my puffers keep flicking themselves against all the ornaments. I had white spot in my tank a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed to have disappeared. But ive been treating as though its white spot even tho i cant see any spots. Ive raised the temp to 30 degrees celsius, added salt and been using some white spot treatment.
could it be velvet or something else? i cant see anything on them to suggest toward anything.
tank stats:
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10
ph: about 7.5
doing about 25% water change once a week.
puffers flicking against objects
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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Nick
- Former Staff Member
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It could be very small external parasites. The ich medication may be effective, but it might not. Try to look at them closely. They also might have irritated skin from something other than ich or parasites. Do they do it all the tim, or only do it when they wake up? My GSP Shakespeare tries to swim the minute the lights come on, and he bumps into stuff for 5 min at least. Boeing, my DP, on the other hand, just sits like a little lump until he's totally awake.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
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indie
- Figure 8 Puffer
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1 x Suvatti Puffer
2 x Figure 8 Puffers - Location (country): UK
- Location: surrey, uk
they are doing it pretty much all the time. ive noticed on one of the puffers that hes damaged his skin doing it. it doesnt look too bad, but its very noticeable.
ive added salt to the water, but im not sure what else to do.
they appear to be getting some fin rot, but i guess i need to treat for parasites first?
ive added salt to the water, but im not sure what else to do.
they appear to be getting some fin rot, but i guess i need to treat for parasites first?
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kimmers318
- Dwarf Puffer
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manutius
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follow the advice given and keep on top of water quality by doing water changes of 20% every 2-3 days until problems die down or unless treatment guidelines determine otherwise. The fact that you have these problems may indicate poor water quality in the first place, so large water change would be ideal before you start any other treatment IMO
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Boxermom
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Hmm.. I seem to have missed this. Small parasites like ich and velvet can live inside the gills, unseen. Although its too late now, I don't recommend using chemicals to treat ich and velvet, just heat and salt will almost always suffice.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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Peregrine
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Water change...always a good idea...start there first
and melafix can help with the symptoms, and help prevent any secondary infections from the scratches they receive..
Melafix is more for skin irritations and cuts and scale/fin damage...Primafix is more an anti-fungal...so melafix by itself may help.
It is not a cure (as mentioned), more like using calamine oil on a rash... it may not make it go away...but does help keep you from scratching.
As mentioned one of the better cures (assuming it is an external parasite)is increased heat (to speed to life cycle), increased salt (to kill any free floating parasites), and maintain pristine water conditions with frequent water changes (to help prevent any secondary infections and reduce stressors)
and melafix can help with the symptoms, and help prevent any secondary infections from the scratches they receive..
Melafix is more for skin irritations and cuts and scale/fin damage...Primafix is more an anti-fungal...so melafix by itself may help.
It is not a cure (as mentioned), more like using calamine oil on a rash... it may not make it go away...but does help keep you from scratching.
As mentioned one of the better cures (assuming it is an external parasite)is increased heat (to speed to life cycle), increased salt (to kill any free floating parasites), and maintain pristine water conditions with frequent water changes (to help prevent any secondary infections and reduce stressors)
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indie
- Figure 8 Puffer
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1 x Suvatti Puffer
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- Location: surrey, uk
well ive been treating with an external parasite treatment and it doesnt seem to have made any difference. All my water parameters are normal
ammonia: 0
nitrite : 0
nitrate: about 10
ph: 7.5
ive added salt and raised the temp and dont see any difference in the flicking. Im also doing 25% water changes twice a week at the mo.
should i just continue with the treatment for parasites or should i treat with something to heal the damage caused by the flicking.
ammonia: 0
nitrite : 0
nitrate: about 10
ph: 7.5
ive added salt and raised the temp and dont see any difference in the flicking. Im also doing 25% water changes twice a week at the mo.
should i just continue with the treatment for parasites or should i treat with something to heal the damage caused by the flicking.
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indie
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:57 am
- My Puffers: 4 x 1.25" Green Spotted Puffers
1 x Suvatti Puffer
2 x Figure 8 Puffers - Location (country): UK
- Location: surrey, uk
ive been treating with melafix for over about a week now and the puffers are still flicking against objects and their fins still seem to be tattered.
should i continue to treat with melafix?
ive noticed some little grains of salt on their backs, like, actually looks like salt. but not on their fins.
should i wait and then treat again with white spot?
ive raised temp to 30 degrees and am adding salt.
should i continue to treat with melafix?
ive noticed some little grains of salt on their backs, like, actually looks like salt. but not on their fins.
should i wait and then treat again with white spot?
ive raised temp to 30 degrees and am adding salt.
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Pufferpunk
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Take a flashlight & look closely at the gills.
What kind of salt? Do you have a hydrometer? What's the specific gravity? I'd do much larger water changes (80%) every other day, vacuuming the gravel, for a week. Continue adding Melafix & raise the SG to 1.004.
What kind of salt? Do you have a hydrometer? What's the specific gravity? I'd do much larger water changes (80%) every other day, vacuuming the gravel, for a week. Continue adding Melafix & raise the SG to 1.004.
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!"