Green spotted puffer HELP

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!

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.
hmmwvj
Puffer Fry
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:27 pm
Location (country): Malaysia

Re: Green spotted puffer HELP

Post by hmmwvj »

Would soaking his food apply to API General Cure (Metronidazole and praziquantel)? The directions say to add the powder directly to the aquarium.
User avatar
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: Green spotted puffer HELP

Post by Pufferpunk »

Ye, IPs can ONLY be treated internally. FW fish do not drink water.
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!"
hmmwvj
Puffer Fry
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:27 pm
Location (country): Malaysia

Re: Green spotted puffer HELP

Post by hmmwvj »

Puffy passed today. It was three weeks and a day since he first wasn't well.

I never saw him with anywhere as much interest in food or swimming as he used to have. In fact the only indication he ate was the poop, which seemed a good enough amount. His posture and balance were stable though he didn't the move much around the tank. Cloudy eye got well too.

I was worried enough that I tried to improve water quality by adding a power filter (a weak one) yesterday. He started to twitch a little so I took it off and changed the water. Had Epsom salts overnight in case he was constipated. He didn't look good this morning.

Or maybe it was the antibiotics. Maybe he had too much in the tank or in his food. Though he seemed to refuse food that was soaked even a few minutes.

I wanted to thank you for your help with him and for all the other puffer parents over the years. The world is a better place for people like you. It can't be fun to get the bad news but I know why you do it.
User avatar
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: Green spotted puffer HELP

Post by Pufferpunk »

:rip: You really did try...
Are you going to get another?
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!"
hmmwvj
Puffer Fry
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:27 pm
Location (country): Malaysia

Re: Green spotted puffer HELP

Post by hmmwvj »

No, it wouldn't be right. I can't support how the shops sell them as freshwater fish and loaded with IPs. Just seizing them from the wild is cruel enough.
Post Reply