. i put in the 5 tablets it told me i had to.. i took out the filter cartridge. and within 24hrs mnost of th eick was gone. and i noticed a slight filmy thing on one of his eyes. but it seemed to clear up within a day.. but some of the ick was still on him.. so i did the recommended second treatment but less pills this time. only 3 diluted.. put in tank same way. as before.. but now.. my fish is totally blind.. he can't see his food either the flakes or the live feeder fish.. he has no energy .. doesn't do a lot of moving.. what happened? i did everything the box told me.. and now i might be losing my oscar.. not to mention the upside down catfish i got.
will it clear up on it's own? what if it doesn't?.. i also cleaned fresh water in after like i was told.. i did half the tank fresh water.. the temp never moved up or down drastically.. every thing is clean but no chemical's.. i dont understand.. the feeder fish has also been treated in another tank.. and no side affects on themn at all.
help
thanks - Angies -

[Bill]

Welcome to the oscar spot!

Please answer as many of these questions as you can it will help us find out what's wrong with your fish.


Tank Size:
How long has it been setup:
How many fish:
Type of fish:
Size of fish:
Filtration:
Ammonia Reading:
Nitrite Reading:
Nitrate Reading:
PH Reading:
Temperature:
Any recent changes in tank decor or tank mates:
Any medication:
Food what kind how often:
When was last water change and how much:

[OinKY]

Welcome,but sorry under these circumstances. Moved to 911.

If you could,elaborate a bit on your setup by answering these questions,They really help us help you....and no one's here to beat you up over a thing,just advise,so be as thorough as possible.

•Tank Size:
•How long has it been setup:
•How many fish:
•Type of fish:
•Size of fish:
•Filtration:
•Ammonia Reading:
•Nitrite Reading:
•Nitrate Reading:
•PH Reading:
•Temperature:
•Any recent changes in tank decor or tank mates:
•Any medication:
•Food what kind how often:
•When was last water change and how much:

I'll mention first that cloudy eyes are not usually permanent blindness and can be cleared pretty easily with proper care and attention.
First thing. Feeder fish are not a necessary food item,really aren't nutritious,and (as found out) carry disease and parasite issues. Fish are a very small part of an Os natural diet,and it is much better to vary it up.
Second....are you sure it was Ich? Several things parasite-wise can be confused with Ich,and most are carried by the "carp family" (Goldfish,Minnows). What med used is also very important as I've seen a broad spectrum of things used...some very bad for the bio-filtration.

Without answers yet,all I can recommend is to remove any leftover feeders,change approximately 80% of the water with same temp dechlorinated (before it's put in) water,gradually up the temp on the tank to 82-84F,add 1 tbsp per 10g of tank size of aquarium salt or pure salt,not table salt, (dissolve this in a small pitcher of dechlorinated water first) gradually over several hours as the heat rises,do not use any meds back in,and add some aeration (if none already) to the tank. This applies regardless of tank size and filtration and once those are answered,we'll work through this problem better.

Posted same as Bill

[Gerry]

the questions above will tell us a lot but could you also tell us what you mean by removing the filter cartridge?. did you remove them all?

[OinKY]

i took out the filter cartridge.......what happened? i did everything the box told me..

Usually a med says remove any carbon from filters not remove filter cartridges...so if they were removed entirely this is a big part of the current problem.

[Angies]

well, ick guard is what i used it was fat tablets, said to put in one tablet per 10 gallon tank. the oscar is not currently big yet. it is about 4 inches. half the size of adult. i have a 80 gallon tank, i use normal filters with the black gravely stuff inside. carbon. two of them as it's a big filter. and i took them both out as it's the only thing you can take out. during treatment. as instructed after 24hrs i changed 35 percent of the water even though it called for 25 percent. still saw little of the ick um.. about quarter of it left on him. so treated again.. but with half dose this time.. which took care of the problem. i think the 8 tablets it told me to take before was extreme and may have caused a big part of his problem.. and the second treatment did it in. his diet as looked up on line and talking to a fish man (pet store) he's actually pretty good. he has flakes.. and he sometimes has blood worms.. and he has 2 feeder fish a day. alot less than most give them. alot less than he thinks he an eat. when i got the other feeder fish.. they all looked healthy.. didn't see a sign of ick on them. i always research problem online.. and only treated for ick when i was positive that's what it was. and problem is now gone.. except. my fish are blind. and.. it killed my huge sucky fish. but wasn't suprised about that sincehe had no scales and warning on box had said half dose for no scale fish. the only other fish that is in the same tank with my oscar is my upside down cat fish.. he's only about 3 inches. the upside down cat fish has pure white coating over his eyes. where as the oscare has a dark coating.. like looking threw thick plastic. i dont know the php. on my tank.. as it's never been a problem before the ick. the temp stays at about 80 degree's. i change oscar's water about every 3 to 4 weeks.. more than half the tank. he seems to thrive with that. i have rocks at bottom of tank.. when i change water i also shake out what i can of gross stuff in the rocks.. as i can't reach in there to take them out. we've had the oscar for about 3 months almost to the day. except for the 2 feeder fish he gets a day.. fish flakes or blood worms are placed in tank once a night. every thing i do to take care of him.. comes from research online and or the pet store around here.. the man i talk to at that pet store is almost always right about stuff i ask him advice on.. which is why i still ask stuff. other than that.. nothing. and until the ick treatment.. all was great in the tank and with the fish. oscar's are my favorfite. they are smart.. social. and playful.. this one however is the most agressive one i've ever had. and he also has the tendency to scare the crap out of me by sleeping on his side at the bottom of the tank.

[Gerry]

the oscar is not currently big yet. it is about 4 inches. half the size of adult.

An adult Oscar is around 14" and an inch a month growth is usual with good water and diet

i have a 80 gallon tank,

Great, but try and tell us what type/flow rate your filter are as with Cichlids you want tank volume x 10 for HOB or Internal filters and x5 with cannisters (these are minimum IMO)

his diet as looked up on line and talking to a fish man (pet store) he's actually pretty good. he has flakes.. and he sometimes has blood worms.. and he has 2 feeder fish a day. alot less than most give them. alot less than he thinks he an eat. when i got the other feeder fish.. they all looked healthy.. didn't see a sign of ick on them.

Ick is not the only disease and that diet is not that great, have a read of these

i dont know the php. on my tank.. as it's never been a problem before the ick.

you should find out what your Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings are as most problems (including ick) are caused by poor water.

the temp stays at about 80 degree's. i change oscar's water about every 3 to 4 weeks.. more than half the tank.

80 is fine but your water change routine is nowhere near enough. this article will help you

this one however is the most agressive one i've ever had. and he also has the tendency to scare the crap out of me by sleeping on his side at the bottom of the tank.

Poor water can increase aggression and can't be ruled out for it lying on his side

[OinKY]

Os are interesting fish right enough...and their needs (as cichlids) goes a little beyond the "average" fish seen,and kept,by the average hobbyist.Sometimes lfs advice is good but just too general to apply to Os.
Rather than give you a bunch of links,I'll just dierct you here and here to cover things like feeders,diet,filtration,and general care,and touch on a few things of notice.
Ich doesn't require a med for treatment,just an understanding of what it is and its life-cycle. Fresh water,elevated temp,and sometimes salt,for 10-14 days are all that's needed when caught at early stages. Ich only starts up when a fish is stressed...and sometimes meds are only more stressful....so more important to find out what is causing the stress.
Carbon is only chemical filtration that removes foreign compounds from water,not biological filtration that removes ammonia/nitrites,and is really not needed as long as water changes are kept up...and even not then.Carbon is only good for removing meds and toxins,and can also make water testing for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates inaccurate.Carbon takes up space best used for other medias that can harbor beneficial bacteria...it does not.
Water testing and water changes. Don't see any readings for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates...which are necessary to know. These are what tell you when,and how much,warer changes are needed. Safe to say that 3-4 weeks is too long and the amount is too small for what is needed to keep ammonia/nitrite at absolute 0 and nitrates at <10.
The diet. Flakes are generally not a good food for Os...to messy and makes them suck air which can cause digestive problems.The rest of the diet,as is,is heavy on proteins...and that makes for more metabolic waste in the tank and load on filtration.If a "prepared diet" is used then pellets are a better choice as food intake can be monitored and they can be cleaned up easier if uneaten.It is also important to give a very varied diet including fruits/vegetables as no one food is nutritionally complete...and lose the feeders completely,as they serve no real nutritional purpose to an O,are nothing more than an additional source of waste and filtration load,carry diseases/parasites,and (in the case of goldfish/Rosy Reds) cause vitamin deficiencies in fish (like Os) not evolved to eat them.Like research...google thiaminase.
Gravel can be cleaned with a gravel vacuum and can be done every wtaer change (or more frequent if you like).Won't require removing rocks,maybe just some moving around possibly,and will help with water readings and quality.

I'd recommend researching the filtration (what filters are they,how much do they flow in gallons per hour,what options for media),ditching the carbon,getting a good drops-style test kit for ammonia/nitrite/nitrates and using it,tightening up the water changes to 50% weekly,varying up the diet,and a little more research on the O/Featherfin (4" is 1/3rd adult size,not 1/2) to see what other needs they will require as they grow out.That should get things back to normal health-wise and actually show improvements in growth and color.

Posted same as Gerry....terribly slow typer and apparently "wordy"

[Katt]

The boys have you covered, so just wanted to say Welcome.
Do what they say and you will have a healthy Oscar in no time.

[JohnL]

Never heard of any medication causing blindness. Anyway seems like everyone has you covered so far. I'll just say welcome and good luck with your O.