About a month ago my MBU puffer had a bit of an accident. Something spooked her (probably a plant); she swam across the tank at lightning speed directly into the glass (face first). During this display of stupidity I believe she bruised her mouth.
A few days after the incident she began refusing food. She would try to bite down on her food and then give up. I believed her mouth was in pain. I switched to offering her softer foods in her diet (thawed shrimp, thawed clam meet, etc). At first she would attempt eating but then get discouraged when she couldn't take a bite. I took the carbon out of the filter and started medicating the tank with Melafix. I then went and purchased some krill and blood worms for her to eat. This showed to be successful for about a week. She then started refusing the small food. I figured the best way to offer her food would be to get her some ramshorn snails so that she could eat when she pleased. The first hundred snails I got her, she ate. The next batch of snails she hasn't touched.
I came home one day from work, and was looking at her mouth and noticed something foreign. I eventually got her to open her mouth and it looked like pink cotton candy covering the whole inside of her mouth. I immediately went to the LFS and got her some E.M. Erythromycin and Triple Sulfa. I went through two full treatments with no success. Please note that before this time, there were no signs of anything foreign in her mouth. Also, she does not have lockjaw because she can still fully stretch her mouth wide open. I have tried taking pictures of her mouth, but she continuously moves around.
I then did some more research and found that people with puffer problems were treating their tanks with a Melafix and Pimafix combo. I have been treating the tank now for 4 days with this combo; it looks like the pink stuff has gone down somewhat but it's still there. She still won't eat, but is still active. What should my next step be? Should I consider force feeding her? I am worried that she is getting weaker and will not regain her appetite.
Tank size: 120 gal.
Temperature: between 81 and 82
GH: 160
KH: 120
PH: 7.5
NO2: 0
NO3: 0.5
Other notes: I clean the tank once a week (between 25 and 50% water change); tank mates include 4 large tetra, 1 six inch frontosa, 4 three inch clown loaches, 3 five inch red tailed sharks, 1 watermelon pleco. All tank mates are healthy, active and eating well.
Thank you.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/seyascg906vyc ... .45.08.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aevuk7ykqntzq ... .50.10.jpg
MBU Puffer Mouth Fungus?? urgent!!
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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Pufferpunk
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Re: MBU Puffer Mouth Fungus?? urgent!!
Her mouth actually seems to be healing well. I'd continue treating with the Mela/Pima combo for another week or 2. It seems to be doing the trick. My larger concern once she's better are, what's your plans for an upgrade? Obviously, the tank is much too small & she's going to repeat this.
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: MBU Puffer Mouth Fungus?? urgent!!
Thanks pufferpunk, it's good to hear that her mouth seems to be healing. Do you have any suggestions for feeding her? Also, today when I cam home she had a bowel movement that was as green as the plants I have in the tank. It doesn't look as though she is eating the plants. Is this normal?
As for the tank, last year I had a house fire and so I had to do an emergency set up for Beebie. Once the house is back up and ready to be moved into, the plan is to get a larger tank.
Thank you again.
As for the tank, last year I had a house fire and so I had to do an emergency set up for Beebie. Once the house is back up and ready to be moved into, the plan is to get a larger tank.
Thank you again.