The Puffer Forum

Well it doesn't really look like a parasite from the pictures... Maybe it's some sort of fungal infection?

I just checked on them and fed them. They ate really good. Of course the porc is still being very picky. The pors spots are almost gone you have to get right up to the glass to see them now. The s&s spots on his tail "I think they are gone" when he fanned his tail I was on the wrong side but I didn't see anything. The one on his bottom fin is amost gone it is now this small "." & the one on his top fin is still the same size. I still have not treated them with anything. I did pm Puffer Queen last night. Oh and the GSP's still do not have any spots.

One more question while I'm here:
After the s&s eats he pushes himself between the rock & protein skimmer motor. Then he rest there for about 1/2 the day. Is this normal behavior? Or am I overfeeding him. He seems to stop eating when his tummy starts to show lumps, like he has had enough. That evening he is out begging for food again. I only feed them on even days and only once that day. This morning he had about 3/4 of a mussle and left the rest. I would say he is about 5"-6" long. Here is a photo....

I would say it's typical behavior for a puffer to take a nap after it eats (especially after large meals).

Since you're only feeding every other day and it's only eating 3/4 of a mussle, I doubt they're being over-fed. Does he always look that fat or only after he eats? I generally feed until there is a little lump, but not a huge bulge.

He always looks that fat. He was already fat when I got him. It takes alot of food for a bulge to actually show. This works for women not men, if you ball up your fist that is how big he is. His previous owner had him spoiled. The first time I seen him between the rock and pump I freaked. I thought he was stuck. Then he wiggled out and came to the glass, when I didn't give him food he went right back to the same spot. I guess that's where he likes to sleep.

Here's an update, the porc is almost back to normal. The spot/blotches are almost invisible now. They just seem to fade away. Also on the Stars & Stripes all the spots on his tail are gone, bottom fin spot gone, top fin spot still there but looking smaller. This has got to be the strangest thing I have ever seen. Just like I said earlier in my post when the porc gets these spots they just seem to go away after a few days. I guess that's what is happening with the spots on the Stars & Stripes. I did not treat them with any meds because I still don't know what it is, and I don't want to treat something unknown. I just wish I knew what it was. As long as they stay healthy I guess it don't really matter. Maybe it's just puberty!

Yup, like I said, just monitor them. As long as the fish aren't showing any signs of stress I see no reason to start throwing meds at them.

Hey mike, I am going into houston tomorrow "the big city" and I want to pick up some meds to have on hand just in case of emergency. As I have said before we don't have much for saltwater fish in my town. Can you suggest the most common meds that I can get. I finally found maracyn-two. Is there anything else I can pick up tomorrow and keep for at least a year or longer even if I never use it? Btw: Houston is like 2 hours from my home so I figure while I'm in town I should pick up a few things. Thanks

Edit: Never mind. I pulled up my gsp with cloudy eye post and wrote those meds down. I'm going to try and pick those up tomorrow. That way next time I will have them. Thanks again.

I have the following meds on hand:

Cupramine (by Seachem)- a non-chelated form of copper that is effective when used in much lower doses than other brands.
Metronidazol - I get this in powdered form, I use it for deworming as I find my fish will actually eat it opposed to Prazi which they usually spit out. Keep in mind that this medication is extremely sensitive to light and heat.
Maracyn I/II - These are formulated in FW and SW versions... I'm not sure what the difference is. I'm not particularly fond of Maracyn but it was all the only open LFS had one night on an emergency run. You would probably be better off with Erythromycin or Tetracycline or any broad spectrum external antibiotic. Keep in mind that many antibiotics have relatively short shelf lives.
Melafix/Pimafix - I find these work well for my FW fish (have no used it on SW fish due to reports of difficulty breathing). I've used the combo to treat wounds and fungal infections.
Garlic extract - I've never used this to treat anything because I just don't believe that it works. I use it to entice a fish to eat or to mix with medicated food to mask the bad taste.
Lugols iodine - Used in my FW coral dips.

Please post PQ's response.

PP, puffer queen has not responded to my pm yet. Just checked on the babies, it looks like the porc is totally free of all spots and the stars & stripes still has that one on his top fin. It still looks like it's shrinking. And I still did not use any meds. Although I did do an extra 20% water change last night. I figured it was best to keep their water as pristine as possible and maybe that would speed things up. I will probally do another 20% water change tomorrow. I don't have enough water made or I would do it today. If this thing they have ever gets figured out I will post the problem in big bold letters! Thanks everyone for all your help.