can puffers get ick?

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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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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by Nuclear_Glitter »

You're doing water changes, too, right?
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by jenrkit84 »

Yes, I did one yesterday afternoon before adding the salt, I will do another one today or tomorrow.
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by Nuclear_Glitter »

you should do them everyday, while vacuuming the gravel. It is the only way to get the ich out of the tank, so it doesn't reattach itself or anything. Just be sure to replace the salt for however much you took out
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by jenrkit84 »

Yes, I have a gravel vacuum I use to change the water with as well.
I had an ick outbreak in my other tank a few weeks back, so unfortunately I am all too familur with the process. Only difference is I was unable to use salt in the other tank because of the eel.
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by jenrkit84 »

update for the evening.
dooma is super hyper active and a very bright green with a white belly, the first time I'm weeks I have seen it like this. The ick is already starting to diminish fairly quickly, and its back to eating frozen blood worms.
ph 7.5
ammonia .5 a little high but this was before the water change and I added prime after the change
nitrite 0
nitrate .5 - to think all along I was doing the test wrong, duh
temp, 85 with addition of pump and tubing line for connected Maidstone.

added the replacement salt back into the tank after the change.
now I'm excited to conquer this sickness to move up to brackish, seems so much more happy with salt added to the water.
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by jenrkit84 »

not to mention I'm super excited right now because I saw him hunt and eat a snail for the first time, I know its been eating them, but never saw it lol
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75 Gallon Setup
2 Pink Gouramis
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by jenrkit84 »

When can I start the brackish process? After the 10 days?
This morning the ick was totally gone, but will continue treatment.
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by bertie 83 »

FW ich cannot survive in salt water so i dont see any reason why you cant now. Swap out table salt for marine raise sg and go. I may be wrong so wait for confirmation on that
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by sevenyearnight »

+1.
Go ahead and start the .002 SG per week rise, with marine salt.
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My Puffers: 30 Gallon Setup (upgrade coming soon)
1 GSP Puffer - Duma - 2"

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2 Dwarf Puffers - less than .5"

75 Gallon Setup
2 Pink Gouramis
1 Dwarf Powder Blue Gouramis
1 Dwarf Neon Gouramis
2 Balla Sharks
4 Upsidedown Catfish
2 African Butterfly Fish
4 Kuli Loaches
1 Peacock Eel
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by jenrkit84 »

I got the salt in the mail yesterday, I've been reading documents on how to start the process, I'm just so worried I may mess something up.
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Re: can puffers get ick?

Post by Pufferpunk »

This should help: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19348
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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