Hello From Canada
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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shih-tzu mom
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:21 pm
Hello From Canada
Hi; all, i am new to fishkeeping and to the forum, I purchased my first dwarf puffer decl25th from my lfs.already i am getting a kick out of him lol. He is very precious to me. Well today is his first water change as he is being treated for worms. It was suggested from some info on some puff sites that they should be wormed when you first get them. He is in a 10-gallon cycled tank.Anyone have some suggestions? all input greatfully accepted. bella
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Hello From Canada
Hi Bella,
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
I'm moving this the the Hospital forum. There is an article on treating IPs in our Library.
I'm moving this the the Hospital forum. There is an article on treating IPs in our Library.
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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Agnate
- Former Staff Member
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Re: Hello From Canada
What kind of puffer is it? After you get him dewormed and he's looking healthy, it might be required that you upgrade his tank (as 10 gallons are only suitable for a couple of the puffer species). However, for now, it should be fine a newcomer, especially since it's already cycled. 
Also, just want to clarify, you mean its cycled in that there is a bacterial colony developed to handle the ammonia and nitrite conversion, yes? (This is usually done by putting old fish food/sea food, pure ammonia, or a hardy species of fish in the tank for 3-4 weeks).
I'm only asking because I've heard people say that they've "cycled" the tank, which by their sources meant that they had filled it with water and let the filter run for 24 hours, and I just want to make sure you've started out properly.
Also, just want to clarify, you mean its cycled in that there is a bacterial colony developed to handle the ammonia and nitrite conversion, yes? (This is usually done by putting old fish food/sea food, pure ammonia, or a hardy species of fish in the tank for 3-4 weeks).
I'm only asking because I've heard people say that they've "cycled" the tank, which by their sources meant that they had filled it with water and let the filter run for 24 hours, and I just want to make sure you've started out properly.
Did our staff successfully help you? The Puffer Forum is an incredible resource and is run completely on the donations of its viewers. Proceeds from the Puffer Forum store go towards future contests and keeping the site running. Donations may also be made via PayPal.
- Paul
40 gallon - Future home of Abei Puffer
28 gallon - 1 Abei Puffer (Captain Abe)
5 gallon - 1 Betta (Frederico)
- Paul
40 gallon - Future home of Abei Puffer
28 gallon - 1 Abei Puffer (Captain Abe)
5 gallon - 1 Betta (Frederico)
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edmlfc1
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- Location: Texas
Re: Hello From Canada
A dwarf puffer is fine in a 10 gallon.shih-tzu mom wrote: I purchased my first dwarf puffer decl25th from my lfs.
Check pufferpedia to make sure this is actually the puffer you have. Most lfs are bad about calling puffers by different names and it being the wrong puffer. I've tried a couple of different ip meds and the one that works best for me is geltek. The puffers don't seem to mind the taste of it. Other's that I have tried they have spit out the food and went on a hunger strike.Need to know what kind of puffer you have? Click on Puffer ID.....Puffer ID: ug.php/v/PufferPedia/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
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Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: Hello From Canada
She said he's a dwarf puffer. No need to upgrade 
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Agnate
- Former Staff Member
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Re: Hello From Canada
Whoops, my bad, sorry about that. ^_^
Did our staff successfully help you? The Puffer Forum is an incredible resource and is run completely on the donations of its viewers. Proceeds from the Puffer Forum store go towards future contests and keeping the site running. Donations may also be made via PayPal.
- Paul
40 gallon - Future home of Abei Puffer
28 gallon - 1 Abei Puffer (Captain Abe)
5 gallon - 1 Betta (Frederico)
- Paul
40 gallon - Future home of Abei Puffer
28 gallon - 1 Abei Puffer (Captain Abe)
5 gallon - 1 Betta (Frederico)
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shih-tzu mom
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:21 pm
Re: Hello From Canada
Agnate;-he is a dwarf puffer and his tank is cycled the old fashioned way lol ammonia and my w-p -are ammonia-o nitrates-0 and nitrites-20 lol and his p.h 7.5 and tap the same.But my concern is-Does he have to be wormed? he is full of energy and eating well, curious, interactive lol. but i pose this question as a percaution thanks in advance. bella
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Agnate
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1203
- Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 7:44 pm
- My Puffers: -
1 Abei Puffer [Monotrete Abei]
(Captain Abe) - Location: Ontario, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Hello From Canada
Did you accidentally mix up Nitrate and Nitrite? If not, a Nitrite reading indicates that your tank is NOT cycled, but by the sounds of it, I think you just mixed up the names.
I would deworm him if you haven't already. Jungle Labs Parasite Clear seems to be a very common and good medication to use, as puffers don't seem to be able to taste it. I wouldn't dose the tank, but instead put a portion of the tablet into some food's thawing water and let it soak into the food. You can read our article on Internal Parasites and search the Hospital forum for other posts about IPs using Jungle Labs product.
I would deworm him if you haven't already. Jungle Labs Parasite Clear seems to be a very common and good medication to use, as puffers don't seem to be able to taste it. I wouldn't dose the tank, but instead put a portion of the tablet into some food's thawing water and let it soak into the food. You can read our article on Internal Parasites and search the Hospital forum for other posts about IPs using Jungle Labs product.
Did our staff successfully help you? The Puffer Forum is an incredible resource and is run completely on the donations of its viewers. Proceeds from the Puffer Forum store go towards future contests and keeping the site running. Donations may also be made via PayPal.
- Paul
40 gallon - Future home of Abei Puffer
28 gallon - 1 Abei Puffer (Captain Abe)
5 gallon - 1 Betta (Frederico)
- Paul
40 gallon - Future home of Abei Puffer
28 gallon - 1 Abei Puffer (Captain Abe)
5 gallon - 1 Betta (Frederico)
-
shih-tzu mom
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:21 pm
Re: Hello From Canada
Yes, i have used jungle before and find it works well. But with the puffer being so delicate would that not hurt him ? bella
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Nick
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Re: Hello From Canada
I have used it on dwarf puffers, figure 8 puffers, and GSPs all without ill effect. Soaking the food in a shot of water while the # of tablets needed for the tank dissolve, then adding the solution to the tank, is a good way of making sure you kill everything. Protozoan IPs very easily re-infest a fish and seem more common in DPs than flatworms or roundworms.
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Myaj
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Re: Hello From Canada
If he's eating, I'd go ahead and deworm him.
Most puffers have a heavy load of IP's because they are wild caught, luckily for us (and them) dwarf puffers are bred in captivity so they generally have a somewhat lower risk of carrying IPs. However, since stores keep fish on centralized filtration systems, pretty much anything any other fish in the store had, this little guy has been exposed to.
I always deworm any new fish as regular habit now. Its a heck of a lot easier to successfully deworm them when they are healthy and eating then when they are sick and refuse to eat. If they don't have any parasites (most likely they do have some), it won't hurt them. If they do, you handled it
Most puffers have a heavy load of IP's because they are wild caught, luckily for us (and them) dwarf puffers are bred in captivity so they generally have a somewhat lower risk of carrying IPs. However, since stores keep fish on centralized filtration systems, pretty much anything any other fish in the store had, this little guy has been exposed to.
I always deworm any new fish as regular habit now. Its a heck of a lot easier to successfully deworm them when they are healthy and eating then when they are sick and refuse to eat. If they don't have any parasites (most likely they do have some), it won't hurt them. If they do, you handled it
