A Sad Day For Me!

[pufferpuggirl]

I've recently had a bout of white spot in my most favourite puffer tank which houses my Dwarf puffers and my South American puffers. I've been doing the treatment and the white spot is going, but I think I caught it too late because I believe my South American puffers are going to die today. They are trying to swim, but their rear tail fin is clamped together and they just cannot get it going. I find it all very distressful and caught myself crying when I was cleaning their tank. I hate to see anything suffer or die. I know they are just little fish, but they made me very happy. The weird thing is that the white spot didn't seem to affect my little Dwarf puffers at all, and I have some really tiny ones. I'm glad they are still healthy, but I'm sad at the potential loss of my South American puffers. I don't think I will be able to replace them because the LFS where I got them hasn't had them anymore. I had 3 of them and they would play in the swift current of my filter output, and I loved watching them do that. They would swim up close to it and then let it blow them backwards and I know that was their way of playing and having fun. So it's with a heavy heart that I write this knowing that by the end of the day at least one, if not two, of my SAP's will be dead. I haven't seen the third one, so maybe that one is already dead.
I can't help but feel angry towards the LFS that I got the white spot from. I know who it was because they are the only ones I recently bought a fish from for that tank!
I thought if I wrote this out I would feel better, but so far, it's not worked. I had taken some pics this morning of my juvenile Suvattii. I will try to get them posted so you can all see my babies. There are two of them, but the one always sort of hides in the very back and it was hard to get a photo of him/her. So I may be posting only one photo, but there are 2 in the tank.

[blondenblue]

Im really sorry to hear that your puffers are so poorly, the only thing i can think of that might help a little is to possibly add an air stone for them and maybe something like stress coat which could help their slim coat. not sure it will help but possibly worth a try. I hope your day does not turn out as bad as you fear.

[fishlady1958]

i'm so sorry for you.........
cyber hugs to you and your little precious life forms......

[edmlfc1]

Where there's life there's hope. That's what I have always been told. Keep your chin up and don't give up. I had a round of white spot in my sw tank, still working on it. Then I had tapeworm in my fw fahaka tank. I just knew she wouldn't make it. After a month of up's and down's and thinking she wouldn't pull through, the last two days have been wonderful. I don't think she's 100% yet but she's at least 90% better than she was just last week. Don't beat yourself up either, your doing a great job taking care of them. Keep us posted and I hope it all turns out well.

[Nick]

If I have an animal COVERED in spots, I use quick cure, rather than salt + heat. Quick cure gets the cysts off FAST, while with salt and heat, it takes time. Yes, it's defaintely riskier, but when you have a fish so covered in spots it can barely move or breathe, I think the risk is worthwhile.

[marksrush]

My heart goes out to you, I know how you feel.

[LilGreenPuffer]

So, did they pull through?

[pufferpuggirl]

Thanks so much for the comments and words of comfort.
I think I finally have the white spot beat (at least for now). I lost 3 of my Puffers, and 2 Plecs that were in with them. My one SAP still seems to have some sort of lingering affects. He will clamp his tail fin down and lose his balance and sort of do a "whip-de-do" and go around and around, then find his balance and get it back together, and swim normally with tail fin extended out. I can't really say why he would have these bouts, but at least he's alive and that's what counts. The surprising part of all of this is that it didn't seem to affect my Dwarf puffers at all. I have some very tiny little ones too, I mean, really small .... and yet, they didn't seem to get the white spot, nor did they seem to be affected in any way by the medication or the parasite itself, which I am glad for.
So now my Puffer tank looks a bit naked, but I've added an airstone and they all seem to be fine now. I won't be buying from the LFS that I believe gave me the white spot in the first place.
But I do thank God that my Puffers came through this in as good shape as they are, they did have it rather badly because by the time I realised what it was, the parasite had a good hold on them. I will be paying much more attention now.

[LilGreenPuffer]

That's GREAT!