The Puffer Forum

alright here is the deal. My figure8 puffer fish had a small outbreak of ich about 3? weeks ago. They have been over it for a few weeks though. When I saw small I mean they only had a few little ich dots on them. Anyway, today I just looked at one of the little ones (1-1.5") and saw something I have never seen before. His front side fins were pale white, not clear like normal. His eyes had this spider web-like white stuff on them, and it covered his gills on one side and stretched to other places on his body. I have no idea what this is, but I don't think its ich as I have seen severe ich outbreaks on SAPs before. He is swimming around haphazardly. I fed them krill for the first time yesterday, maybe an allergic reaction?? I have no idea. They are in low end brackish 1.008 I think. Anyway thats all I can tell you.

Can you give us precise tank readings please? A picture would be useful too but I'll be honest, I have never heard anything described quite like that.

Is it really web-like? That makes it sound a bit like a fungus.

My former Figure 8 who was a recent purchase started out with a few ich spots, they got worse, but he also had a whitishness covering one eye, the gill and fin on the same side and the white spread slowly towards his tail - it also stayed only on that side of his body. It wasn't a fungus by its appearance, sure didn't look like velvet...I eventually put him down when he couldn't swim anymore.

Is yours gasping for breath like mad? I tried gram positive and negative antibiotics as well as an antiparasitic for ich/velvet to no avail.

Keep us posted, and I hope your figure 8 pulls through!

Eric

I have swwn thread/web-like things on my puffer's fins--it was just particles form the water. See if they wipe off. I have a lot of hair in my house...

sounds EXACTLY like what Jayhawk is describing. He is now laying on a rock "breathing like mad" I will try a picture but don't expect anything. That is all the information I have to give as far as readings wise. At what point should I take him out thinking about the safety of my other fish?

If you have a QT tank, I'd defintely move the little fellow. I've never seen anything quite like this before, and it's interesting that we have two cases so close together.

Is your fish a recent purchase? What ich med. did you use? I tried Maracide on my sick puffer - just trying to see if maybe your idea of some kind of poisoning is possible.

I have a second figure 8 from the same store, and he also had a small amount of ich when he came in. I treated with heat and the salt in his BW (he was in FW), and he seems fine now (we're still in the higher temp watch for the next two weeks, though). I was feeling good about him, but knowing your puffer had ich that cleared up prior to the white stuff makes me nervous!

Hang in there,

Eric

yes he is a fairly new fish. I treated with salt and heat

Well that rules out an ich medicine being the problem...

How is your other figure 8 doing? I hope he/she is OK.

Are your two both big adults (as I continue the search for parallels here)? The past and current figure 8s of mine were full sized when I got them. I wonder if some adults have a hard time adjusting to the travel and adjusting to captivity...a LFS in town told me recent adult shipments had a much higher mortality rate than shipments of juvenile/small Figure 8s.

It really stinks to have a sick puffer - they have that look in their eyes that makes you feel like they're saying "hey, I'm hurtin' here - can't you help me out"? I haven't had a fish look at me like that since Blinkie my 10+ year old Texas cichlid passed away some time ago.

Eric

Most of my fish, I try to get as juvies, so I know they've had the best care for their whole life. I do believe they adjust much better as youngins too. Imagine--they are happily living in BW for many years. Then they are captured & forced directly into FW for weeks/months & then back to BW again (maybe, if one of us finds them...).

I prefer juveniles, too, but puffers are scarce in my area. I probably shouldn't have bought the second puff from the same store, but my wife claims I have "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Syndrome" so I had to save him as I was sure another month in the LFS would have been the end of him.

Eric

no they both were still quite small.

There really does seem to be a prob with F8s at the moment...lots of similar illnesses occurring at the same time. My lfs hasn't had any in in ages...not since the tsunami, I guess.
I wonder if US stocks are coming from somewhere unusual, somewhere they've not been collected from before, and this has something to do with it.
I think if someone has a weird illness, if they can, they should take swabs and get them looked at for future reference.
I hope he pulls through, Pami.

hey guys thanks for the responses, but my figure 8 died last night. It is always sad to lose a pet, but I had not really had him for that long so it is a bit eisier. Pamela know that you mention it I had a hard time finding these guys when they are normally quite common. I tried to take a few pictures of him but couldn't get any that really showed it. I guess the stranges thing about this was that his fins were pale white! Anyway, thanks for the help

Sorry to hear about that...seems it was a very rapid decline.
Pami.

I'm sorry too! I hope the other little one is doing OK. Whatever this is sure is nasty.

Eric