The Puffer Forum

SG. 1.024
Amm. 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10 (colors are so close I cannot tell the difference)
Ph 8.4
tank 125 gallons
fish- 2 GSP 1- Porc puffer.
My gsp developed a cloudy eye this morning. Shoud I qt him and treat with melafix of metronidazole. He did not have it last night. The other two are not showing any signs of cloudy eye. I am not sure if he scratched it on a piece of live rock which he travels through all the holes often, or if it could be an infection. Please advise. I have to leave for work soon but as soon as I get home I can do what I need to do. As you can see in the picture, he's eating fine.


Forgot to mention: It's only his right eye. And his body color is faded like he is in sleeping mode. Not bright like it would normally be.

A single cloudy eye would suggest an injury that possibly got infected to me. It sounds like he's also stressed to me so I would put him in QT. I would not treat with melafix (may make it difficult for SW fish to breath) or metronidazol (really only for parasites). I would dip the fish in a bath with tank water and an external antibiotic (use 3 to 4 times the recommended dose) for 15 minutes then put him in QT (make sure the water quality in the QT tank is pristine). Keep the lights out on the QT tank and monitor him and see how he responds.

Do you have a name for the external antibiotic and where to get it? If you could reccomend something petsmart or petco may carry I can pick it up this afternoon and start treatment. Thanks for your response. Would Maracyn or Maracyn-Two work?

Need to also mention: My water change schedule is every Wed. 25%. I check my water par. twice a week. If I notice that my nitrates have gone up I will also do another 25% water change on Sunday. I did my regular water change yesterday, a little more than 25%. The test results are from this morning. I don't know if that is important or not but just thought I would mention it. I also use API liquid test kits with the saltwater card. Thanks.

Just got back from petsmart & pet co, neither one had Maracyn or Maracyn-Two. I did find Lifeguard: for Bacterial, Fungal, Viral & parasitic. Someone please let me know if this will help Cheech (gsp). I am setting up the qt right now. Waiting to treat until I hear from someone. Please advise.

Here are some better pictures of his eye. I now have him in a qt.

What's in the Lifeguard medication? I usually don't like using those all-in-one miracle cures.

Most fish stores carry large selections of wide range external antibiotics (Tetracycline, Furazolidone or Furan, etc).

I'll also note that this very well could heal on its own, watch to make sure it doesn't get worse though.

Lifeguard was the only saltwater meds they had. Not a very great selection here at our fish stores. The next best place is 2 hours away. I can go on sunday when I am off. His color has improved from this morning. I moved him to qt and he's swimming around. It was way too easy to catch him and that worry's me. I also added a small piece of live rock to give him a place to hide. I'll be keeping a close eye on him. I sure hope he going to be ok. Thanks for your suggestions.

This is what the box says: Lifeguard is made by Instant ocean. Active Ingredients 1-chloro-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-imidazolidinone.

That eye doesn't really look bad. Personally, I think it'll clear up on it's own. JFYI, you are wasting a ton of salt, keeping the SG so high--1.020-22 should be fine for those fish.

From Jungle Lab's Website:
"Active ingredient: 1-chloro-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-imidazolidinone. Note: Not suitable for scaleless fish, invertebrates, or newly set up tanks."

It seems to be some kind of disinfectant, not an antibiotic. Since they specifically say don't use it on scale-less fish, I would not use this for Puffers.

Since you can't find anything right now I would just wait and monitor the eye. It's better to let it try to heal on its own than to randomly treat it unknowingly. Keep the fish in QT, since he's already stressed from the injury you don't want the other fish picking on him and making it worse.

Thank you both for your help. I will do just that. I was so worried it may be something more serious. I will keep a very close eye on him and his water par. for the next few days. Hopefully he will be ok. After I took him out of the tank his brother (Chong) was looking all over for him. It's kind of sad. Again...thanks.

An interesting thing I've observed. Whenever I've had to remove a fish to QT for one reason or another, his tankmates always seems to recognize and almost welcome him back into the main tank.