The Puffer Forum

A few days ago, I got a Green Spotted Puffer. He seemed healthy and happy and greeted me at the glass. It was love at first sight. I took him home and put him temporarily in my tropical freshwater aquarium because they were sold as "freshwater" fish in the store. The next day, my puffer I named Alex, showed some signs of ich, which I had never had in any of my fish before. I couldn't do anything about it that day, but the next day, the spot had disappeared on him, and I moved him to his new 10 gallon tank that was cycled with half of it water from my established tank, pH about 7.5. I treated my other tank for ich because my little puffer dropped it in that tank. I decided to hold off on treating Alex, because I thought maybe he didn't have it anymore, and I didn't want to treat him if it wasn't necessary since scaleless fish are sensitive to it. I plan to gradually acclimate his tank to brackish, and today I added 1/8 cup of marine salt (dissolved it in one gallon of water before slowly adding it to the tank). Now I just noticed a few specks of ich on his tail when he stretches it out, so I don't know what to do. Should I put a half tablet if ich treatment (Ick Clear Tank Buddies), or should I add more salt and acclimate it quicker? I know I can raise the SG by .002 per week, and it's only at about 1.0003 if I did the calculations right (don't have a hydrometer that goes that low). I just want to make sure that the salt tolerant bacteria have a chance to grow before the freshwater bacteria are killed off, that's why I'm taking it slow. I was planning on adding another 1/8 or 1/4 cup of salt on Friday. Would that be enough to kill the tomites? I want to know if I should just go ahead and use half an ich tablet right now. Please help!

Okay, for starters, your tank isn't cycled. The bacteria is not in the water. It's in the filter and on decorations and in the gravel.

Don't use the ich tablet. You're right - it's dangerous for him.

This situation is complicated. First, I want you to do a 100% water change on his tank. Dissolve 2 heaping tablespoons of aquarium salt (the kind sold by API, medicinal, available at Wal-Mart and most LFSs) into fresh water. DO NOT USE MARINE SALT. Use this instead of the marine-salted water. Raise the temp to 86 degrees. Get the dirty filter cartridge from your other tank and put it in this tank's filter. (DO NOT add the cartridge until AFTER you have done this 100% water change!) Twice every day, check for ammonia and nitrites. (If you do not have ***liquid*** tests for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, invest in them now!) If you have ANY, do a big water change (50%-80%) right away. Do a major gravel vacuum every time. If you do not get any ammonia or nitrites, do a 50% water change and thorough gravel vac every other day. Do this for one month.

Here is some reading for you to do. I have combined the two problems into one solution for you ^^^ up there.
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
library/hospital/fwich/

Here's some additional reading.
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Nigroviridis/
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

Good luck, and welcome to the forum!

Oh, wow! I thought my tank was cycled because I used over half water from my original tank, and I took an ornament and plants from it to put in the new tank. It makes sense to put the filter cartridge from my other tank in the new one, but they aren't interchangeable...different style filters. And I can't run out and get aquarium salt now... shop is closed. Can you explain to me why not to use Marine salt? I have heard contradicting opinions, and I want to know why. Now I'm really worried, I'll be at school tomorrow ALL day and evening, so I'm afraid all this will have to wait til Friday. I hope my little guy will be okay! I'm so attached to him. He seems happy at the moment.... I just hope that it will last, and I can treat the ich soon enough. Thank you for your advice!

The reason not to use marine salt right now is that it will kill of part of your nitrifying bacteria. When you do not have a fully cycled tank, which you do not because ornaments and plants will help but will not do the whole job, you can't afford to lose any by raising the specific gravity (SG). Aquarium salt doesn't do this, for some reason.

If you can jam the cartridge in there, do it. If you have to cut it, go for it. Do whatever it takes to get that sucker in there!

Be sure to read all those articles LGP linked you to--several times!

IMO, marine salt is fine to treat a BW fish with for ich. How about just totally switching filters? How many fish is the established filter supporting right now? Since there is also nitrifying bacteria in all the decor, glass & substrate, your other fish may be ok using the filter that is on the GSP tank, until you can get one of the instant cycling products mentioned in that Emergency Cycling article. No exceptions either!

Test your water parameters to determine if your tank is cycled. If your ammonia and nitrites are at zero, and there are signs of nitrates present in your water, then your tank is cycled.

Pufferpunk wrote:
IMO, marine salt is fine to treat a BW fish with for ich. How about just totally switching filters? How many fish is the established filter supporting right now? Since there is also nitrifying bacteria in all the decor, glass & substrate, your other fish may be ok using the filter that is on the GSP tank, until you can get one of the instant cycling products mentioned in that ar=Emergency Cycling article. No exceptions either!

Good point.

But be 100% sure that it's cycled before adding marine salt! And you really need a hydrometer or refractometer that measures lower.

If your LFS doesn't sell hydrometers that measure that low, I suggest you buy online like amazon or ebay, got mine for 4 dollars total

Thank you all for your help!
Regarding switching the filters, would the small amount of marine salt that was in my puffer's tank affect the fish in my other tank? I know it is a VERY small amount of salt, and whatever might make it's way to the other tank from the filter would be even more super diluted, but I just want to be sure it won't harm them in any way.
I looked over those articles, and will do a more thorough read when I get home.
Also, I do plan on purchasing a complete testing kit and a low-reading hydrometer.
Thanks again for all your help.

what kind? some more amazonian fish are lest tolerant

My community tank consists mostly of tetras and the like.

most tetras come from south america where water is soft and acidic, aka, the opposite of saltwater, I don't know if it would be severe though to have a little salt

I don't think that they'd do well at all with marine salt, even traces.

Okay. I'll just donate from the original tank to puffer, but not vice versa.

Also, I have a little sample packet of water supplement that came with my tank kit. It's called Stress Zyme biological filtration booster. Would that be good to put in? It claims that it speeds the development of the biological filter.

Dead bacteria.