The Puffer Forum

pH: 7pH
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Tank Size: 25 Gallons
Water change: once every 1.5 weeks, changed yesterday
Cycled
Fish: 4 dp, 1 oto, 1 hifin pleco, bunch of little snails that came with the tank
heavily planted

I actually bought this DB because it had amazing coloured eyes -they were blue and changed colours from time to time. However, for the past few weeks (maybe a month) now her eyes have both been black and around her pupil are little black spots. It looks as if she has black freckles around the inside of her eyes but on the whites.

On a side note, I also have a hifin pleco with major skin problems and perhaps constipation. His skin looks rusty and as if it has been burned off/scabby but protruding inwards, as if the skin has been scratched off. This has been the case since I got him, but now it has spread to most of his body. What kind of meds should I get? I'm reading that it could be either fin rot or velvet disease... what do you think?

fin rot would obviously start on the fins then work towards the body. once it reaches the body then theres not much chance of anything growing back and he will die. you can get medication to treat this however with the puffer in the tank im not sure if it will hurt the puffer or not. you should have a quarentene tank.
fin rot normally occures with higher acidic waters. the ph would be more acidic that is. along with high pp levels.

i dont know much about velvet.

is the puffer showing signs just like the pleco?

whats your nitrite like? thats a very important one.
normally you would also have some nitrate showing. how old are your test kits?

one way to cure consitipation is aquarium salt. not marine salt but aquarium salt. again i dont know if it will bother the puffer. they are a scaless fish to they are more sensitive

It's worth trying some Pimafix and Melafix if it's a fungal infection on the fins of any kind that should help especially the pimafix.

Epsom salt is for constipation or maybe try and get some peas down him.
No nitrate readings whatsoever is not very typical in a tank.

Do big water changes, like 30-50% daily aand then add the treatment and see how it goes.

Good luck.

It's definitely not fin rot then, the fins are good. The body looks so bad though... it's like fish enema, only looking like light leather skin instead of red leathery skin.

The store was sold out of Pimafix! The only thing left was Melafix and the Jungle fungus remover stuff (bright yellow grainy substance). I got the Jungle stuff.... but for future references is it safe to say that Primafix is better then Melafix? At the store there was a full row of Melafix next to the empty row of Pimafix. Sure the store could of just refilled the Melafix... but I'd imagine they'd also get Pimafix unless if it sold faster anyways then the Melafix.

Do you guys think that maybe it's because I have larger gravel as oppose to sand for the pleco? He could be just rubbing against it... Although I have never seen this happen... I do see him rub his bottom against it and it seems fine.

I sprinkled Jungle internal parasite remover on the sick dp, and he seems much happier today but his eyes are still freckled. I guess time will tell if the fungus remover stuff will help or the internal parasites...

Melafitx is good for healing, pimafix more for fungal infections etc..., the manufacturers blurb says that when used together they enhance each other. One is better than none though.

Smells nice too.

well im glad its not fin rot. thats a pain in the butt.
hope everything goes okay for you.