Dogface Puffer with Red stuff coming out of gums area

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Sigsour7
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:06 pm
Location (country): San Diego,CA

Dogface Puffer with Red stuff coming out of gums area

Post by Sigsour7 »

Hello all, This is my first post. Just found the forum and in need of some assistance. I have taken my water to the fish store and they tested my water, it was perfect all the way across the board.

I have had puffers for quite some time now. I have had this one that needs help for the last 9-10 years.

I am well experienced in grinding his teeth down using clove oil for anesthesia. I have had to do it 2 or 3 times now, and have had zero issues.

This time is different tho. Usually you can tell when they need their teeth ground down because it will slowly start cut the gums and create a little clear ball of stuff around the mouth. so thats quick.


But this time the stuff is red. seems like he isn't really using his teeth too much. it seems like he's starting to struggle to breathe, not too sure if its just cause his mouth is staying open. and his entire mouth region area from the outside you can tell is severely swollen.

So i knocked him out the other day to check out back portion of his teeth, to see if its slicing him anywhere in his mouth. it wasn't.

while under, we happened to pull his lips back a bit, and noticed all of his gumline was just red, and looked like it was raw and slightly infected. it just didn't look good.

He is now in the tank, recouping, but it doesn't seem like his breathing is getting any better, ....

Theres stuff called E.M Erythromycin packs that treats bacterial fish diseases that I just dosed the tank.

does anyone have any experience with what could be going on here? my guy needs help and i don't think hell make it much longer like this.

Thank you all in advance,

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Pufferpunk
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Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
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Re: Dogface Puffer with Red stuff coming out of gums area

Post by Pufferpunk »

Ouch! Send an email to: info@americanaquariumproducts.com. They have been a great help!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Sigsour7
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:06 pm
Location (country): San Diego,CA

Re: Dogface Puffer with Red stuff coming out of gums area

Post by Sigsour7 »

Anyone else seen anything like this
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Dogface Puffer with Red stuff coming out of gums area

Post by Pufferpunk »

I have directed you to the disease experts. It is possible it got cut on a shell & is now infected.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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