Figure 8 weird problem
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.
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chriscenter1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:39 pm
Figure 8 weird problem
alright here is the deal. My figure8 puffer fish had a small outbreak of ich about 3? weeks ago. They have been over it for a few weeks though. When I saw small I mean they only had a few little ich dots on them. Anyway, today I just looked at one of the little ones (1-1.5") and saw something I have never seen before. His front side fins were pale white, not clear like normal. His eyes had this spider web-like white stuff on them, and it covered his gills on one side and stretched to other places on his body. I have no idea what this is, but I don't think its ich as I have seen severe ich outbreaks on SAPs before. He is swimming around haphazardly. I fed them krill for the first time yesterday, maybe an allergic reaction?? I have no idea. They are in low end brackish 1.008 I think. Anyway thats all I can tell you.
Is it really web-like? That makes it sound a bit like a fungus.
My former Figure 8 who was a recent purchase started out with a few ich spots, they got worse, but he also had a whitishness covering one eye, the gill and fin on the same side and the white spread slowly towards his tail - it also stayed only on that side of his body. It wasn't a fungus by its appearance, sure didn't look like velvet...I eventually put him down when he couldn't swim anymore.
Is yours gasping for breath like mad? I tried gram positive and negative antibiotics as well as an antiparasitic for ich/velvet to no avail.
Keep us posted, and I hope your figure 8 pulls through!
Eric
My former Figure 8 who was a recent purchase started out with a few ich spots, they got worse, but he also had a whitishness covering one eye, the gill and fin on the same side and the white spread slowly towards his tail - it also stayed only on that side of his body. It wasn't a fungus by its appearance, sure didn't look like velvet...I eventually put him down when he couldn't swim anymore.
Is yours gasping for breath like mad? I tried gram positive and negative antibiotics as well as an antiparasitic for ich/velvet to no avail.
Keep us posted, and I hope your figure 8 pulls through!
Eric
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
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C valentini
C coranata
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
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I have swwn thread/web-like things on my puffer's fins--it was just particles form the water. See if they wipe off. I have a lot of hair in my house...
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!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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chriscenter1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:39 pm
If you have a QT tank, I'd defintely move the little fellow. I've never seen anything quite like this before, and it's interesting that we have two cases so close together.
Is your fish a recent purchase? What ich med. did you use? I tried Maracide on my sick puffer - just trying to see if maybe your idea of some kind of poisoning is possible.
I have a second figure 8 from the same store, and he also had a small amount of ich when he came in. I treated with heat and the salt in his BW (he was in FW), and he seems fine now (we're still in the higher temp watch for the next two weeks, though). I was feeling good about him, but knowing your puffer had ich that cleared up prior to the white stuff makes me nervous!
Hang in there,
Eric
Is your fish a recent purchase? What ich med. did you use? I tried Maracide on my sick puffer - just trying to see if maybe your idea of some kind of poisoning is possible.
I have a second figure 8 from the same store, and he also had a small amount of ich when he came in. I treated with heat and the salt in his BW (he was in FW), and he seems fine now (we're still in the higher temp watch for the next two weeks, though). I was feeling good about him, but knowing your puffer had ich that cleared up prior to the white stuff makes me nervous!
Hang in there,
Eric
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chriscenter1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:39 pm
Well that rules out an ich medicine being the problem...
How is your other figure 8 doing? I hope he/she is OK.
Are your two both big adults (as I continue the search for parallels here)? The past and current figure 8s of mine were full sized when I got them. I wonder if some adults have a hard time adjusting to the travel and adjusting to captivity...a LFS in town told me recent adult shipments had a much higher mortality rate than shipments of juvenile/small Figure 8s.
It really stinks to have a sick puffer - they have that look in their eyes that makes you feel like they're saying "hey, I'm hurtin' here - can't you help me out"? I haven't had a fish look at me like that since Blinkie my 10+ year old Texas cichlid passed away some time ago.
Eric
How is your other figure 8 doing? I hope he/she is OK.
Are your two both big adults (as I continue the search for parallels here)? The past and current figure 8s of mine were full sized when I got them. I wonder if some adults have a hard time adjusting to the travel and adjusting to captivity...a LFS in town told me recent adult shipments had a much higher mortality rate than shipments of juvenile/small Figure 8s.
It really stinks to have a sick puffer - they have that look in their eyes that makes you feel like they're saying "hey, I'm hurtin' here - can't you help me out"? I haven't had a fish look at me like that since Blinkie my 10+ year old Texas cichlid passed away some time ago.
Eric
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Most of my fish, I try to get as juvies, so I know they've had the best care for their whole life. I do believe they adjust much better as youngins too. Imagine--they are happily living in BW for many years. Then they are captured & forced directly into FW for weeks/months & then back to BW again (maybe, if one of us finds them...).
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!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
chriscenter1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:39 pm
There really does seem to be a prob with F8s at the moment...lots of similar illnesses occurring at the same time. My lfs hasn't had any in in ages...not since the tsunami, I guess.
I wonder if US stocks are coming from somewhere unusual, somewhere they've not been collected from before, and this has something to do with it.
I think if someone has a weird illness, if they can, they should take swabs and get them looked at for future reference.
I hope he pulls through, Pami.
I wonder if US stocks are coming from somewhere unusual, somewhere they've not been collected from before, and this has something to do with it.
I think if someone has a weird illness, if they can, they should take swabs and get them looked at for future reference.
I hope he pulls through, Pami.
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chriscenter1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:39 pm
hey guys thanks for the responses, but my figure 8 died last night. It is always sad to lose a pet, but I had not really had him for that long so it is a bit eisier. Pamela know that you mention it I had a hard time finding these guys when they are normally quite common. I tried to take a few pictures of him but couldn't get any that really showed it. I guess the stranges thing about this was that his fins were pale white! Anyway, thanks for the help