Moderator- please move this thread if you feel it is misplaced.
Hello all. I have 2 F8s in a 29 gal aquarium. I have had them for about 3 months now. They both eat very well, but they are taking on different shapes. The larger of the 2 has a very nice "puffer figure" (nice round belly and thick all the way to the tail. The smaller of the 2 has a different look to him/her. It has a nice round belly, but looks "pinched off" on his backside. This definitely does not look correct, but someone may be able to correct me on that.
I have never treated, nor seen, a case of IPS but I am wondering if that is what this may be.
Please help, I am not sure what to do.
Thank you in advance. Joe.
Odd shaped F8- PLEASE 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.
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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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
A pic of this puffer would help a great deal.
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!"
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
Unfortunately I do not have a camera to take a picture. Maybe a better way to describe this would be; Imagine you were to hold the puffer by the tail and pinch his sides together, not his stomach though, just the rear of the fish. He almost looks emaciated immediately behind his stomach.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
My guess would be IPs then.
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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MatthewLaw
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 198
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:29 pm
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
unfortunately I may have to agree.
My SAP had the exact same condition and he was a good eater and very attentive for the two weeks that I had him. then one morning he no longer greeted me and didnt eat that night. i removed him from the tank in fear that the other puffers had hogged the food..i fed im separately but he just laid in the QT wihtout moving very much.....
two days later he passed.....i think it may have been IPS...but not sure
My SAP had the exact same condition and he was a good eater and very attentive for the two weeks that I had him. then one morning he no longer greeted me and didnt eat that night. i removed him from the tank in fear that the other puffers had hogged the food..i fed im separately but he just laid in the QT wihtout moving very much.....
two days later he passed.....i think it may have been IPS...but not sure
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
Matt, Have you treated your other fish?
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!"
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
2 questions.
First can I get the needed medication from Petco, and what would it be called? It is the only store that I will be able to go to tomorrow.
Second, can I safely feed both puffers with the IPS medicine? Or should I only feed the infected one.
Thank you in advance.
First can I get the needed medication from Petco, and what would it be called? It is the only store that I will be able to go to tomorrow.
Second, can I safely feed both puffers with the IPS medicine? Or should I only feed the infected one.
Thank you in advance.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
Always treat every fish in the tank.
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!"
-
marksrush
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 856
- Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:10 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: One GSP.
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Raymore, Missouri USA
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
Jungle Labs Parasite Clear fizztabs are commonly recommended here, as that product has an additional ingredient besides the normal metronidazole and praziquantel you find in the better IP meds. They also make a similar product, Internal Parasite Guard, that's a crystalline powder rather than fizztabs - I've used it successfully, so if you can't find the other one, look for this one. Levamisole hydrochloride is another option, but my experience is that it's hard to come by.
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
Well I picked up the fizz tabs. I have to admit that it seems a bit weird for me to put "fizz tabs" into my fish tank! 
But if it works, I will be very happy.
But if it works, I will be very happy.
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
Also, it is definitely IPs. I noticed the sick puffer had a tell tale stringy poo.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Re: Odd shaped F8- PLEASE HELP
You're going to have to treat his food with the meds.
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!"