Hello all.
I bought a new porcupine puffer yesterday but realized this morning that he is ill...
The store I bought him from had poor lighting, so I didn't notice the white patches on his body and fins. =( I think it's ICK, but I'm not certain.
I put some ICK medicine in his tank already but I'm also concerned that he hasn't eaten at all since I got him. At the pet store, I wanted to buy him some live snails (for food) but the owner there said no - puffers only eat small fish. Obviously he is WRONG! The puffer appears hungry - he is very active and moves about the tank opening and closing his mouth as in search for food.
I'm assuming he has been fed live fish for a while, so maybe he just isn't interested in the food I'm giving him. I put a few live ghost shrimp in the tank, frozen clamps on the half shell, and freeze dried shrimp and krill. I even tried the frozen block of krill. But nothing.....
He is alone in a 12 gallon tank (he's only about 2" long, so plenty of room for now). I have a large live rock, live sand, and fake corals in with him. Here's a run down on data:
Salt 1.02
Ammonia 0
Nitrates 0
Carbonate Hardness(KH) 232.7 (I know this is high - we have REALLY hard water in our town)
Calcium 420ppm
Phosphate 0.5
What should I do about getting him to eat? Do you think these white spots are ick or soething else? He's only puffed up once in the 24 hours I've had him (about 2 hrs after I put him in the tank), so I don't think he's too stressed.
New Porcupine Puffer
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.
-
LuvPuffers
- Puffer Fry
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J-P
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Re: New Porcupine Puffer
double post of :viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25585 ??
Welcome to the forum!!
Ich can be treated with hypo or just reducing the SG. A search on this site will tell you how to treat SW ich.
library/hospital/swich/
is a good read.
Are you planning on upgrading that tank? You can try a pair of chopsticks and wriggling the food to make it seem alive.
Also:
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
library/feeding/feedingproblems/
library/feeding/problems-feeding-your-puffer/
those are also required reading
Welcome to the forum!!
Ich can be treated with hypo or just reducing the SG. A search on this site will tell you how to treat SW ich.
library/hospital/swich/
is a good read.
Are you planning on upgrading that tank? You can try a pair of chopsticks and wriggling the food to make it seem alive.
Also:
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
library/feeding/feedingproblems/
library/feeding/problems-feeding-your-puffer/
those are also required reading
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
Re: New Porcupine Puffer
Hello LuvPuffers and welcome to The Puffer Forum. Ok lots to learn about puffers I am afraid. First off medication is not suggested for puffer fish as they are scaleless and don't tolerate them well, J-P pointed out a great link for you to read on treating ick. Puffers put out a lot of waste and need big tanks. I am afraid that 7 gallons is way to small even if your puffer is just a baby. There are many contaminants that we cannot test for, one being growth hormones. When you keep your puffer in a smaller than recommended tank the amount of growth hormones build up quickly and your fish will be stunted. You listed your SG at 1.02 is that a mistake? Your guy is going to eventual need a 120 gallon by himself within the next couple of years and at least 60 gallons right now. Always easier and better to have the adult size tank right from the start, easier on you not to have to transfer to a bigger tank down the road and even when well meaning life and finances get in the way that prevent from upgrading. How was this tank cycled?
Good Luck with him/her.
Good Luck with him/her.
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LuvPuffers
- Puffer Fry
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- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:02 pm
- Location (country): USA
Re: New Porcupine Puffer
He's going into our 55 gallon tank once it is cycled; we just put in sand yesterday and are filling it today. He's in a 12 right now that had been cycled for a few months.
The salt PPt is about 29-30 the Gravity is 1.021 my scale says that's ok.
The salt PPt is about 29-30 the Gravity is 1.021 my scale says that's ok.
trekenk wrote:Hello LuvPuffers and welcome to The Puffer Forum. Ok lots to learn about puffers I am afraid. First off medication is not suggested for puffer fish as they are scaleless and don't tolerate them well, J-P pointed out a great link for you to read on treating ick. Puffers put out a lot of waste and need big tanks. I am afraid that 7 gallons is way to small even if your puffer is just a baby. There are many contaminants that we cannot test for, one being growth hormones. When you keep your puffer in a smaller than recommended tank the amount of growth hormones build up quickly and your fish will be stunted. You listed your SG at 1.02 is that a mistake? Your guy is going to eventual need a 120 gallon by himself within the next couple of years and at least 60 gallons right now. Always easier and better to have the adult size tank right from the start, easier on you not to have to transfer to a bigger tank down the road and even when well meaning life and finances get in the way that prevent from upgrading. How was this tank cycled?
Good Luck with him/her.
-
J-P
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 5626
- Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:21 am
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): Japan
- Location: Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan
Re: New Porcupine Puffer
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Marine/D_Holocanthus/
a 55 is is almost half of what they need.
I wanted to put one in my 60 and got shot down quick.
For now focus on the Ich and flashing. Medication apparently burns the skin that is why non medicated methods are promoted.
a 55 is is almost half of what they need.
I wanted to put one in my 60 and got shot down quick.
For now focus on the Ich and flashing. Medication apparently burns the skin that is why non medicated methods are promoted.
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
Re: New Porcupine Puffer
I wouldn't be waiting for the 55 gallon to cycle. I would get him in there ASAP. Here is a great link on emergency cycling. library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/. Please do consider getting that larger tank soon.
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J-P
- Former Staff Member
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- Gender: Male
- Location (country): Japan
- Location: Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan
Re: New Porcupine Puffer
+1
agreed... the new tank can also be made a QT until everything settles and can upgrade.
agreed... the new tank can also be made a QT until everything settles and can upgrade.
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...
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Re: New Porcupine Puffer
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
A 55g is fine for a 2" porc--for now. My big concern is you are calling white patches. Can you post a pic? If it is indeed SW ich (called cryptocaryn), then the smaller tank can be used for hypo/QT.
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!"