should I even let them out of the bag?

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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.
Post Reply
lindsaydawne81
Puffer Fry
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:40 pm
Location (country): Saskatchewan, Canada

should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by lindsaydawne81 »

:shock: I just got home from the pet store with 6 new dwarf puffers. They are still in the bag. Two of them have white thicker parts of their tail and their tails aren't able to open/fan like the others.

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!
User avatar
purplecandle
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 2019
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 2:18 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Currently
2 Adult Green Spotted Puffers
1 Fangs Puffer
1 Baby Green Spotted Puffer
Location (country): USA (NC)

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by purplecandle »

got a pic?

Does it look like fuzz, or a white patch????
Image
User avatar
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: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by J-P »

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.
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
Blaine

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by Blaine »

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.
lindsaydawne81
Puffer Fry
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:40 pm
Location (country): Saskatchewan, Canada

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by lindsaydawne81 »

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?
User avatar
El Scorpio
Fahaka Puffer
Posts: 534
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2010 12:11 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: none, at the moment...
Location (country): Louisville, KY.

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by El Scorpio »

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.
lindsaydawne81
Puffer Fry
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:40 pm
Location (country): Saskatchewan, Canada

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by lindsaydawne81 »

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- :cheers:
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32979
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
Contact:

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by Pufferpunk »

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...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Srkoe
Fahaka Puffer
Posts: 770
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:46 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: 1 Fahaka "Ares"
2 GSP "Wally"&"Marty"
6 Dwarfs "the peas"
2 Figure 8 "Fugu"&"Gizzard"
1 Honeycomb Toby "Ashera"
2 Congo "P-Nut"&"Bevo"
1 mystery puffer (turgidus?)"Manson"
Location (country): United States

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by Srkoe »

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 :(
User avatar
greenspottedlover
Fahaka Puffer
Posts: 632
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 1 GSP
Location (country): Vermont

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by greenspottedlover »

If it weren't for the fact you said it was thick It almost sounds like fin rot.
Image
User avatar
FADE2BLACK_1973
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1185
Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 5:09 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Fahaka (Tetraodon lineatus)


Once owned:
Congo (Tetraodon miurus) R.I.P
GSP's
Figure 8's
SAP
DP's
Stars and Stripes
Porcupine puffers
Yellow long horn Cowfish
Striped Burrfish
Location (country): United States of America
Location: Kentucky

Re: should I even let them out of the bag?

Post by FADE2BLACK_1973 »

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
Post Reply