I was at a LFS yesterday just as the happened to get in a new shipment of fish from their wholesaler. Among these fish was a puffer they had labeled as 'Meakong Puffer', I have never kept a puffer before but knew enough that it should be 'Mekong' and that it was probably an arrowead puffer.
I ran off the different common names and scientific name of the arrowhead puffer put neither the shop or wholesaler had any other name but 'meakong puffer'.
Anyway, this puffer arrived in very poor health, both its eyes were clouded and all his fins were severely nipped, his left one was now only a bright red fleshy lump. When the wholesaler had gone I asked the manager of the store what they would do with the fish and he said he had already rang the wholesaler office to say it was in poor health and been advised that he would not be charged for it and for him to simply put it in the freezer which is what he was about to do.
I would this appalling and decided that if i moved some of the stock in my five tanks at home around I could house him by himself in a quarantined tank. I told the manager that I would take him and he had the cheek then to still charge me even though it cost him nothing and he was about to kill it! Regardless I did it anyway as I felt bad for the fish, he give it to me for 3 pounds after much haggling.
Since getting him home he is not eating but seems relatively active for a species I am aware does not move the majority of the time anayway.
That's my story, my questions are these:
- The fish looks a little like the arrowheads I have seen in magazines, same shape etc. but appears more marbled than those I've seen. He is a dark brown colour with light beige patterning. Is it a fluviatus (excuse the spelling) as i have assumed?
- Both its eyes are cloudy and its fin is very badly damaged. If the muscle at the base of its fin is damaged will it heal? I am treating with a bactericide and a fungicide (Melafix and Pimafix) does anyone have other suggestions?
- He does appear to bump into things when he moves, may he have gone blind from fighting or stress. I assumed at first it was eye-cloud but I cant be sure, how can I tell the difference?
I will try and post pictures soon but will not be able to for a couple of days.
Any help will be greatly appreciated
Terrible story + Please Help Me!
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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MonsterFish
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:17 pm
- Location: Ireland
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Boxermom
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 2182
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- Location: Wisconsin
- Contact:
Does it have an arrow pattern on its head? If so, its an arrowhead. Colors and mottled patterns can vary, but if it has the telltale arrow pattern on its head, its an arrowhead.
Pimafix and Melafix are good. I wouldn't do anything else right now. There's no way to tell yet if he's blind until his eyes clear up. He's also probably very stressed, so give him a little while to settle in if possible.
Pimafix and Melafix are good. I wouldn't do anything else right now. There's no way to tell yet if he's blind until his eyes clear up. He's also probably very stressed, so give him a little while to settle in if possible.
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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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
You are on the right track with pimafix and Melafix, keep up with the medication an keep the water quality pristine to aid in his healing. Once he is a little better it may become more apparent whether he is blind or not.
I have locked this post in General Discussion, please only post in one place it gets confusing with 2 threads on the same subject.
Welcome by the way.
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
I have locked this post in General Discussion, please only post in one place it gets confusing with 2 threads on the same subject.
Welcome by the way.
Hilly
Some call it a product of a mis-spent youth, I call it Rock n Roll ! 
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MonsterFish
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:17 pm
- Location: Ireland
Bad News...The puffer was dead this morning when I went to check on him. He had large beige patches on his skin, is this a sign of something or just natural for a dead puffer?
I have been trying to work out what happened as his fins were regenerating quicker than I could believe and his eye cloud was nearly gone, I though he was getting better.
I did notice that his gills always seemed to be pulsating rapidly, the water parameters were perfect, could this have been a sign of something internal or is this normal for puffers.
I'm really disappointed but I tried my best to save him
On an arrowhead is the arrow very easily scene, I think I could see a faint arrow but I may have been imagining it, it certainly wasn't obvious.
I have been trying to work out what happened as his fins were regenerating quicker than I could believe and his eye cloud was nearly gone, I though he was getting better.
I did notice that his gills always seemed to be pulsating rapidly, the water parameters were perfect, could this have been a sign of something internal or is this normal for puffers.
I'm really disappointed but I tried my best to save him
On an arrowhead is the arrow very easily scene, I think I could see a faint arrow but I may have been imagining it, it certainly wasn't obvious.
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MonsterFish
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:17 pm
- Location: Ireland