******Questions about "flourish"*****

[SammyDee]

So I just remembered I have some bottles of Flourish to feed my live plants and I just want to know if I can use this in my GSP tank. Also if anyone can recommend treatment for the starting signs of ICK in a tank with an SG of 1.004. So far Ive been doing WC daily with the temp at 82 making sure to get in the gravel and removing all decorations and cleaning daily. But I am looking to use a MED thats has been proven to be successful for treating GSP's i have 3 and are juveniles too! I just want this ick gone please it seems like it getting worse since 3 days of WC and temp raise.

[SammyDee]

I also have some old fungus clear tablets too could I use that as a preemptive measure with the GSPs?

[LilGreenPuffer]

Unless they're having fungal problems, no need to treat.

There are no ich meds that are puffer-safe.

[SammyDee]

ok have you ever used "flourish" by sea chem to feed your plants one bottle I have is liquid CO2 err something and the other is like muddy vitamins and I have my live plants in a gravel bed about 2-3" deep the plants seem to have grown already but... Im afraid of the puffers breathing this stuff in it literally smell like garbage.

[pufferpuggirl]

Unless they're having fungal problems, no need to treat.

There are no ich meds that are puffer-safe.

Not to be argumentative, but there is a "ich" (or whitespot as we call it over here) medication that's safe for puffers here in the UK, it's by Waterlife and it's called 'Cuprazin' and I've had to use it several times on my SAP's, never had any problems at all, or had any puffers die as a result of using it.

Also, I use Flourish by SeaChem and it's never caused my puffers any problems.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Okay, I take that back - there is one known puffer-safe ich med that is available strictly in the UK.

Sammy, are you in the UK?

Edie - Schismy, what are the main ingredients in that medicine? Just out of curiousity.

[pufferpuggirl]

First of all, let me explain that Waterlife make a whitespot treatment for freshwater fish, but that's not the one I use. Because marine fish are a bit more sensitive, that's the one I use for my puffers (Cuprazin).

Ingredients: copper sulfate - 1.7% w/w
formaldehyde - 0.3% w/w
malachite green - 0.11% w/w

I've never lost a puffer using this, and I've used it many times on a few different species of puffer, but I will admit that it will kill snails and it tends to kill some aquatic plants (cryptecorynes it seems to not affect)

[SammyDee]

nope sorry I live in the US and iI really dont want to use it if it will kill my plants or maybe if it gets out of hand ill pull the lpants out and try to use it if I can get it. Thanks for the suggestion too ill have to atleast look for it locally to see if I can get it. Do any of yall use andy supplements for your live plants? Also if you have any other suggestions to clear this possible ick problem I may have please tell me Ill try anythig thats for the best of my puffers to ensure all of their longtime survival. Right now I have been just doing daily water changes and the temp is 79 it was 81 but I broke my heater like an idiot and forgot to turn it off and it crackluckily no glass in the tank though. So I bought a new heater plugged it in just now and it worked for like a second now its on full blast and doesnt even indicate that its on what the ll I might have to return it for another tomarrow if it never kicks back on.

[SammyDee]

What about this penny trick I keep hering about does copper kill ick?

[SammyDee]

Also MY water perimeters are perfect as of now but my water is a hard 300. You think the hardness of the water is having any affects on them?

[LilGreenPuffer]

Copper does, but it can kill a puffer. flash.dan lost a puffer to a copper nail falling in the tank.

[SammyDee]

Thats all? I kinda find that hard to believe his tank coulda been outta wack but Im not willing to chance. I have heard or read something here about if you did do it you only left it in for "x" amount of hour per "X" days ? what about a FW or SW dip?

[LilGreenPuffer]

Those don't really work. They'll burst the cysts on the puffer's skin, but you need to remove or kill the ones left in the tank, and for that, you need to use the month-long process described in the article. Dips are great for providing temporary relief, but they won't solve the problem.

[SammyDee]

Ok thx I was just reassuring myself that what I am doing now for for them will help heal this issue. I realy am so concerned for these little buggers after all I have done for them now. A month ago I thoght I was geting 5$ fish "no problem" I said next thing Im $300 deep in making them like living with me. I really hope this works thanks again for all your great advice as usual. THX. I will keep udated

[LilGreenPuffer]

I know! The fish are the least expensive part.