The Puffer Forum

proc puffer in tank for about 1 yr, this guy had lockjaw at one point due to bad diet of freeze dried krill initially. I've been supplementing the tank with 2 drops of iodine every 2 weeks during water changes and he started eating again. I've been feeding him some frozen foods such as frozen krill complimented with vitamins and mussels. This morning I noticed he had around 1/4th of his body colored pale purple, kind of like a faded color? I tried to take some pictures but I don't think they turned out very well. I noticed a white patch behind his eye recently as well, it was also odd. I never treated for IPs when I got him. Update: picture of my grouper with an odd sore, I wonder if this is the same infection.

My first porc suffered from this too, it looks like vibrio too me.
I'll go find my old post and you can tell me if it's that.
Just so you know your whole tank is infected, but IME only scaless fish are harmed from it. Every puffer I put in after this had died from the same thing.

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... 305#p81305
thats my post with the same thing.

yikes, seems this bacteria is dangerous for people as well? I guess I'll be wearing gloves now... I have dry cracked skin during the winter, and from reading articles online there are variations of vibrio that can kill humans.
I do have some packets of furan-2 I keep for emergencies which contains 60mg of Nitrofurazone per packet. I don't have a separate QT tank, so I'll have to minimize the effects the meds have on my tank. the last thing I want to do is to crash my tank.
It is possible this bacteria came from a recent meal of fresh mussels which I fed him without freezing =/
I got the mussels from the local grocery store and fed them to my puffer while they were still alive and fresh. All other foods I get are already frozen.

I'm almost positive they will only affect people if the fish is eaten. Just don't eat any fish in your tank and you will be fine!
I didn't have a quarantine either. Do medicine baths on the puffer (PQ described it in that topic)
What do you have in the tank? If it's just LR and LS I'd put it all in buckets while the tank is treated.
I think that could have done it! Mine got it shortly after a feeding of cockles which I'm pretty sure went bad (I'm pretty sure they were left out and re frozen)

I also have a sailfin tang that is displaying some odd pits on its head... I've been feeding that guy formula two flake food, small sized spectrum chiclid pellets and brine shrimp enhanced with vitamins so I don't think it's a nutritional deficiency. I wonder if its the same bacteria that is eating away at the skin there. It seems like the fish has white patches where skin is missing, but he's still got a good appetite. My puffer fish has been hiding all day behind rocks since I noticed the discoloration, I am going to try a dip for him and the other fish.

Funny I had a sailfin when mine got it too!
I think the dips will be a good idea. The only thing is the tank will remain affected untill it is treated or if left fishless for 6 weeks.
What fish and what sizes are they?

sailfin(6in?), puffer(7in), spotted grouper(8in)
grouper was hiding his symptoms until I checked a few minutes ago, the poor guy has a bad bad open red sore on his side. This is a pretty bad sign, I may lose all my fish to this nasty bacteria.

So sorry your puffer is sick. I'm curious though, if you knew the lockjaw was caused by feeding the puffer krill, why did you continue to feed it krill? Are you feeding it a lot better foods now?

lack success with other hard shelled foods really. my puffer was very picky and did not have an appetite for shrimp. This was the first time I tried mussels. I usually use frozen krill soaked in vitamins, I'm assuming that is better than freeze dried krill.

Without a doubt, he should still be fed other foods also though. I'm assuming you have a picky puffer?
Do you have LR/LS in that tank? If all the fish show symptoms you really should treat the tank (preferablly at full dose)

If I treat the main tank it will most likely crash because the meds will kill off even the good bacteria in the tank. But if I don't I think the bacteria can linger in there forever as long as I have fish in there... *sigh*... this is a troublesome disease.

Yeah thats why I asked about LR and LS. I'd treat the tank, unless you have a way of leaving it fallow for 6 weeks. How are the fish reacting to treament? Also what size tank is it?

I think my porc is a goner... too late for more treatment? I just restocked on more meds today. I'm not sure at which point I should remove him for the tank. I"m going to treat the whole tank now to prevent more deaths and hope for the best. Not much change in the fish actually. Which is good for the grouper. The puffer seems like he's pretty much dead, the disease spread rapidly throughout his body as you can see from the picture.

I would euthanize hin in Clove oil, found in the toothpaste isle of your drug store. It's a toothache remedy. Use some of his tank water & put a whole dropperfull into a Coolwhip (or similar ) container & stir well. Then place the puffer in there for about 1/2 hour & freeze the whole thing.

poor little puff. I'm so sorry.

PP, can you enlighten us on this desease a little more....

not sure i understand, and don't want the same thing to happen in my tank!