I was devastated to come come tonight and see white spots on my beloved puffer. I've lost full tanks to ich... last time I tried my heart out to no success. I want to do everything I can for this guy. He is a saltwater dogface puffer. Still active and eating, behavior doesn't seem changed, has white flecks on his skin and fins, must be first stage so hopefully I caught it early.
I've been up way past my bedtime researching. It seems that copper is the best treatment, but then is likely to kill my puffer. I have a 20 gallon tank I can use for a quarantine tank. I'm relatively new at fish keeping so some of these terms are beyond me. I read about the hypo salinity but only that it works, not so much the process. Lets say I'm beginning with a tank of regular salt levels. How do I decrease the salinity? I read about the partial changes - do I add freshwater back in, or saltwater, and with how much salinity? How do I progress over time to achieve the desired salinity level in my QT tank, and once I reach that, how long do I have to keep it at that level? Once I reach the desired level of salinity, how often do I do the water changes, and again, with what levels of salinity in the water that I'm adding?
Is there a certain temperature I can keep the tank at that would help?
Would a freshwater dip for my puffer be beneficial or detrimental?
I do have snails and an anemone in my tank so I'll quarantine the puffer. However, I have other fish, a couple clowns and a couple damsels, that show not a single sign of infection yet. Do I have to move ALL of them into this 20 gallon QT tank? If so, would that be too overcrowded for them, and stress them out while they are in there? I have my puffer, two clowns, and three damsels.
If I HAVE to, I will permanently remove the anemone and snails from my tank. The fish, especially the puffer are more important to me. I was considering this when reading about the copper treatment... I resigned myself to a fish only tank if it ment saving my fish. But then, I read how harmful copper can be for puffers and panicked all over again.
So, what is the best way to treat a puffer for ich, with step by step directions? I would greatly appreciate it, I will be devastated if I lose this guy... he's my buddy, he hand feeds, and he gets so excited every time he sees me walk in the room!
It's 3am and I will begin whatever recommend course of treatment tomorrow!
Thanks!
HELP - Ich! :(
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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LilGreenPuffer
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Re: HELP - Ich! :(
Here's an article outlining SW ich treatment for puffers. You were right about copper being unsafe for them. library/hospital/swich/
I think that a FW dip would be helpful, but only to provide temporary relief from the itching. Since it's so hard to transport a fish without exposing them to air, which is dangerous for a puffer because they might suck in air and not be able to expel it, I wouldn't do it.
I would suggest moving the live rock into another container and treating in the main tank. You'll have to keep it away from the fish for four weeks (I think...? Someone else will know!) Keep feeding it an ammonia source to keep the bacteria from starving.
These threads might help you.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15728&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... elvis+hypo
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17111&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... elvis+hypo
Someone else will be along soon who can answer your other questions.
I think that a FW dip would be helpful, but only to provide temporary relief from the itching. Since it's so hard to transport a fish without exposing them to air, which is dangerous for a puffer because they might suck in air and not be able to expel it, I wouldn't do it.
I would suggest moving the live rock into another container and treating in the main tank. You'll have to keep it away from the fish for four weeks (I think...? Someone else will know!) Keep feeding it an ammonia source to keep the bacteria from starving.
These threads might help you.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15728&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... elvis+hypo
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17111&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... elvis+hypo
Someone else will be along soon who can answer your other questions.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
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Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
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NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
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Pufferpunk
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Re: HELP - Ich! :(
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
Keeping a tank fallow for 8 weeks is recommended for complete irradication of the parasite by starvation. Moving everything in the tank to a bucket with a powerhead & heater (this includes all substrate), might be more difficult that just moving the fish itself for hypo. If you don't want a repeat of this, I'd definately do as the article instructs. BTW, that article is written by the top pufferkeeper in the world, Kelly Jedlicki (Puffer Queen).
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
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"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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twenty4karats
- Puffer Fry
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Re: HELP - Ich! :(
I moved him to a quarantine tank today. Put some melafix in there for soothing. Lowered the salinity by around .02. I suppose I am going to be doing water changes every other day to gradually decrease salinity. A few concerns... how many days should it take to get a tank with a salinity of around 1.026 to 1.009? Then, how many days do I keep it at 1.009?
I'm very worried about my guy, I think this stressed him out majorly and I'm afraid the stress of the move may kill him rather than the ich. Puffers are so sensitive. He's just laying at the bottom of the tank.. he usually does that a few times a day to "sleep", but now he's been there for hours breathing hard. He did come up to eat his dinner though, ate hardy and searched for more. I'm hoping since the appetite is very much still there, he can't be feeling TOO bad...
I'm very worried about my guy, I think this stressed him out majorly and I'm afraid the stress of the move may kill him rather than the ich. Puffers are so sensitive. He's just laying at the bottom of the tank.. he usually does that a few times a day to "sleep", but now he's been there for hours breathing hard. He did come up to eat his dinner though, ate hardy and searched for more. I'm hoping since the appetite is very much still there, he can't be feeling TOO bad...
Re: HELP - Ich! :(
I can't give you any other advice beside what you have already been given. I can tell you that with other fish in the main tank that they may more than likely get or be infected. You now have to treat all. Good Luck.