icky puffer?

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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.
Post Reply
puff_puff_pass
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:50 pm

icky puffer?

Post by puff_puff_pass »

hi again.. im having such bad luck here..... with the tempeture down to the 75 mark my puffers seemed good and happy... now there scratching again and they have what i belive to be the ich.... i no to look for lil white crystals but there so small i cant tell if there actually crystally.. how big are they suppoes to be.. there defenatly smaller than a grain of table salt... but its just very minor specales i guess you would call it.. i have to look with my led flashlight to actually see them.... i dont know what i should do. would they be better iwth a higher SG of like say 1.021 or .023? rather than the 15 there at... all levels are good. ph a lil low at 7.4 but the rest are all fine.. i just did a nother water change they poop so much!!!! dirty lil buggers... i just dont know what to do.....
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32979
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:

Post by Pufferpunk »

I think they'd be better at more tropical temps, like closer to 80. if htey do indeed have ich, then yo need to raise the temp ro around 86 (add an airstone). Ich looks like grains of salt. maybe you're seeing their tiny spines?
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!"
User avatar
Hilly
Mentor
Posts: 1903
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:36 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Current: Tetraodon Lineatus
Previous:
Tetraodon Sabahensis
Montrete Abei
Tetraodon Biocellatus
Carinotetraodon Salivator
Location (country): UK
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK

Post by Hilly »

Do the spots look like they are in a uniform pattern on the body and do they all look the same size, if so like PP says they are most likely the puffers spines.

Ich will be very random in where they are and vary in size.

Any chance of a pic?
Hilly
puff_puff_pass
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:50 pm

Post by puff_puff_pass »

they are so small there not noticable in pictures... the puffer is only an inch if that... and there prolly half the size of a grain of salt.. there barely noticable. other than the fish looks like it has some overspray on them
User avatar
Hilly
Mentor
Posts: 1903
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:36 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Current: Tetraodon Lineatus
Previous:
Tetraodon Sabahensis
Montrete Abei
Tetraodon Biocellatus
Carinotetraodon Salivator
Location (country): UK
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK

Post by Hilly »

Any spots on any of the fins?
Hilly
puff_puff_pass
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:50 pm

Post by puff_puff_pass »

not as of yet.. or that i can see.. my eyes got a haze from the accident... so again i need my little led flashlight and ill have to look at them at night thats when i see the best... i will check this evening.. they just act miserable.. and they shouldnt be... i dont know whats up with them
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32979
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:

Post by Pufferpunk »

I posted on another thread of yours that they are spines.
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!"
Post Reply