The Puffer Forum

Hey guys. My Mbu has a pretty bad case of Ich and the only thing I have been brave enough to treat with, due to puffers delicate nature, is Aquari Sol which has had no effect. Does anyone have any remedies they have used that work?

Water parameters:
PH 7.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrate less than 20
Nitrite 0

Tempatures above 86F kill ich. Make sure to keep lots of flow and add some airstones to keep it oxygenated.

EDIT: nope. I was wrong. 89F kills. I was close!

Salt and heat works well failing that I have heard ridich is fine also Esha exit anti whitespot is puffer safe

Is 86° puffer safe? Buying salt this evening so hopefully that and heat will do the trick.

It has been found that Ich does not infect new fish at 29.4°C/85°F (Johnson, 1976), stops reproducing at 30°C/86°F (Dr. Nick St. Erne, DVM, pers. comm.), and dies at 32°C/89.5°F (Meyer, 1984)

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http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php


I'd say its puffer safe just make sure to keep the water plenty aerated.

I was with the understanding that the high temperature speeds up the ichs life cycle not kill it ! Just what I was told !

Chuck is correct. You also must do 80% WC, while vacuuming the substrate every other day, to remove the free-swimming cysts.

So should I not worry about the water temp at all?

Please follow the article in our Library on this.

Also, do you have any idea what caused his ich? After you get rid of it you're going to want to prevent it from happening again.

What's his tank size? Your water changing schedule? Do you test your water often?

ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/T_Mbu/

library/puffers-in-focus/mbuforyou/

and this is the article Pufferpunk was talking about: library/hospital/fwich/

Read all three.

Yes I do have some idea what caused it. I recently introduced a couple good size needle nose gars and I believe the rosey reds, or the gars themselves, brought the ich in the tank. Up until that point my Mbu was the only fish in the tank, 75 gallon overflow w/ 20 gallon sump. The gars have since been taken out as I care too much about my puffer to mess with this stuff again.

I have read all the articles and I know what I am getting into. I do weekly water changes of 15% and syphon the gravel every time. I test the water 3 times a week as well.

Also is there anything special I should do with my driftwood and plants? Do I need to toss them and buy new?

You can keep his decor. What are you plans for upgrading? He won't last long in a 75g.

I don't think the Needle Nose Gar brought ich to the tank. Ich is a disease of opportunity and stressful conditions cause the fish to weaken and become more susceptible to it, usually first in scaleless fish. Being in the tank he is currently in, even though your water quality is very good, your MBU was on the edge of becoming immune compromised due to stress anyway. Adding the Needle Nose Gar (that can reach close to 2 feet each) more than likely pushed him over the edge. Get the Gar out, follow the article on treating Fresh Water Ich, and plan on moving to a larger tank.

Yeah I am aware he won't last long in the tank he is currently in. I am purchasing a 180g in a couple months and that will be followed by a 300g. After the 300 I will be looking for a permanent home for him of around 500-700g.