The Puffer Forum

I have put in 4 temesis 2.5 " and the have Ick ....my 11" MBU is fine ...can I raise the temp to 84-86 without harming the MBU? Since MBU's are scaless i would suspect they dont tolerate any medications well.?

help i dont risk my MBU but i want to treat the tems and catching them woyld be near inpossible in my large tank...any suggestions ?

i would raise the temp and add an additional air pump if you can, or if you have the air regulated adjust it to create more bubbles. not sure if aquarium salt is used in FW to help but i dont think it will hurt. all puffs are very sensitive to water parameters being bad or medications, copper based i think are the most harmful. since the ich is in the main tank, i would just treat the whole thing with the raised temp and additional air. water changes every few days to try and remove the cysts/parasite from the water column

Thank you I found this article in the libraray , (Man i love this site),...but you are correct ...I just didnt know how much heat the big MBU could take ...i do have a comercial airation system and a huge commercial UV sterilizer on my big tank i get plenty of 02 ...thank you!!:

Library ...;

Before starting treatment you should do at least a 50% water change and vacuuming of your tank. I also suggest doing 50% water changes every other day of treatment, to reduce the number of parasites in the water.

I do not like to use medication with my puffers, except in cases of heavy infestation. Melafix is helpful to treat any damage done to the puffer’s skin from the parasite. If you run into any severe secondary bacterial problems, Pimafix may also be used.

For freshwater puffers, it is recommended to use 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of aquarium water, while gradually raising the temperature to 86 degrees F. Continue with this for a period of one month, adding back 1 tablespoon of salt for every 5 gallons of aquarium water that you remove during water changes.

One thing to remember with high temperatures is that there is less dissolved oxygen available in warm water than there is in water at cooler temperatures, therefore it is recommended to run an additional airstone to oxygenate the water.

Yep, I am treating my Fahaka puffer the same way as from the article by PP. Things are looking better too. But if you have a uv sterilizer then that's a huge plus,imo.