Fresh Water Bath
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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EvilTinkerbell
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:53 pm
Fresh Water Bath
I have to start by saying that I am new to the puffer family. I have a 125 saltwater tank that just was converted from a reef tank to a fish only tanks. It has an ultimate golden puffer (5") and a Rainbow wrasse. The both have ich and cloudy eyes. I am currently in the process of hypo salinity to help get rid of the ich. Should I also do a fresh water dip on my puffer to help him fight the ich? I also think he has an internal parasite, I saw him poop for the first time and it was like mucus, not solid. I was given melafix to help clear up there eyes. What else should I be doing??? Please help!!!!
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Love the name! Do you see ich/cloudy eyes on the wrasse now too? I have seen this puffer & is it heavily infested with the parasites. I suggest a FW bath for 5-10 minutes with the Melafix (1 drop/gallon). Take the puffer out of the bath, if it seems stressed. Did you read the article on treating SW puffers w/ich?
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!"
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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
A freshwater bath less than 15 minutes really is a "waste of time". The parasite uses the fish's skin as protection and requires a bath of at least 15 minutes - 30 is ideal. This is what I have found most effective and is advocated by the fish vets - Dr Noga, Dr Lewbart, Dr Stoskopf....
I would recommend adding methylene blue to the freshwater bath instead of melafix. Methylene blue will help with the parasite removal and may help with oxygenation....melafix has been reported to stress and often suffocate fish.
I would recommend adding methylene blue to the freshwater bath instead of melafix. Methylene blue will help with the parasite removal and may help with oxygenation....melafix has been reported to stress and often suffocate fish.
Kelly
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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:
I'm so glad you saw this one, Kelly. Funny, I had 20-30 minutes posted but wasn't sure if that would be too stressful, so edited it to 5-10. You always know best but I haven't seen you around here lately, so I did the best I could.
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!"
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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
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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:
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EvilTinkerbell
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:53 pm
okay guys thanks for that - but here is a small problem. I added the melafix to the tank last night after you left should I do a water change? or just keep lowering the salinity to 1.09. Please help I don't want to loose him! I am waiting for a call back from my vet to get him some medication for the parasite.
Also, should I have the skimmer off during this - I lowered the air intake so it gives me stiff bubbles.
Also, should I have the skimmer off during this - I lowered the air intake so it gives me stiff bubbles.
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EvilTinkerbell
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:53 pm
Oh, my vet called she has some praziquantel, how much should I dose and for how long. She suggested to put him in a small container and inject it near his tale. Would this be the best thing for him. She also said that the bottle has 56.8mg per ML what would a dose be injected or dipped. Let me know if you can she will be there until 5:45pm today.
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
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Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Injection may work, but she'd have to do it, and dose perfectly. The safest way is to soak food in it overnight in the refrigerator, and offer only food soaked in that way for a week.
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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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:
Although I generally agree with listening to Kelly on everything, I don't think the Melafix is harmful if used correctly. Add an airstone, if you're concerned about O2 depletion. I do agree not to use it in the dip.
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!"
-
EvilTinkerbell
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:53 pm
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EvilTinkerbell
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:53 pm
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Phaedrus
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1402
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- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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I tend to agree on the melafix, though I use it pretty sparingly compared to the directions on the bottle. (IE, airstone, and water changes in between). I'm not surprised that very high does on an already stressed fish would worsen the situation. I've also never witnessed any ill effects myself, nor seen reports of it.
Like any medication, it should be used sparingly and judiciously.
Like any medication, it should be used sparingly and judiciously.
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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
I have experienced problems with oxygen depletion and have had several hobbyists come to me with the same problem using melafix for external parasites.
DO NOT inject the praziquantel.....many fish develop necrosis at the site. Several fish vets and public aquariums have relayed this information to me.
DO NOT inject the praziquantel.....many fish develop necrosis at the site. Several fish vets and public aquariums have relayed this information to me.
Kelly
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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:
What about adding an airstone, when using Melafix? I really believe in this stuff & want to continue suggesting it's use.
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!"