The Puffer Forum

hmmm, is it normal for him to breathing hard then?

so it might have been a tapeworm and not hexamita?

would a tapeworm cause the pimples?

I already lowered the temp back down.

would you consider melafix to count as a mild antibiotic?

thanks for your help!

Hey ,


this whole thing seems so confusing . im really sorry john. One thing i have heard is that melafix is not a antibiotic, but more of an anti bacterial, it cleans woulds and disinfects which is awesome , for prevention , but isn't as good at treating a serious bacterial problems.

I agree with you rusty.


OMG I AM SO CONFUSED!!!!

Like I said, stick w/one treatment at a time. The fact that the fish pooped out that thing, is good.

Flutter is now breathing even harder and more rapid, and he opens his mouth very wide with each breath.

I guess the only good thing is that he pooed out more stringy white poo last night. at least I hope thats a good thing.

i'll wait it out for a few more days. if he doesnt start improving i'm gonna have to either treat with amoxicilin or get some levamisole. although its going to be a lot of fun trying to find levamisole....

What's the temp in there now?

78-80 degrees

he continues to breath hard and rapid.

hovers around the bottom of the tank now, instead of the top like usual. been doing that for a few days.

hes pooed out about 8 inches of the stringy white stuff. i'll try and get a pic up later.

any advice? i'm gonna try feeding him to see if he is hungry yet. he still has the bumps. i'm about to move GSP over to SW and treat Flutter with antibiotics if he doesnt improve soon.

I think I need some levamisole too. anyone in the west michigan area have any spare on hand right now?

here are the pics of part of the string. this is of the larger strand.





its a worm right?

Hi John
Just wanted to know if your puffer is doing any better The answer to your question is yes your puffer passed a large tapeworm I have seen then as large as 15 inches come out of a 3 inch fish The tapeworm has claws and attaches himself to the stomach lining The med that you used did not kill it what it does is dissolve its claws leaving a small sore inside the fish That is why I suggested using a mild antibiotic so your fish does not develop a secondary infection I would probably use a half dose of myracin for about 10 days with this med you do not have to raise the temp but you should add a airstone
Butch

well, he isnt doing awsome. he is still breathing hard, and not really eating a a whole lot.

I saw him pass some more stuff, and his anus opened up pretty wide, and the inside was all bright red.

a half dose of Myracin wouldnt cause my tank to re-cycle?

Flutter has taken a turn for the worse...

He now has fungus growing out of his mouth....

I am about to talk with Chewal about this, although my current plan is to put him in QT and treat with antibiotics. I'm not sure which kind though.

hey . im really sad to hear that hopefully he will pull through.

Chewal is waiting for your phone number, so he can call you.

ok, I will send him my phone number.


I treated Flutter with Amoxicilin, and his mouth fungus is completely gone, although he still has the pustule things. A few of the pustules have turned into white patches. I am moving him back to QT for the rest of the amoxicilin treatment. ( it says on the bottle to do 2 5 day treatments, but to wait 3 days imbetween each)

The good news is that I finally got him to eat again! Akthough he wont touch his once favorite clam meat, he only eats the soft outer part of a mussel. (without the shell lol.) He trys chewing on it too instead of gulping it down.