In the space of the last few days I've lost a pair of clowns, small box fish and finally my kole tang.
I have remaining a goby, pj cardinal and my valentini puffer (say 1.5 inch long).
I'm setting up a hospital tank as we speak and although none of the remaining three fish have whitespot on their bodies, the cardinal and puffer have what look more like scars on their fins rather than spots. Under blue lights last night I thought I could see perhaps 4 spots on each of the fins but now it's more a scar.
I'm just wondering what is the best plan of attack - freshwater dip? copper? Hospital tank with hyposalinity??
I will introduce myself and do some searching but I'm just concerned that I act as quickly as possible.
Many thanks,
Larry.
Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
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.
-
Pufferpunk
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
Hi Larry, Sorry this had to be your 1st post but you've found the right place!
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
Start here: library/hospital/swich/
It would help if you answered all the Qs above in red, too.
Start here: library/hospital/swich/
It would help if you answered all the Qs above in red, too.
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: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
Apols,
Calcium = 450.000 (02-05-2010)
Carbonate = 12.300 (13-05-2010)
Magnesium = 1,380.000 (02-05-2010)
Nitrate = 0.000 (24-04-2010)
PH = 8.000 (24-04-2010)
Phosphate = 0.000 (24-04-2010)
Sg = 1.026 (24-04-2010)
55 gallon tank 10 gallon sump
twice weekly 10% changes
Running 3 months
Stock:
1 x Randalls Goby
1 x Valentini Puffer
1 x PJ Cardinal
2 x Crabs (Blue legged)
Assorted snails
Calcium = 450.000 (02-05-2010)
Carbonate = 12.300 (13-05-2010)
Magnesium = 1,380.000 (02-05-2010)
Nitrate = 0.000 (24-04-2010)
PH = 8.000 (24-04-2010)
Phosphate = 0.000 (24-04-2010)
Sg = 1.026 (24-04-2010)
55 gallon tank 10 gallon sump
twice weekly 10% changes
Running 3 months
Stock:
1 x Randalls Goby
1 x Valentini Puffer
1 x PJ Cardinal
2 x Crabs (Blue legged)
Assorted snails
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purplecandle
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
your nitrate should not be zero..Is that typo or confused with nitrite?
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jdak
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
I'm a fan of hypo myself. How do you test to the .000?
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
With a low stocking level, live rock, live sand & a good working refugium, It's easy to have nitrate of 0 in a marine tank. Why do you guys think we keep telling ya to put GSPs into SW???
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: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
As above really, I am very low stocked and I have the whole middle section of the sump with chaeto and calurpa.
Equipment wise I have a phosphate reactor, calc reactor and am now running UV.
The tank is mainly aimed at SPS corals with as I said a low stock to support that.
Last night I had no option but to break down the whole tank in order to catch the remaining fish. I managed to get the puffer out and fw dipped him for about 10 minutes (perhaps a little less) he really didnt seem to mind it at all after the initially few seconds.
He still has marks on his fins but less (i think). I got him in the hospital tank and did lights out, this morning I was please to see him still with us, if not a little sulky.
He is sitting on the bottom of the tank just looking round, he didn't take any food this morning and I'm hoping that's just down to the tank move and the dip.
I'm planning on a round of hypo as I think copper treatment is a very last resort. Do I start it now or give him time to settle and start eating again?
Many thanks,
Larry.
Equipment wise I have a phosphate reactor, calc reactor and am now running UV.
The tank is mainly aimed at SPS corals with as I said a low stock to support that.
Last night I had no option but to break down the whole tank in order to catch the remaining fish. I managed to get the puffer out and fw dipped him for about 10 minutes (perhaps a little less) he really didnt seem to mind it at all after the initially few seconds.
He still has marks on his fins but less (i think). I got him in the hospital tank and did lights out, this morning I was please to see him still with us, if not a little sulky.
He is sitting on the bottom of the tank just looking round, he didn't take any food this morning and I'm hoping that's just down to the tank move and the dip.
I'm planning on a round of hypo as I think copper treatment is a very last resort. Do I start it now or give him time to settle and start eating again?
Many thanks,
Larry.
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soggydrysuit
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
I shouldn't really be sticking my oar in here as I only have one 30g trop marine tank at the moment but I think hyposalinity is a very good way of getting rid of marine ich.
I used it on my longnose butterfly when the Cuprazin copper treatment I tried first didn't really work. I did what you did - fw bath then hypo (30ppt salinity) for a couple of months. It worked.
Slightly off topic, pp, I've got 40kg of LR and one half inch yellow tail blue damsel just now. And an empty 240l tank. And two nearly inch long GSP's. Good idea?
I used it on my longnose butterfly when the Cuprazin copper treatment I tried first didn't really work. I did what you did - fw bath then hypo (30ppt salinity) for a couple of months. It worked.
Slightly off topic, pp, I've got 40kg of LR and one half inch yellow tail blue damsel just now. And an empty 240l tank. And two nearly inch long GSP's. Good idea?
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SammyDee
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
My Gsp get along with those damsels
"DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU'L DIE TODAY' -JAMES DEAN
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soggydrysuit
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- Location: Durham, UK
Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
Hmm, thanks for that 
Maybe this would work for a year or so. I've three scats that I'd like to add. They are at two inches and accelerating, if I add those too I'm probably looking at least a five by two by two foot tank. Big FOWLR
Might as well build another pond
Maybe this would work for a year or so. I've three scats that I'd like to add. They are at two inches and accelerating, if I add those too I'm probably looking at least a five by two by two foot tank. Big FOWLR
Might as well build another pond
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jdak
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
Do you mean 10ppt salinity? 30ppt is full marine. I have a yellow tail with my stars and stripes. I know it's not the same as a GSP but the yellow tail is a great cleanup crew. He catches all debris from the puffers sloppy eating. I would recommend hypo for a solid 8 weeks of being spot free as i did it for 6 weeks after spots were gone and about a month later, they made it back.soggydrysuit wrote:I shouldn't really be sticking my oar in here as I only have one 30g trop marine tank at the moment but I think hyposalinity is a very good way of getting rid of marine ich.
I used it on my longnose butterfly when the Cuprazin copper treatment I tried first didn't really work. I did what you did - fw bath then hypo (30ppt salinity) for a couple of months. It worked.
Slightly off topic, pp, I've got 40kg of LR and one half inch yellow tail blue damsel just now. And an empty 240l tank. And two nearly inch long GSP's. Good idea?
Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
Just as an update,
The puffer has spent most of the day on the bottom of the tank. I just fed some garlic enriched brineshrimp and he came round and ate some of it. I'm taking this as a good sign although he soon went back to the bottom where he is now.
Is this normal after the stress of a tank move and a dip?
Thanks,
Larry.
btw the three decimal places was just the way the software I use to log my data reports it.
The puffer has spent most of the day on the bottom of the tank. I just fed some garlic enriched brineshrimp and he came round and ate some of it. I'm taking this as a good sign although he soon went back to the bottom where he is now.
Is this normal after the stress of a tank move and a dip?
Thanks,
Larry.
btw the three decimal places was just the way the software I use to log my data reports it.
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Hilly
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
Could just be sulking after having been moved and dipped. Taking food is a good sign though so cant be too upset.
Hilly
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
FW dips need to be done for 30 minutes or they are pretty much useless. I'm glad he's eating though. Keep up with the hypo. What SG are you at now? Are all the fish in there? DT needs to remain fallow for 6-8 weeks.
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: Valentini Puffer - white spot/scar on fins
Thanks,
I'm in the process of lowering the Sg now. I wish I'd of kept him in the dip longer then, just conflicting info around the net and I thought I'd play it a little safe.
Don't want to dip him again unless I have to though.
I'm slowly bringing down the Sg, again I've heard a few different variations of how low i need to go without actually causing harm to the fish.
I have 2 fish in the qt, the puffer and a pj cardinal.
Thanks.
Larry.
I'm in the process of lowering the Sg now. I wish I'd of kept him in the dip longer then, just conflicting info around the net and I thought I'd play it a little safe.
Don't want to dip him again unless I have to though.
I'm slowly bringing down the Sg, again I've heard a few different variations of how low i need to go without actually causing harm to the fish.
I have 2 fish in the qt, the puffer and a pj cardinal.
Thanks.
Larry.