Bah, the LFS doesn't have any live food in this week, and I can't find anywhere close to where my husband is working today. I shall keep looking. TBH, the way he was playing with his live bloodworm last week I don't think he would eat it anyway. We went away for the weekend and he seems to have really gone downhill whilst we were away. He's become just a stick with a head stuck on top!
Other than the suggestion of internal parasites I am at a loss as to explain why this is happening. I think I'm going to isolate hime and try treating for internal parasites. Its the only thing I can think of to do.
We can't get a lot of the antibiotics, etc you guys get over in the States, just proprietary formulations by the various aquatics suppliers such as API, Interpet, etc. I'm going to stop by our LFS tonight on the way home and see what they have there. Obviously meds to soak the food in will be no good since he's not eating - does anyone have any experience with meds that are used in the water column, or could recommend any?
Also, should I treat the remaining 5 DPs in the main tank as a preventative measure? Medicating the food shouldn't be a problem with these guys!
Purifire - I just saw your post when I tried to post this. I will give it a try. Thank-you.
Advice needed for dwarf 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.
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
OK, it appears anti-parasite meds are hard to come by here in the UK.
I have found one by Waterlife called Sterazin - anyone familiar with this?
I have found one by Waterlife called Sterazin - anyone familiar with this?
-
bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
I would treat them all as a preventative measure. It is very hard to get mess in the uk so maybe try the one you found and let us know, hope your little guy makes it
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
I am 100% sure your puffer has IPs & isn't long for this world, if you do not treat immediately.
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: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
I've moved him over to a 10g quarantine tank. He's mustered up the energy to go on a small exploratory jaunt around the tank.
One of our LFS stocked Sterazin so I'm going to start treatment with that.
Once he's settled a bit I'll try him with some garlic-soaked bloodworm.
One of our LFS stocked Sterazin so I'm going to start treatment with that.
Once he's settled a bit I'll try him with some garlic-soaked bloodworm.
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katfemme89
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:09 am
- Location (country): Kentucky, USA
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
Good luck! I really hope he makes it!
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bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
Keep us posted on the meds good luck
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
Well, I have to report that we lost him last night. To be honest, I've never had any luck pulling a fish back once they stop eating, but he was relatively active yesterday so I didn't think he was quite circling the drain just yet.
I've left my husband at home giving the puffer tank a thorough clean. The past few weeks life has got in the way a little and, other than water changes and a quick scrape round with the algae magnet, we've not had time to do much else. Once he's finished scraping all the thick coats of algae off the plants and I've replanted them all after he's "accidently" pulled them up I'm going to medicate the tank for internal parasites as a precautionary measure. I hope by doing this we'll avoid any of the remaining five getting sick.
Thank-you for all your help and advice.
I've left my husband at home giving the puffer tank a thorough clean. The past few weeks life has got in the way a little and, other than water changes and a quick scrape round with the algae magnet, we've not had time to do much else. Once he's finished scraping all the thick coats of algae off the plants and I've replanted them all after he's "accidently" pulled them up I'm going to medicate the tank for internal parasites as a precautionary measure. I hope by doing this we'll avoid any of the remaining five getting sick.
Thank-you for all your help and advice.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
You need to medicate the fish's food, not the tank, for IPs.
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: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
I can't find anything to medicate the food with in the UK. If you know of anything I would love to know!
The stuff I'm using is the only stuff I can find for treatment of internal parasites.
The stuff I'm using is the only stuff I can find for treatment of internal parasites.
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bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
Can you not soak their food in the treatment you have
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
-
RTR
- Mentor
- Posts: 6155
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): East Coast, USA
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
The problem for FW fish with tank water med is that FW fish do not drink water, so internal problems never get the needed med. They absorb water via their shin and gills. That "filters out" most meds. So you need med which are injected (for somatic problems, or which are eaten with food, for gut problems.
SW fish generally do drink water constantly.
HTH
SW fish generally do drink water constantly.
HTH
Where's the fish? - Neptune
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
Hi RTR,
It helps in term of information, but I still have the same treatment problem.
I've just discovered that this stuff I have contains malachite green, so I'm not sure if I should even use it for the puffers. Maybe I should not worry about it for now and just keep a very close eye on them. Of course, if another one stops eating and starts to go downhill then its probably too late to do anything about. I don't think that there is any easy answer to this.
It helps in term of information, but I still have the same treatment problem.
I've just discovered that this stuff I have contains malachite green, so I'm not sure if I should even use it for the puffers. Maybe I should not worry about it for now and just keep a very close eye on them. Of course, if another one stops eating and starts to go downhill then its probably too late to do anything about. I don't think that there is any easy answer to this.
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Purifire
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 188
- Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 3:13 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 2 Dwarf Puffers (C. Travancoricus) , 1 male 1 female.
Saddled Toby (C. Vallintini)
Have kept GSPs - Location (country): United States, Lompoc CA
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
Sorry you lost him. 
29 Gallon Marine tank, with refugium, skimmer. Base rock, coral skeletons. Stock: Baby Ocellaurus Clown, young Saddled Toby, 3 Hermit crabs,one 2 inch Bristle Worm, hitch hiking starfish.
10g Biotope. 3 C. Travancoricus (Dwarf Puffer) Some Ghost shrimp, gravel/sand substrate, heavily planted with Swords and Java Moss.
10g LR Culture Tank. 10+ pounds fiji LR / base rock. Assorted hitch hiking inverts
Some FW tanks.
In My Experience, Fishkeeping is like Cooking. Five or ten basics will keep anyone from getting sick. But to be truly magnificent... You have to know the right Recipies.
10g Biotope. 3 C. Travancoricus (Dwarf Puffer) Some Ghost shrimp, gravel/sand substrate, heavily planted with Swords and Java Moss.
10g LR Culture Tank. 10+ pounds fiji LR / base rock. Assorted hitch hiking inverts
Some FW tanks.
In My Experience, Fishkeeping is like Cooking. Five or ten basics will keep anyone from getting sick. But to be truly magnificent... You have to know the right Recipies.
-
RTR
- Mentor
- Posts: 6155
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): East Coast, USA
Re: Advice needed for dwarf puffer
We hav multiple UK memebers - what have others used for IPs in FW fish - with good results?
I would not use malachite green - unsafe and exterior only in any case.
I would not use malachite green - unsafe and exterior only in any case.
Where's the fish? - Neptune