The Puffer Forum

ok my puffer is scratching against stuff before he was just agaist glass now its plants and wood im buying melafix tommorow how much do i use?

Follow the directions on the bottle for normal dosage. If you are using the standard strength Melafix, that would be one teaspoon (5 ml) per 10 gallons.

Melafix isn't for the problem you could have. It is for bacterial problems. You puffer could have some kind of external parasite, like ich. Are there any spots like salt on it? Read the article on Treating Puffers With Ich, in this forum.

What's the history of the puffer? How long have you had him, what's your water change schedule, what're you feeding him, what are the water parameters?
I agree with PP that there may be a parasite, or something in the water's irritating him. Melafix will soothe any irritation, but won't solve the cause of the problem.
Pami.

hmmmm, I notice my F8 scratching against rocks and stuff maybe once or twice a week, but only when the lights are out and he thinks im not watching.

maybe im doing something wrong, or he just likes to scratch. SG is at 1.007, so it couldnt be lack of salt. I change about 2-3 gallons per week, and all water parameters are normal ( ammonia 0, nitrite 0 , nitrate <20 ppm)

my water is fine i feed him blood worms FD krill and snails. i change about 30-40 percent a week had him for about 3 weeks now i think he has a white dot on his fin i posted about this previously and some other small dots on his fin but they have been there for ever and don't grow or change he has nothing on his body tho.

Melafix won't hurt. Neither will following the instructions in the article I linked you to.