GSP - Ivy League Vet + Marine Biologist stumped! Please help!

[cr302186]

All,

Over the past year, I've had to use a barrage of Paraguard, PraziPro, API General Cure (4 weeks in tank and then 1 week dosed in food) and prescription antibiotics (dosed in food) to address my GSP's symptoms which ranged from subtle twitching to violent flashing, clamped gills and even a few days barely alive as lump of charcoal. The scariest symptoms have mostly subsided but two months ago he began to develop white patches on his back which appeared to be healing gradually... but have just now suddenly reappeared and spread.

Call in the professionals: Skin scrape/fecal testing by an Ivy League veterinarian and two weeks of daily observation by a career marine biologist from local aquarium both proved inconclusive.

PLEASE HELP! Any ideas of what this is or how to cure my little guy?







Conditions:

1) Water Parameters (using API Master / Red Sea hygrometer)
- PH: 8.4
- Ammonia: 0 (too low to detect)
- Nitrites: 0 (too low to detect)
- Nitrates: <2ppm (barely detectable)
- Salinity 1.020

2) Tank Description
- 67 gallon display (48x18x18)
- 20 gallon sump
- Single GSP (no tank mates)
- Eheim Canister Filter w/SeaChem matrix + carbon
- Reef Octo 110 skimmer
- 15 lbs dry rock (in tank for 11 months)
- 1 - 1.5" of aragonite sand

3) Tank Routine
- Located in my office (he loves the constant activity of visitors but yawns during conference calls!)
- Feeding lobster tail + hikari clam soaked in BioChem and Selcon
- Biweekly 30-40% water changes with generous dosing of Seachem Stability, Pristine and Prime
- Lights are generally off before 7am and after 7pm (he gets grumpy otherwise!); thereafter only moonlight through the window (no ambient night lighting in my area of the building)

4) Changes
- Relocated 9/7 - 9/28/17 during my honeymoon for daily observation by marine biologist (held solo in a 90 gallon tank w/30 gallon sump)

5) Tank Established
- Sep 2016: Tank established via fishless cycle with Seachem Stability
- Oct 2016: GSP introduced as sole inhabitant (approx 1.5 inches)
- Sep 2017: GSP has grown to 3.5 inches +/-

[Pufferpunk]

Look up Vibro. That's what the white patches sound like. Unfortunately Photobucket doesn't allow direct linking, unless you upgrade to a PAYING membership. You can post the link here though. I sure would like to see what he looks like for better diagnosis.
IDK why you keep dosing Stability, if the tank is already cycled. I would suggest 1 1/2-2lbs live rock/gallon for that system. Then you can dump that canister.
He also would appreciate more rock/decor to swim around & investigate. Not sure what Pristine is for.
In an established SW system (with the amount of cured LR I suggested) you should only need to do 1/3 WC monthly, especially with a single 4" GSP in a 87g system.
I'd vary his diet a bit more: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/

[cr302186]

Thanks for the response, PP!

I feared it could be vibrio when the symptoms first appeared two months ago, but I was under the impression that vibrio kills within 36-48 hours? Here is a direct link to a few pics, hopefully this will help the diagnosis:

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... zt9k92.jpg

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh5 ... v8m3xf.jpg

As to your other questions:

- The Stability bottle recommends supplemental dosing in conjunction with water changes, so I figured it couldn't hurt.
- The cannister filter has two chambers of Seachem matrix (pomace pebble biomedia) in lieu of of more rock in the display tank. Should I phase out the cannister for more live rock in the sump?
- I switched to more plastic decor (caves and a 30" mangrove root) in lieu of rock in the display tank because he spends a lot of time trying to bite, pry and peek into every crevice looking for food... which led to visible scrape marks on his body. Am I being overly concerned?
- Ironically, it was your signature block and your recommendations in other threads which prompted my current 40% biweekly schedule LOL Great to know I can cut back the water changes a bit!

[Pufferpunk]

LOL, yes, my sig is correct but 50% is the weekly recommendation for FW, not SW (is proper biological filtration is used). Unfotrunately, Photobucket has become a real PIYA, is you don't subscribe to them now. Grrrrrr!!! You are correct, vibro is a very fast killer. I was just gong by your description. Puffer's skin is like leathery sandpaper. I doubt his skin will be damaged by the rocks. They sure are hunters & peckers though!

[hadla]

Yeah I’d get some actual live rock, they like to do “inspections” and it keeps them occupied lol, don’t know how I can help with anything else though... hope he gets better :/

[cr302186]

I tried another week of antibiotics but the symptoms seem to slowly built. At PP's advice, I then scrapped the canister filter... and in just 5 days my little bugar ball was about 80% clear, if not more. I forgot I had two bags of carbon in there (and apparently not very well rinsed, tons of dust residue in the filter chamber) and now I'm inclined to think this may have been HLLE. Whatever it was, it seems PP's simple advice made a huge improvement.

The water isn't quite as cristal clear, so maybe in need to re-tune my skimmer but I can live with that so long as my little buddy does too!

Thanks so much!!!

[Pufferpunk]

How about that???

[hadla]

Glad he’s doing better!