Green spotted puffer with white/ reddish tail

[zyquine]

I have a green spotted puffer that i recently bought from Walmart that is healthy but he had is tail nibbled on while in the walmart tank, im wondering if there is anything i can give him to fix his tail. He doesn't seem to mind it at all, but i don't want it to get infected or if its already infected i dont want there to be future problems. Thank you

[LilGreenPuffer]

Hi! The best thing you can do is to make sure that the water quality is good. Bad water quality leads in infection and stress. If you tank is not big enough or if it was not cycled, the water will be full of pollutants, this will lead to infection - or possibly kill your new GSP! Was the tank cycled? How big is it? Have a look at these articles:
library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/

Just for kicks and giggles, here's some info on your GSP, in case you didn't already know this stuff:
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Nigroviridis/
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/

[Jivenjune]

If the fin is nipped too far in, it might now grow back. I've had my puffer for about 8 months, and he had a nipped anal fin when I first purchased him. It still hasn't grown back.

Best of luck.

[zyquine]

yes my water was cycled i have a 20 gallon tank with a nice big cave and lots of plants for him, i have checked the water quality level and i use prime also to eliminate ammonia and what not. He seems happy but it just looks like its getting worse, no black belly and he doesnt look distressed or ne thing! Thank You

[LilGreenPuffer]

Couple quick things...

-You don't cycle water, actually. The bacteria lives in the filter, on the substrate, etc., not in the water. That's why you can do really big water changes without hurting the fish.
-The plants will die - they can't tolerate salt.
-20g isn't big enough. He'll need at least 30g.

That being said, clean water and time ought to do the trick. You mentioned in another post that you were adding salt; the salinity change will help kill or prevent bacterial and fungal infections. Melafix will help, too.

[zyquine]

he is only around 2" which other places i have read said was alright but when they get to around 4" i will need a larger tank? is this true or does he need a larger tank already?

[pufferpuggirl]

If you're worried about infection, I'd use Melafix. I've had very good luck with using it on my puffers. At the size your puffer is, I would think he's fine in your tank for now.

[Jivenjune]

he is only around 2" which other places i have read said was alright but when they get to around 4" i will need a larger tank? is this true or does he need a larger tank already?

A single two inch GSP can live in a 20 gallon for a fair amount of time. By the time it's about 3 1/2 to 4 inches, you should be expanding your aquarium to a minimum of 30 gallons.

Just make sure your water parameters are in check while it's in its 20 gallon. The main issue with smaller tanks is that puffers have a large bio-load and lack scales, so even small increases in toxins are immediately absorbed by the puffer; however, these toxins are not merely derived from just bio-load production. There are other toxins that naturally build up in water, so water changes are necessary regardless of perfect water parameters. With a single GSP in a 20 gallon, make sure you are changing at least 50 percent of your water per week to keep everything in check.

At 4 inches or longer, 30 gallons will mostly give your fish more room to appropriately swim and explore his surroundings without becoming overly bored. Plus, the extra 10 gallons of water will dilute any toxin buildup within the aquarium, thus, rendering them less harmful to your fat little friend.

Best of luck.

[LilGreenPuffer]

The most important thing is, don't wait for him to get too big for the tank. It won't happen - he'll get stunted and will not actually outgrow it. So make the switch *before* he gets too big, and that won't happen.

[zyquine]

Good news i found a 30 gallon tank today for pretty cheap so i bought it and am going to use that arganine substrate. I found out my GSP has Tail rot so i have been giving him maracyn-two? the petstore said this should be good?

[LilGreenPuffer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it kill the biofilter? Does the package say to treat in a hospital tank?