The Puffer Forum

Hi,

my GSP has suddenly developed fungus on one eye - virtually overnight. The only new things in the tank are the snails I've given him. He's had no new plants recently, and obviously no tank mates. I'm treating with Protozin, but it's looking really nasty. Other than that he's swimming fine and still has a good appetite.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Very common for GSPs to get this. forget the meds--just give him pristene water (50% water changes weekly) & add Melafix. That'll clear it right up. Is he in brackish?

Yeah, I've been slowly changing him to brackish (dunno if you remember Diddy). I kinda got into a habit of regular water changes, so his water's spotless at all times anyway - hence I was confused why he'd got this. Glad it's common and treatable - will add melafix instead then. Thanks

I wonder why this seems disproportionally common among GSPs despite clean tanks and regular water changes. Any thoughts to injuries from the "up 'n down dance" becoming infected ? It would be very easy to abrade eye tissue against the tank glass.

Perhaps we should check for correlation between this behavior and this injury/infection.

I found if I was even slightly lax on WC, it wouldn't fail to happen to 1 of my GSPs.

One more reason for large weekly water changes.

Every now & then, I'll be reading one of my old aquarium books and the author will write about changing 10% every 4 to 6 weeks. AND keep 20 fish in a 10 gallon tank...

This is exactly why I don't understand how he's got it. He has minimum 50% water changes per week, usually more.

I've still read that this is a common occurrence in this species. Don't blame yourself.

Thanks PP. Erm, does this make sense? Today it's kinda fallen off

The eye? or the fungus?

oops, sorry, the fungus, not the eye

Oh sorry but can I just congratulate you both on cheering me up today! I'm sitting at work, surreptitiously browsing and I come across this and (knowing his eye didn't fall off) pictured it falling off!
Cheers for the giggle!

...oh, and glad to hear that the fungus seems to have cleared up...if that'sd what you meant?

Have to agree with Saffib .....

Not having a great day, but couldn't help but laugh when I saw LL's comment!!

Update: The fungus may have disappeared, but now he's bumping into things, swimming around in a stupor. I've read a few threads on here, asking if their puffer's gone blind. He's swimming almost as if stoned, crashing into the plants, thermometer etc then carrying on as if nothing's happened.

ETA: he's definitely not seeing well, not responding to me or my hand near the tank. Is blindness common? A result of the fungus?

ETA #2: out of the blue, he's just puffed. First time I've ever seen him do that. I've followed the articles on de-puffing and he seems to have deflated now, but he really must be stressed. I was just sat here watching him in the dark with just my desk lamp on and whoomph, he puffed.