The Puffer Forum

I was curious as to whether anyone has had any success using the "Parasite Clear" Tank Buddies medication. I know there were a few other, probably more reliable medications, mentioned in other topics (Levamisole, Mestronidazole, and GelTek) but this one was the most easily attainable for me so I thought I'd give it a try.I can't really tell so far if it's done anything, so I was wondering if anyone else has had any success with this product?

i have seen it work on ich, but this was not on a puffer.

I have used Parasite Clear, by Jungle on my C. irrubesco, and it worked great. I only had to treat him once to kill his IPs. It seems like a cheap, generic med, but it had metro in it, which many other meds don't have.

julesee, How was it used?

Not having much luck identifying whatever is wrong with my fish... gill flukes is my next guess. Is there a common medication that contains or an easy way of attaining potassium pemanganate? (also, if anyone knows a better treatment, please tell).

What's wrong with your fish?

Its the same GSP I've mentioned before, in the improper tank but still nothing I can do (the pet stores have all refused to take him).

I woke up this morning to find my Red Dwarf Guorami dead, despite not really noticing anything wrong with him beforehand (he had been acting a little strange, but nothing that made me expect him to die).

As for the puffer... all my water parameters have been perfect every time I test for them (ammonia and nitrites at 0, nitrates below 10), my water changes have consisted of a minimum of four 50% water changes a day, and he was being fed around/ a little less than once a day.

Despite keeping my tank at these levels and keeping the water as clean as can be hoped for, the GSP's conditions continue to worsen. For a while, when I really started doing the heavy water changes, he appeared to improve, but as of late he's been looking the worst he's ever been. Just today I noticed some white spots on him, which I first identified as ich. I had already used the "Parasite Clear" tank buddies twice at this point, and his health didn't improve remotely. Other people have reported successfully treating ich with this product, so I thought something seemed off. I continued to research the symptoms and noticed that the gill flukes are said to be very similar. The fish has been showing symptoms much closer to this definition than that of ich, with sudden "flashing" movements to scrape himself against decor (I believe this started today), and extremely fast respirating while laying toward the bottom of the tank.

I know its unhealthy for him to be in this tank in the first place, but even considering that, I have a feeling these symptoms aren't simply because the tank is too small or that there is know salt in the water. While these factors may contribute to his sickness... I really am doing all I can considering my current situation, and I'm hoping I can keep him healthy long enough to find a pet store that will take him.

PS: sorry I have a horrible tendency to make my posts way too long.

Sorry I forgot what your situation was. Better to post everything, than not enough info.

Improper housing can cause stress, which taxes the immune system, causing disease. You are certainly trying your best!

i used that medication on my puffers by putting 1/8 of the tablet and letting it soak in food for an hour, and treating for 7 days. i could see worms coming out, but the puffers eventually died. maybe i wasn't medicating properly, or maybe they died because they were weak in the first place.

Pufferpunk wrote:julesee, How was it used?

I just treated the water according to the directions on the box.

Would Parasite Clear be safe for Dwarf Puffer? Being smaller I wonder if they are more sensitive to meds and Parasite clear is also easily available around here. What do you guys think?

vicious326 wrote: As for the puffer... all my water parameters have been perfect every time I test for them (ammonia and nitrites at 0, nitrates below 10), my water changes have consisted of a minimum of four 50% water changes a day,

IMO this is too many water changes. Four 50% water changes a day would be putting a major stress on the fish. If your water is reading 0 for ammonia and nitrites and less than 10 for nitrates, then I would just do 25 - 50% water changes weekly. Just try to find out how many you need to do to keep your levels stable.

Not true IMO. Discus breeders do constant 100% daily WC on their tanks.

Pufferpunk wrote:Not true IMO. Discus breeders do constant 100% daily WC on their tanks.

but isnt that because discus are extremly sensitive fish?
if the PH even remotly drops or rises just a small amount they can get sick and die.

Pufferpunk wrote:Not true IMO. Discus breeders do constant 100% daily WC on their tanks.

But even that is just one water change. I think taking 50% of the water out four times a day would be stressful, especially if there is no sump so the water level drops dramatically in the display. I just think it would be unneccessary and perhaps causing more harm than good.