Common Dragon Fish Disease:蒙眼 - Understanding the 'Eye

Causes of Dragon Fish Blindness

The reasons for a dragon fish to become blind can be primarily categorized into two scenarios:

1. Poor water quality or eye injuries can lead to the invasion of waterborne pathogens such as tuberculosis and Vibrio bacteria, causing the dragon fish to develop blind spots.

2. An excessive amount of nitrogen in the water can seep into the dragon fish's body, resulting in blindness.

It is evident from the causes of dragon fish blindness that maintaining good water quality is the key to preventing this condition. By ensuring the water quality is wellcontrolled, you can effectively avoid the onset of blind spots in dragon fish.

Dragon fish blindness can be divided into four stages based on the severity of the condition, each with distinct symptoms and treatment methods:

1. Early Stage: The dragon fish's appetite remains normal, but the surface of its eyes may show a few white spots or lines, which are hard to notice unless closely observed.

Treatment: Replace 1/4 of the water in the tank daily for three consecutive days. It's best to use treated water for the replacement. Generally, after 1 to 2 days, the dragon fish's blind spots should begin to improve.

2. Intermediate Stage: The dragon fish's eyes lose their luster, and the initial white spots or lines develop into a faint white mist. Blindness is more apparent at this stage, though the dragon fish's appetite is still normal.

Treatment: In addition to the early stage treatment, add 3‰ of salt to the water and raise the water temperature to 32°C. Typically, the dragon fish should recover within 3 to 4 days after these treatments.

3. Advanced Stage: The dragon fish's eyes become cloudy, with some white fluffy particles, and its appetite may decrease. It's crucial to treat the dragon fish promptly at this stage to prevent further deterioration, which could lead to blindness or even death.

Treatment: Build upon the intermediate stage treatment by adding yellow powder or specialized medications for dragon fish blindness, such as gentamicin. Be sure to turn off the lights after administering the medication to prevent water quality deterioration. Continuously monitor the dragon fish's condition. If there's improvement, water changes and medication should suffice. If the treatment is ineffective, repeat the water change and medication after two days, adjusting the medication dosage based on the dragon fish's progress. After symptoms improve, add activated carbon to absorb the medication from the water.

4. Late Stage: At this point, the dragon fish's blind spots are severe, with swollen eyes that, if left untreated, could result in permanent blindness. If the dragon fish stops eating, survival becomes highly unlikely.

Dr. Oxygen Pet Tip: Apart from treating the early stage of dragon fish blindness, it's best to stop feeding the dragon fish during the other stages to prevent water quality degradation and to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment.