Fresh Water Bath

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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
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Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:53 pm

Post by EvilTinkerbell »

Also, did a water change when I got home from work, the look better but now the puffer has what looks like a slime on him. I don't know what to do for him.

Please help!!!
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Puffer Queen
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Post by Puffer Queen »

In light of good water parameters - Excessive sliming could be related to:
1. Reaction to chemicals/medications
2.Excess stress
3. Also have to consider external parasites other than ich - brooklynella, velvet.....
neither of these will respond to hyposalinity.

Brooklynella = formalin baths
Velvet = copper.
Kelly
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Pufferpunk
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Post by Pufferpunk »

I did see this fish. Being yellow, it was actually difficult at 1st to notice the fish was entirely covered in white spots. I'm not very familiar with SW puffers, especially with "skin" like this species has.
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!"
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EvilTinkerbell
Puffer Fry
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Post by EvilTinkerbell »

Got home today, I think we lost the wrasse and the puffer is on the bottom of the tank very heavy breathing. Went to two stores to get the meds and no one had them, they had Jungle Anti-parasite food - it looks like little pellets. Should I try this???

Please let me know! Thanks
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Puffer Queen
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Post by Puffer Queen »

Sounds like heavy infestation/stress - at this point freshwater bath with methylene blue may be your only hope in immediate improvement of oxygenation.

Increase aeration as much as possible and keep the tank dark.
Kelly
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Nick
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Post by Nick »

That food is for internal parasites like tapeworms...
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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Nick
Former Staff Member
Posts: 3231
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike
Location (country): Northeastern USA
Location: Middletown, CT
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Post by Nick »

Formulin available in a medicine you see everywhere called "quick cure." Coppersafe is a copper med available very widely.
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EvilTinkerbell
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Post by EvilTinkerbell »

Okay, I can do a fresh water bath - how long?
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Pufferpunk
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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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Post by Pufferpunk »

30 min.
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!"
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Puffer Queen
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Post by Puffer Queen »

Ideal is 30 minutes - well aerated but if they get worse (loss ability to right self, increased stress, thrashing/jumping, etc....) stop bath.

Methylene blue will help with oxygenation and can remove some parasites.
Kelly
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Apocalyptictoast
Dwarf Puffer
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Post by Apocalyptictoast »

This is kind of off subject, but if the fish doesn't eat food soaking medicine, and dosing the tank isn't very effective, is it possible to use a small pipette and put it in their mouth or would that be far too concentrated?
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EvilTinkerbell
Puffer Fry
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Post by EvilTinkerbell »

okay, starting water bath - keeping water temp at 78 so it is the same as his tank - I also bought a small tank that I can start up so I can medicate him better. Do you recommend this? Right now he is in a 120 by him self.

I have no problem doing what ever it takes to make him better. Just let me know.

Thanks!
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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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Post by Pufferpunk »

Are you using RO water? If you do use a QT, you'll have to do huge daily WC, to keep the toxins down. Then you can treat w/copper, after getting instructions from PQ on that. Sorry about the wrasse. :( Wasn't there another fish in there too?

You should leave the main tank fallow then, so the parasite will die in there.
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!"
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EvilTinkerbell
Puffer Fry
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:53 pm

Post by EvilTinkerbell »

Yes, we use RODI water. So I know it is not the water quality.

I know he is sick, Mike and I are just hoping for the best here.

The purple fish died - Yes I know it sounds bad but I am so glad that the little hamster did, he was very mean.

The tank I have is a 10 gal. I can do daily changes that not a problem. 50% or less or more let me know.
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User avatar
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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Post by Pufferpunk »

You'll have to test the water for ammonia/nitrites & do water changes accordingly. May be necessary to do up to 90% 2x/day in a tank that size. too bad it isn't a 20 or 30g. At least you have plenty of SW around there!
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!"
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