Sick GSP

[wetmartini]

Hello all,

I have a GSP who, while not necessarily dying, is definitely not healthy. If any fellow puffer enthusiasts can provide some insight I'd be very grateful. First things first, the answers to the questions listed at the top of this forum:


1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate).

pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 20 ppm <--- this was *before* a 60% water change I did last night
SG: 1.007

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.

Tank Size: 55 gallons
Inhabitants: 2 GSPs

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)

Feeding: Frozen bloodworms nearly every day. Few snails once a week. Occasionally ghost shrimps.
Water Changes: 30% each week (I add Red Sea marine salt to the water with every change)

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.

Added a few rocks (after washing and boiling) a couple days ago but this GSP's problems extend well before that.

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.

Tank was formerly occupied by a pair of slider turtles. GSPs have been in it for the past 6-7 mos.

Both GSPs are around 2 inches long, though the sick one is slightly longer, I'd say by about 0.2 inches. The smaller GPS is the picture of perfect health. Very active, bright coloration, white slightly rounded belly, healthy appetite. The longer one sometimes looks OK, but just as often looks very labored and in distress. Coloration changes very frequently - often washed out grey with dark belly, though occasionally exhibits "healthy" coloration. Far less active and responsive than the other puffer. Sometimes appears to be "breathing" heavily. Appetite is reasonable, but after 4 or 5 worms he will approach food looking very interested, but then swim away without eating. The biggest issue is his belly, which looks very thin and almost malnourished before feeding. Most of these symptoms began about 3 weeks ago.

The obvious answer seems to be internal parasites, though I don't know where they would have come from (are ghost shrimp carriers?). I fed him some bloodworms soaked in Praziquantel (for about 1 hour) last week, which he and the other GSP gobbled up without hesitation. Then repeated again the following day. However, one week later his condition doesn't seem to have improved.

[puffykid]

Sounds like ip, I would try another week with jungle parasite cure and garlic don't stop treatment till his belly stays healthy sized in between feedings. They get them from the wild and sometimes what we feed em.

[Pufferpunk]

Fish can have IPs for a very long time, before it is noticeable. Continue treating both of them for a week. i'd use the Jungle Parasite Clear fizzy tabs to soak their food in. There are different meds, to combat several different kinds intestinal worms.

I'd up the variety in their diet, too: viewtopic.php?f=66&t=28566