Jackie Frost

I left the light off in my aquarium to keep the temperature from rising. (I have one goldfish, a black moor in a 15 gallon fish tank.) When I returned from home I noticed it was quite dark in my apartment and in the aquarium tank. I turned the tank light on and saw that Molly (my goldfish) right eye was looking white and cloudy. I think she piereced it on something in the dark. (I have a plastic plant in the tank with rounded leaves which I had first thought was safe for her.) Now I feel awful. What can I do? I can't get meds for her until Friday.

Lucy

Hi Jackie, I'm sorry Molly isn't feeling well.
Remind me, what are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

Jackie Frost

Yesterday before the water change the amonia was 0.25. Nitrates are non-exsistant. I thought about getting a nitrite kit but didn't think it was necessary, because I figured once the amonia was 0 and I had some nitrates the tank would be cycled. Is that right?

Molly's not acting sick. She's continuously begging for food. It's only the bottom half of her right eye that's cloudy. Maybe I'm over reacting?

Lucy

Cloudy eye is often a symptom of poor water quality (uncycled tank).
The cycle goes kinda like this:
Ammonia---->Nitrites---->Nitrates

During the cycling process a certain kind of bacteria begins to grow.
This bacteria converts the toxic ammonia into nitrites.
Nitrites are toxic to your fish.
After a while another bacteria begins to grow that converts nitrites into nitrates.
So, at some point in the cycle you will have 0 ammonia, a high nitrite reading and some nitrates until the cycle is complete.

Without a nitrite test, you can't be positive when the cycle in done even if you have a nitrate reading.

The best thing for cloudy eye (if caused by water cinditions) is to continue daily water changes and get the tank cycled. It will usually clear up.

Jackie Frost

I see. Maybe I'll invest in a Nitrate test kit on Friday. I've been doing 50% water changes on even days and 20% on the odd. I hope that'll do until the cycle is completed. So maybe she didn't pierce her eye, huh? I hope that's the case. I prefer a cycle problem then a pierced eye because cycling eventually occurs sooner or later. What's kind of irritating now is that Molly refuses to swim showing me her right side so I can't examine her eye well. It's kind of funny in a way. She isn't acting sick, so I'm taking hope in that. I'll examine her again tommorow.

Lucy

Of course! Fish never cooperate, especially when you want to see somethig specific.
Something to keep in mind, there are other causes for cloudy eye like bacterial infections and poor diet. However, we're looking at the most obvious reason since the tank isn't cycled.

Good luck, I hope it clear up soon.

aquarist48

Hello Jackie. Great tips/advice from Lucy. If it is indeed cloudy eye the water changes and pristine water conditions should do the trick without medications. Keep us posted.
Best of luck.
Ken

Jackie Frost

This morning I was able to examine her eye more. (She's cooperating better.) It's so bizarre. Now it looks like she's wearing white eye liner! Her eye is not so much cloudy as there is a thick white line directly beneath it. (I wish I had a camera to share pics with.) At any rate I'll keep up with the water changes.

Maybe it's a scratch?