The Puffer Forum

SO, we have set up our 20 gallon, cycled FW tank as a hosptial tank for our puffer... it had been empty, but running for about a week... (we were going to get more FW fish)... so I brought up the salinity to about 1.002 w/ marine salt... pH was kept in high 7's for the FW tank, so adjusted it tonight to 8.0.

I 'think' I have come to the conclusion that the puffer has a beginning case of fin rot... I have seen a little fraying of his fins/ tail (Not major, just looks like start of it maybe)... I definitely don't see any signs of gill flukes/ external parasites. So we have transferred him to the 20 gallon tank.

I did like pufferpunk advised, got some biospira, and added it (the 20 gallon tank we had only had up and running for about a month with some platys/ tetras)... I have since added our puffer, who seems to be adjusting well to the tank conditions.

My question is: I purchased some marcyn plus for his fin rot (if that is what he has?!?!)... but since this is such a newly cycled tank (I still have the original tank media in the filter (a biowheel, Marineland 150, for 30 gallon tank capacity))... would I be tremendously damaging the bacteria in the tank, possibly crashing my tank by treating w/ maracyn plus??? I definitely don't want to do that, but want to try to treat what is making him ill and not eating?!?!

i just sent you a P.M., i have no experience with the marcyn but like i said melafix and pimafix is the way i'd go for fin rot or just frayed fins from being bullied

SO...update: our puffer is doing 'okay' in his new home, the 20 gallon tank. I have adjusted the salinity up to ~1.002... the water quality is good (0 nitrates, 0 ammonia) and pH is keeping stable about 8.0... He is still non -responsive to food, and I think he is finally showing me what is wrong with him...when I checked on him this morning, he had white stringy poo (from reading posts on this VERY helpful site, definite sign of int. parasites)...so I think the slight bit of fin rot I've been seeing is secondary to the internal parasite. So I am off to the store as soon as they open (~1 hour) to get some meds (read the library article on here on treating int. parasites)... since he is not eating, I will have to treat the tank.

Any advice from anybody on how to treat would be SO helpful...thanks!!

Most of the meds are soaked into the food, and then you feed your puffer. There's a good product (among many others) called Jungle Parasite Clear Tank Buddies. With this one, you soak their food AND treat the tank at the same time.

I was just helping another person with IPs, so take a look at his thread to get some more information: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14461

I posted a bunch of the medicines (by their chemical name, not their product name) that are useful for Internal Parasites. There's also a Library article on how to deal with IPs, if you haven't already read it.

So update... we treated our 20 gal tank w/ the parasite clear jungle tabs at about 10am this morning... we also treated the tank w/ melafix for the beginning signs of finrot that I'm seeing... He seems to be doing 'okay'... bopping around the tank. Belly is still white... I haven't tried feeding him yet today (this morning I tried at about 5am, but at this time he also had a inch and a half long trail of white, stringy, parasitic poo hanging off of him! So he wasn't at all interested in any food whatsoever )

So, he hasn't eaten in a couple of days at least... I think the last time I saw him peck at some bloodworms and freeze dried krill was Sunday. (since about mid week last week the thawed pieces of unshelled shrimp/crab leg or krill that he used to jump to eat, got NO attention from him whatsoever)...

So, he is doing 'okay' so far... any idea of what and when I should try feeding him again. From everything I've read, it seems that expelling these parasites is very tough on the fish... so there is a good chance he won't eat for a day or two, right?? Thanks!!

Indeed, there is a chance they won't eat right after treatment. However, once the parasites are dead, his appetite should pick up again quickly enough. Try giving him a small piece of food. If he eats it, great, and if not, just remove it and try again in another 8 or so hours. Just don't shove it in his face.

So bad news, our puffer began to lose gravity last night, totally sinking to the bottom, and shortly after died. He seemed to be handling the meds (the Parasite clear and melafix) well until then...not buzzing around the tank, but doing okay. This was about 10 hours after we did both treatments... so we were needless to say very sad last night...

But since we've established now our 20 gallon tank to be our new 'puffer only' tank, we probably will get another figure 8 sometime soon. That is definitely our plan. So he/she can have a tank all to themselve, since we've totally fallen in love with these guys!!

Thanks so much to everyone for all of your posts and help...

Sorry for your loss.