shark eye problems

[yigos flower]

my Iridescent shark's eyes are getting really cloudy, everyone else in the tank looks fine. i also have seen a lot of other big sharks like that with cloudy eyes, actually all that i have seen have been that way.. is there a way to help it, cure it, or does it just happen??
thanks a lot! =]

[Roz]

Is the entire eye cloudy? Just the iris? Describe the cloudiness. Is it a sort of clear or transluscent white film over the eye? Or does it look more cottony? Does it appear to be on the outside of the eye or more like inside the eye?

It could be a number of things, and all are treatable. A slightly better description of the condition of the eyes will help in figuring out what exactly it is.

Either way, it's treatable, and your fish should be fine. :)

[yigos flower]

its just cloudy,,, i cant exactly ask him to stop for me to look at it.. =] it just looks like all the sharks of his kind.. (the bigger they are the wose it looks..) so i think it has a bit of something to do with age. but i think i will just ask the pet store seeing they have one in there now.. will melafex (sp) work,,, i cant remember if that clears up eyes or not. i know when the oscar got hole in the head we used that & all was good. (it said it helped with other things, but i dont member what ones..)
& mmmmm that stuff makes the house smell good.. haha like Vicks! =]

[Roz]

Well, here's a small tip for getting a good look at a sick fish without having to tie them down (like we could! :P) or ask them to hold perfectly still while you examine them...

Get a camera, preferably one that allows you to take macro photographs (since this will allow you to get real close to the fish through the tank walls and it won't blurr) and just snap a few shots of the fish. Whatever one shows the fish's problems best, use that to figure out what he has. (I do this with my Bettas, even though they're often a bit more obliging when I need them to hold still.)

Anyway... There's a couple of things that could be causing your shark's eyes to look this way...

It could be either a gram-negative bacterial infection or it could be a parasite (like worms or flukes.) There may be another cause still, but these are the two causes I'm familiar with.

If it's parasites, you'll want to find a product at your LPS that specifically states it gets rid of various parasites and is safe for your tank. (some meds will harm snails, sharks, etc.)

If it's because of a gram-negative bacterial infection, you can find a product like Gentamycin, Kanamycin, or Trimethoprim and Sulfathiazole Sodium
(TMP-Sulfa). (There are probably other products out there that take care of this as well, but these I know are especially useful in clearing up gram-negative bacterial infections, and I've known of folks who used it with good results. Haven't had to use any myself, though.)

Hopefully, your LPS will have some good info one what could be causing this in your shark and what will treat it.

I had two Iredescent Sharks, and they never developed a cloudiness of the eyes, so I'm not sure it's normal, which means you can treat and get rid of it and have your fishy back to normal soon enough.

[yigos flower]

how big were your sharks? mine i would have to hold with two hands.. & like i said maybe its just a common thing among the ones that are bigger... but we are still looking into it. i dont want him running into things... maybe he needs glasses HAHAHA.. that would be silly, yet, he would look good in them.. :p :clown:
his name is Carl & the other a bala shark is Earl i have had him for, hmmm oh geeze i'd say 4 years or more.. hes an old fish.. the dempsy that lives in there we have had about 6 years,, so thats the old folks home apparently hahaha

[Roz]

Mine were about 1 ft long each, approximately, before I gave them to someone with a bigger tank. They moved too much to measure them. :P I had them since they were just an inch long each. Had them for, hm, maybe 6 years.

[yigos flower]

yup, they are & can get big