pH: 7pH
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Tank Size: 25 Gallons
Water change: once every 1.5 weeks, changed yesterday
Cycled
Fish: 4 dp, 1 oto, 1 hifin pleco, bunch of little snails that came with the tank
heavily planted
I actually bought this DB because it had amazing coloured eyes -they were blue and changed colours from time to time. However, for the past few weeks (maybe a month) now her eyes have both been black and around her pupil are little black spots. It looks as if she has black freckles around the inside of her eyes but on the whites.
On a side note, I also have a hifin pleco with major skin problems and perhaps constipation. His skin looks rusty and as if it has been burned off/scabby but protruding inwards, as if the skin has been scratched off. This has been the case since I got him, but now it has spread to most of his body. What kind of meds should I get? I'm reading that it could be either fin rot or velvet disease... what do you think?
DB with BLACK SPOTS IN EYE + problem with HiFin
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.
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.
-
dumpythepuffer
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 2:29 pm
- My Puffers: 2DP's -bumblebee & pepto
1GSP -dumpy
1-5 gallon FW tank
1-30 gallon BW tank
1-brand new 90 gallon SW tank - Location: Alberta, Canada
- Contact:
Re: DB with BLACK SPOTS IN EYE + problem with HiFin
fin rot would obviously start on the fins then work towards the body. once it reaches the body then theres not much chance of anything growing back and he will die. you can get medication to treat this however with the puffer in the tank im not sure if it will hurt the puffer or not. you should have a quarentene tank.
fin rot normally occures with higher acidic waters. the ph would be more acidic that is. along with high pp levels.
i dont know much about velvet.
is the puffer showing signs just like the pleco?
whats your nitrite like? thats a very important one.
normally you would also have some nitrate showing. how old are your test kits?
one way to cure consitipation is aquarium salt. not marine salt but aquarium salt. again i dont know if it will bother the puffer. they are a scaless fish to they are more sensitive
fin rot normally occures with higher acidic waters. the ph would be more acidic that is. along with high pp levels.
i dont know much about velvet.
is the puffer showing signs just like the pleco?
whats your nitrite like? thats a very important one.
normally you would also have some nitrate showing. how old are your test kits?
one way to cure consitipation is aquarium salt. not marine salt but aquarium salt. again i dont know if it will bother the puffer. they are a scaless fish to they are more sensitive
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Hilly
- Mentor
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:36 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Current: Tetraodon Lineatus
Previous:
Tetraodon Sabahensis
Montrete Abei
Tetraodon Biocellatus
Carinotetraodon Salivator - Location (country): UK
- Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Re: DB with BLACK SPOTS IN EYE + problem with HiFin
It's worth trying some Pimafix and Melafix if it's a fungal infection on the fins of any kind that should help especially the pimafix.
Epsom salt is for constipation or maybe try and get some peas down him.
No nitrate readings whatsoever is not very typical in a tank.
Do big water changes, like 30-50% daily aand then add the treatment and see how it goes.
Good luck.
Epsom salt is for constipation or maybe try and get some peas down him.
No nitrate readings whatsoever is not very typical in a tank.
Do big water changes, like 30-50% daily aand then add the treatment and see how it goes.
Good luck.
Hilly
Re: DB with BLACK SPOTS IN EYE + problem with HiFin
It's definitely not fin rot then, the fins are good. The body looks so bad though... it's like fish enema, only looking like light leather skin instead of red leathery skin.
The store was sold out of Pimafix! The only thing left was Melafix and the Jungle fungus remover stuff (bright yellow grainy substance). I got the Jungle stuff.... but for future references is it safe to say that Primafix is better then Melafix? At the store there was a full row of Melafix next to the empty row of Pimafix. Sure the store could of just refilled the Melafix... but I'd imagine they'd also get Pimafix unless if it sold faster anyways then the Melafix.
Do you guys think that maybe it's because I have larger gravel as oppose to sand for the pleco? He could be just rubbing against it... Although I have never seen this happen... I do see him rub his bottom against it and it seems fine.
I sprinkled Jungle internal parasite remover on the sick dp, and he seems much happier today but his eyes are still freckled. I guess time will tell if the fungus remover stuff will help or the internal parasites...
The store was sold out of Pimafix! The only thing left was Melafix and the Jungle fungus remover stuff (bright yellow grainy substance). I got the Jungle stuff.... but for future references is it safe to say that Primafix is better then Melafix? At the store there was a full row of Melafix next to the empty row of Pimafix. Sure the store could of just refilled the Melafix... but I'd imagine they'd also get Pimafix unless if it sold faster anyways then the Melafix.
Do you guys think that maybe it's because I have larger gravel as oppose to sand for the pleco? He could be just rubbing against it... Although I have never seen this happen... I do see him rub his bottom against it and it seems fine.
I sprinkled Jungle internal parasite remover on the sick dp, and he seems much happier today but his eyes are still freckled. I guess time will tell if the fungus remover stuff will help or the internal parasites...
Last edited by foxx1 on Thu Nov 08, 2007 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
Hilly
- Mentor
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:36 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Current: Tetraodon Lineatus
Previous:
Tetraodon Sabahensis
Montrete Abei
Tetraodon Biocellatus
Carinotetraodon Salivator - Location (country): UK
- Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Re: DB with BLACK SPOTS IN EYE + problem with HiFin
Melafitx is good for healing, pimafix more for fungal infections etc..., the manufacturers blurb says that when used together they enhance each other. One is better than none though.
Smells nice too.
Smells nice too.
Hilly
-
dumpythepuffer
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 110
- Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 2:29 pm
- My Puffers: 2DP's -bumblebee & pepto
1GSP -dumpy
1-5 gallon FW tank
1-30 gallon BW tank
1-brand new 90 gallon SW tank - Location: Alberta, Canada
- Contact:
Re: DB with BLACK SPOTS IN EYE + problem with HiFin
well im glad its not fin rot. thats a pain in the butt.
hope everything goes okay for you.
hope everything goes okay for you.