Is this ich? Should I take all of them back? I don't want to infect my tank with anything. I have another small 4 gallon tank that I could use as a hospital tank. I just am scared that they have something contagious!
should I even let them out of the bag?
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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lindsaydawne81
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should I even let them out of the bag?
Is this ich? Should I take all of them back? I don't want to infect my tank with anything. I have another small 4 gallon tank that I could use as a hospital tank. I just am scared that they have something contagious!
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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
the hospital tank should be good enough. If you take them back, chances are that others in the same tank are also infected but just are not showing the symptoms as of yet.
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Blaine
Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
Ich shows up as white spots....looks like grains of salt on the fishes skin and fins/tail. Is the white part fuzzy or damaged? or is it the color of the tail....the colors of each puffer will vary greatly.
Puffers do not always swim with their tail,...so they don't always open them.
If the tank is cycled, I would observe them in the hospital tank for a while. In order for them to survive for a short period in the 4 g you will need to monitor the water conditions closely and do daily water changes.
Please take a closer look at them in the hospital tank and report any symptoms of signs of disease.
Puffers do not always swim with their tail,...so they don't always open them.
If the tank is cycled, I would observe them in the hospital tank for a while. In order for them to survive for a short period in the 4 g you will need to monitor the water conditions closely and do daily water changes.
Please take a closer look at them in the hospital tank and report any symptoms of signs of disease.
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lindsaydawne81
- Puffer Fry
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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
I tried to take some pics, but my camera doesn't do well with the close ups. It is white and kind of fuzzy looking, in the affected spots the fin looks two or three times thicker than the healthy fin. It is not grainy. The fish are still active and seem to be swimming around okay. Do you think I should put the healthy looking ones in the big tank and the others in the hospital tank, or should i put all of them in the hospital tank? It's only 4 gallons, so I don't know if it will be able to handle all six! Should I add salt or anything to the hospital tank?
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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
My puffer doesn't open her tail unless she's trying to slow herself down; anytime else she clamps it shut.
White fuzzy growth... difficult do diagnose without a pic, but, columnaris maybe? Main symptoms of columnaris are white, cottony growth on the body and fins with deterioration of the fins at the edges. If it is columnaris it can easily be treated with an antibiotic. It's really contagious though, so keep the affected puffers separated from the rest of your stock.
White fuzzy growth... difficult do diagnose without a pic, but, columnaris maybe? Main symptoms of columnaris are white, cottony growth on the body and fins with deterioration of the fins at the edges. If it is columnaris it can easily be treated with an antibiotic. It's really contagious though, so keep the affected puffers separated from the rest of your stock.
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lindsaydawne81
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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I decided to return the fish. This time I was very specific with the store staff about which puffer to catch. Thanks again- 
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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
I'd treat all of them with Melafix & Pimafix.
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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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
If they were in the tank with the others they are probably be infected (if it was a disease) as well. Keep an eye on them. I have to treat my entire tank for ip's again because I did not qt my new peas 
- greenspottedlover
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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
If it weren't for the fact you said it was thick It almost sounds like fin rot.
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Re: should I even let them out of the bag?
Yeah I would treat it with a good but safe med or meds together like PP stated above. I had this same problem with some young frontosa's here while back. One was treated in time and fins healed up really nice but one I did not catch in time so he lost half the tail fin. So treating them right away will help from something like losing the fins for good. Plus adding extra oxygen while treating with these kinds of meds is a most.
Chris,
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson