The Puffer Forum

Ok my tank details are as follows:
SETUP: 48" x 18" x 12" 160 litre freshwater tank, Fluval U5 internal filter, C02 diffuser, Sand and Slate substrate, Bogwood and Selection of plants.
FISH: 2 x 6" Common Pleco, 1 x Ghost Knife Fish, 2 x Sucking Loach, 7 X Neon Tetra, 3 x Guppy, 3 x Ghost Shrimp (were supposed to be puffer food) and of course 1 x Figure 8 Puffer.
PARAMETERS: Ammonia ~0ppm, PH ~7.6, Nitrite ~0ppm, Nitrate ~0ppm (Was impressed myself as just tested) and Temp 22-24C.
ROUTINE: 50% water change about weekly, filter washed in tank water. New water treated with API Tap safe.

Ok, so the story goes:
I aquired an F8 puffer about 2 inches long 5 days ago. It seemed in good health but has since got a fungal infection growing on it's body (I assume from the travel). I have been treating this with Melafix and Pimafix for 4 days now (20ml daily) and have removed the carbon from my filter.
The puffer also doesn't seem to be eating. I have tried live ghost shrimp (they are still alive in the tank), blood worm and prawn. The F8 did eat the prawn but then spat it out again and did eat 1 or 2 blood worms but that was about 3 days ago.

So my questions are:
Is Melafix and Pimafix the best treatment for the fungal infection? (I know fungal infections are usually a side affect from another infection hense using both treatments.)
Any recommendations on how to get my F8 to eat?

Thanks in advance!

Very often, F8 puffers get sickly when kept in FW. Read the links Flutter gave you in your other thread.

Having "0" nitrate makes me wonder if your tank is cycled properly - I asked in your other thread and I will ask again, how long as the tank been up and running?

You should show some nitrate if your tank is cycled. I suspect this is the problem. Retest nitrates and make sure to follow the directions exactly.

Sorry, forgot to reply on the cycling bit.

My filter has been up an running for about 4 months now, starting off in a cichlid tank (also with an external filter), then into the current tank with 2 plecos for about a month before adding the other fish a few at a time.

I have recently rescaped the tank with additional plants and this included a complete water change so I assume this is my the nitrate level is so low. However, I am pretty happy that the filter media is mature enough.

With large enough WC, it is possible to have 0 nitrate in a FW/BW tank but you should be seeing some nitrate soon. Now... there's the dilemma of keeping a BW fish in FW.

I am going to be honest, until my recent purchase of 2 Figure-8 puffers, I thought I could keep my F8's in freshwater with no problem. I was wrong! Every Figure-8 I've had (all kept in freshwater) have died on me. So that finally told me something (I know, I should have learned a long time ago) .... but now I will keep my F8's in brackish water and hopefully they will live much longer than the previous ones I've had.

Please don't make the same mistake as I did.

Hopefully the nitrogen cycle will sort itself out again shortly.

As for my F8 needing BW, any advice on this setup would be appreciated.

Thanks pufferpuggirl, I'm trying to sort it asap.

Thanks for the link pufferpunk, very useful. I have added it to my favourites.

Any recommendations on which salt to use?

Cheapest marine salt you can find.

I use Instant Ocean

I keep my 2 F8's at 1.005 SG

Wow, salt is expensive, but I assume brackish uses a lot less salt than marine. Will look at getting a nice little setup for my new F8 buddy!

It'll be about 1 cup salt/5g to make a SG of around 1.005.

A hydrometer would be very useful

Instrument---------------------Parameter measured-----------------Relative unit of measurement
Conductivity cells-------------Conductivity---------------------------mS/cm
Swing arm hydrometer-------Specific gravity (+ salinity)-----------adimensional (+PSU/ppt)
Floating hydrometer----------Specific gravity------------------------adimensional
Refractometers---------------Specific gravity (+ salinity)-----------adimensional (+PSU/ppt)