Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
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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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
I found the Jungle Parasite Clear (those fizzy things you drop into the tank). Their main ingredient is Praziquantel, which I know is widely used in the animal world for worms. Once my loving boyfriend wakes up, he's going to run over to the store to pick them up for me while I'm in class.

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Good luck. That med is listed in the IP article.

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Aww, poor little fellah. Get the Jungle Parasite Clear into that tank as soon as physically possible. Once a few of the parasites are cleared out of him, his appetite should return. By the sounds of it he likes bloodworms (as he keeps trying to eat them but spits them back out), so after the first treatment of IPs, give him some bloodworms that are soaked in vitamins if you have it (soak the food in the vitamins before you feed him, obviously).
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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Boyfriend's currently driving back with the Parasite Clear in his car now (I told him if he has the mission impossible song to play that the way there and back), so I hopefully will be getting it within the hour (and before my Spanish test)! From when I left for class to now, it seemed like he found a new laying place that makes me feel safer for him (he used to lay under the filter.. now he's moved up front).Agnate wrote:Aww, poor little fellah. Get the Jungle Parasite Clear into that tank as soon as physically possible. Once a few of the parasites are cleared out of him, his appetite should return. By the sounds of it he likes bloodworms (as he keeps trying to eat them but spits them back out), so after the first treatment of IPs, give him some bloodworms that are soaked in vitamins if you have it (soak the food in the vitamins before you feed him, obviously).

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
The medicine is in and fizzing away. How long will it take to start seeing results?

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
IDK. Hopefully soon. Here is more info on treating for IP's. It took a while for the healthier puffer to start purging dead worms w/ IP treatment: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15085&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Hey guys.. take a second look at that photo!
Is it just me or does it look more like Sabahensis instead of GSP? The lack of a bright green spot, the longer snout, darker bellies and burying/laying on the sand are pretty standard for a Sabahensis, although yes, this guy looks pretty darn sad between the fin rot and really dark colors.
See the profile here:
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Sabahensis/
If it is a Sab.. I can't remember, Corvus?? don't they do better in freshwater or so we're starting to think? Or do they prefer brackish.. ah man its been so long since I've been reading the forums regularly, but I know someone was having better luck keeping them..
Is it just me or does it look more like Sabahensis instead of GSP? The lack of a bright green spot, the longer snout, darker bellies and burying/laying on the sand are pretty standard for a Sabahensis, although yes, this guy looks pretty darn sad between the fin rot and really dark colors.
See the profile here:
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Sabahensis/
If it is a Sab.. I can't remember, Corvus?? don't they do better in freshwater or so we're starting to think? Or do they prefer brackish.. ah man its been so long since I've been reading the forums regularly, but I know someone was having better luck keeping them..
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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Yeah, they sold it to me as a "green puffer", so it could very well be that. Should I slowly lower the salinity to see if he does better? But honestly, I think the reason he's laying on the sand is because of the IPs.. he's not eating anything. In most tanks, a dangling shrimp would be devoured... in mine, it just stays there. He doesn't even sniff it. 

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Do a search on "sabahensis" on the forum.. I know there's something "special" about them but I can't remember for the life of me if its what they eat, or a certain temperature (cooler water?) they like or what... Hilly I think was the one having really good luck with his, but I haven't seen him around in a while.
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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Sabahensis seems to prefer fresh water, or very low brackish(lower than F8's) and definately seems stressed by higher levels of brackish water. If it is a sabahensis, lowering the salinity bit by bit would probably improve his condition, and if he's under 3", even if he's a GSP, gradually lowering the SG to 1.005 would certainly do no long term harm so long as it was done slowly enough to preserve the biofilter.
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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
IDK, with the state it's in, it's hare to tell if it is a sab. or not. Even if it is a GSP, it's no going to have a bright green spot on it's head if it's sickly.
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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
Myaj could be right. He does have a longer snout then my gsp's.
I wouldn't raise the salinity anymore and if it is above 1.005, I would get it down. Are you going to do the baths for him?
I wouldn't raise the salinity anymore and if it is above 1.005, I would get it down. Are you going to do the baths for him?

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
I was basing it more off the long snout and laying in the sand.. even a sick GSP doesn't very often like to lay in the sand like that and Sab's do all the time. His color is so bad you can't go by that at all.
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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
I did the second bath overnight and it made such an improvement! His color lightened up (not to the bright green, but to a dark greenish), and he's starting to nibble on the food (and me) when I put it in the tank. I think I'm going to do a smaller treatment later because he hasn't expelled the worms yet, but he looks much better, he's swimming around the tank, and following me around my room in his tank. 

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Re: Stuff coming out of puffy's mouth? - Pictures
im glad to hear he's/she's picking up and looking better!
