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Juvenal Mbu Puffer breathing heavy and white spots on fins

Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 12:43 pm
by Jakesontap
Hello all.. New to forum but not fish keeping and would love so help...
Let me start out on the red answers:
1: Ph=6.6/6.8, ammonia=0.0, nitrites=0.0, nitrates=0.0
2: 150gallon, tank mates: 4 harlequins - 2 glow Tetras - 1 angle - 1 red eye Tetra - 1 brushynose placo - bunch of cherry shrimp and snails (slowly going to the belly)
3: 25% weekly or 50% biweekly (prime and stress added as needed). Food is snails, clams on half shell or just the meat and once a month he would get 2 or 3 live crabs to take down.
4: No real changes besides what I will explain below
5: just over a month, fishless with media from old tank and feed tank ammonia. After two weeks and ammonia dropped to zero, introduced 4 Harley’s and 50+ snails. Week later introduced 8 shrimp and week later the rest besides puffer.

So now we come my help needed!!!
My little guy was housed in a 75g and just moved to a 150g but when he was in the 75 he was acting a little sluggish and would hide. Kinda thought he was growing out of the 75 so we started the 150 startup.
At one point I noticed some white dots on his fins but they almost matched the other side and really couldn’t remember if they were always there. (I’ll attach pictures)
When I pulled him from the 75 he was breathing fine and eating ok but not his usual great self. So I started doing some research on him and couldn’t find a pic with a Mbu and the white dots but read a lot about fungus. At this point I still had the 75 up and running so I put him back and started a Melafix and Pimafix cycle.
3 days into the treatment he was acting weird and breathing very heavy so I panicked and returned him back to the 150 thinking maybe I overdosed him with that stuff. Now he’s swimming around (taking out the occasional snail) but still breathing very heavy and jerking his head back now and then like he’s choking on something.
Could those meds have hurt him in any way and what do you guys think the white dots are??

Re: Juvenal Mbu Puffer breathing heavy and white spots on fins

Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 3:18 pm
by Pufferpunk
[welcome]
A couple of things I find odd:
Your pH is very low! About the same as straight urine. What is it coming from your tap?
Why is there no nitrate, if your tank was cycled correctly?

I wouldn't worry about those spots on the fins.

Re: Juvenal Mbu Puffer breathing heavy and white spots on fins

Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:41 pm
by Jakesontap
Hi Pufferpunk and thanks for the reply.

Not sure why I put 0.0 for nitrates as they always hold on 5.0.
The ph is at 7.2 now as I did a water change after testing and the tap is at 7.6. Should the ph be higher than that to keep him happy as I always saw it at 7.0-7.2

His breathing has calmed a little bit but he’s pretty lethargic and all the other fish in the tank are happy go lucky. Just fee like I’m not out of the woods with him yet.

You don’t think those white spots are anything like ick or a fungus?

Re: Juvenal Mbu Puffer breathing heavy and white spots on fins

Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:44 pm
by Jakesontap
Maybe that new big piece of driftwood is lowering my ph?

Re: Juvenal Mbu Puffer breathing heavy and white spots on fins

Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:13 pm
by Pufferpunk
Driftwood will definitely lower pH. Must be a huge piece if it's doing that much to a 150g tank. How large is the puffer? What is your normal WC schedule like?

Re: Juvenal Mbu Puffer breathing heavy and white spots on fins

Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:30 pm
by Jakesontap
It’s that big stump in the picture. I pulled it from a local lake, pressure washed it and sat it in a (almost boiling) bath for 4 hours.

I do 25% weekly but sometimes I get swamped at work and do a 50% within a 2 week timeline.

He’s about 6” long.