Figure 8 Puffer White skin spot / sore / patch on head?

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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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Wipeout
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:34 am
Location (country): Lee On Solent. UK

Figure 8 Puffer White skin spot / sore / patch on head?

Post by Wipeout »

Hi all,

New to this forum so hello all, as usual the first post is to seek some puffer specific advice.

I’m based in the south of England, in Lee on Solent.
I kept tropical fish between 2000-2009, then had a marine setup from 2009-2017 after shutting down the marine setup due to moving house I have setup a F8 puffer tank.
I’ve got a 55L tank with 1 x F8 puffer, and 2 Tetras, the tetras were in initially taken from my parents setup to help tick along the cycling.
F8 was added after everything had settled down, they seem to get along fine so I haven’t evicted them back to their tank yet.

The F8 was in good shape when bought, after about 2 days in my tank he had a cloudy eye but it cleared on its own after 2 days and he’s been fine since, I put that down to stress or injury while moved from LFS, he is very active and eats well, fed daily with enough to plump him up slightly.
I feed with a variety through the week, SuperFish Frozen Tropical food (Bloodworm, White mosquito larvae, Daphnia, Brine shrimp), live Ghost shrimp & bladder snails (I’ve got a separate breeding tank of these). I’m going to stop the live shrimp for now in case they’ve contracted something.

Last week my F8 had a small lump appear on his head like it had bumped on something, it’s slightly off centre between his eye’s on the top of its head.
Over the last few days it had a small white spot on it but it’s gradually opened up to more of a white patch about 3mm in diameter, it’s circular in shape and looks like the skin has opened if that makes sense. Pic attached of the best I could get.
Poo is small brown pellets, not stringy or white, I did think it may have been Hexamita, I may treat just in case. His belly does sink in the day after feeding but plumps back up as soon as he eats and poops fine so may not be anything Internal.

Neither of the Tetras show any signs of anything odd occurring, they eat well and happily dart around chasing each other.

Tank setup mid Jan 18 (around 10th), fishless cycled for around 3 weeks (10 or so bladder snails added fed with fish flakes), water partially used from parents setup which has been running for years. 2 Tetras then added until readings levelled out around end Feb, F8 added around March 2nd.
Decor is a standard gravel (3mm grain), large plastic ship wreck, plastic anchor, silk fern plant and a large ball of Marimo Moss, no other live plants.

Water Parameters (Salifert kits):
Portsmouth water area so it’s harder water.
Temp = 24 - 25C
PH = 7.7
NH4 = 0
NO2 = 0
NH3 = 50ppm
My Tap water has around 35-40ppm Nitrate, as detailed by the water company and confirmed as close as possible with my kit, no NH4 or NO2 detected.
I need to address the NH3 and will get something like a Pozzani filter ordered asap.

SG has been gradually increased using Tropic Marin Reef Salt, now sitting at 1.003. Tetras will need to be evicted soon.

Filter is an Eheim Pick Up 60, running on the standard sponge element, I will replace this with some Matrix (on order) + Sponge.
Filter gets weekly rinsed (in tank water) along with a 10L water change inc gravel syphoning etc…..

I’ve dosed with a bit of Paraguard and will be doing a 10L water change every 3 days to rule out something odd in the water but with the Tetras ok and tap with Nitrate this may not yield results.

Has anyone got any advice on what it might be and treatment?
Do you suspect Hexamita or just a sore of some sort?

Thanks in advance.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Figure 8 Puffer White skin spot / sore / patch on head?

Post by Pufferpunk »

[welcome]
Doesn't look very severe, I'd up the SG to 1.005 & add Melafix & Pimafix (if the spot looks fungusy).
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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Wipeout
Puffer Fry
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:34 am
Location (country): Lee On Solent. UK

Re: Figure 8 Puffer White skin spot / sore / patch on head?

Post by Wipeout »

Will do. Got some Mela & Pima due tomorrow.
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