The Puffer Forum

I just got a new job and there is a guy there that has been working with salt water for years. He has worked at so many fish stores and knows so much that his info make my head spin trying to remember all of it. I asked him about the hypo and he said that was a good idea but then he told me about this other thing I could try (but I thought I would ask first), its called coral vital and if your double the dose it can wipe ich out. He said they did a study on it at the last place he worked and it was proven that it wipes out ich. It has to be coral vital by Marc something ( I can't remember). He said that it worked everytime he used it no matter what fish. I was wondering if anyone else has heard this. I just want the porc to be happy and healthy. He told me that the coral vital won't hurt any of my fish or inverts. Now that I have the qt I can try many things, but I just want do the right thing. How long do I keep her in hypo? Also could I try fresh water dips? I am just trying to get as much info as I can since I have never done any of this before. I know I might seem stupid, but I am afraid to put a salt water fish in fresh water or even in hypo. Thank you for helping me through this! She is also missing her tail from when she was at the store. She is in my 55 gallon right now (temp since she is my friends porc but me and my boyfriend help take care of her), I have a 14 gallon that I am going to cycle for a qt tank and put her in there. I want to know how to do hypo or if I could do fresh water dips or this coral vital?

library/hospital/swich/
That should help you a lot. You could try doing the coral vital and let us know how it works, it could become a good alternative for treating ich.

And if anyone wants to know more about Coral Vital...
http://www.northcoastmarines.com/coral_vital.htm

So you think I should try the coral vital and see how that works before I do hypo or fresh water baths?

I am going to try and find some of this stuff so I can try this on the porc, I will keep everyone posted. The salt water guy told me dose the tank for 5 days at double the amount. I was thinking since this is good for corals it couldn't hurt the porc, am I wrong? I don't want to double dose the qt tank and then it be harmful. I am still looking into hypo and fresh water baths but I am still unsure about it. This is my thought (please don't think I'm stupid) If I drop the sg in the qt tank it will kill all the bacteria in the tank causing it to cycle again. The qt tank right now has nothing in it, not even water. I just moved my fish and gravel to my new tank. I am going to instant cycle the qt tank with my 55 gallon filter and media. I don't want the tank to recycle beacuse I don't want to kill the porc. Also with hypo ans fresh water baths, putting a salt water fish in fresh water just seems so wrong. I have been taught that you should never drop the salt on a salt water fish. I know people have had luck with this but my brain just keeps thinking that this will go terribly wrong and I will do more harm then good. Also I heard that it is hard to keep ich off a porc as they are more proned to it then any other puffer. My friend and I both knew this when he bought her, they also told us that when we got her. I am afraid that when I treat her and put her back into the tank she will get ich again from the stress of all the moving and treatment.

"Causes Cryptocaryon ("Saltwater Ich") to become dormant."
That doesn't sound like a cure to me.

"These parasites are invariably always present and infect stressed fishes and/or overwhelm them. "
Also, not true.

I never read the article but I talked to the guy who has first hand experience and he said it gets rid of the ich. I don't know if this is true since I have never done it but I thought I might try it, do you think it doesn't sound like a good idea. Well the ich is starting to go away on the porc so I don't know if I even need to do anything, or do you think I should still treat her?

I would treat all your fish with hypo and leave your 55 gallon tank empty for 6 to 8 weeks. This is the only way that you will be sure to kill off the parasites. This coral vital stuff might work for the short term but then the ich could just come back. I would prefer to just get rid of the parasite once and know that it is gone.

bonnie3188 wrote:I would treat all your fish with hypo and leave your 55 gallon tank empty for 6 to 8 weeks. This is the only way that you will be sure to kill off the parasites. This coral vital stuff might work for the short term but then the ich could just come back. I would prefer to just get rid of the parasite once and know that it is gone.

This is what i have been suggesting for the past week or so... seems the best way to go to me.

Ok I will try and get another qt tank and move all my fish. The porc is having some trouble. She can't swim very well since her tail fin is gone. How long will that take to grow back? She lays around on a coral and is breathing heavy and doesn't move much. - am afraid that she will die if I move her/mess with her a lot. In the qt tank should I bring the sg down slowly or should I put her in there at the 1.009? I still am unsure about this so I guess its now or never since she isn't feeling well. Please help me through this!!

Ok when I wrote that last post the lights were on, so I turned them off beacuse she looks so pitful and I just feel horrible. Now she is buzzing around the tank and acting better then ever. My boyfriend and I set up the qt and we are going to move her as soon as someone answers about the hypo, weither it should be brought down slowly or fast. Thanks for the help everyone and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I don't hurt my porc in this ordeal. Also how long do I leave her in hypo?

A minimum of 4 weeks. You might as well keep them in it for the 6-8 weeks just to be safe.

8 weeks.

katie.. you have to read this..

library/hospital/swich/

it'll tell you everything you need to know about hypo...

written by puffer queen, the absolute gospel on salt water puffers, and the best one on this site to help you here...


let us know how it's going.

I did read that and I'm still unsure about what to do, but I will read it again. I just had to do a big water change because my levels were a little high. Right now she is doing better and I bought some vitamin C so that she has some vitamins. I am also gonna get some selcon, but it hasn't come in yet. She is looking a lot better and still eating very well. I don't have her in the qt because I had to qt my puffer since she was beating up on everyone. I have to get rid of her and I have someone to take her. I am very sad because she is so beautiful and when she leaves I will have no puffers in my marine tank since the porc isn't mine. We are keeping her main tank empty while she gets better and we are still watching it for the leak. Sorry for being so busy, but I just got a new job and I haven't had time to get online. I am going to put the porc in qt this weekend and I got some information about copper from the lfs but they told me to try hypo first so thats what I'm gonna do. She is looking good and the ich seems to be going away but I am still going to treat her so that I know she is better. Thanks for the help and I will update when I can.

how's it all going?

Is your porc in hypo yet.. or at leat part way there?