The Puffer Forum

I notice today that my puffer has a discoloration along the front half of its face and eye, what could this be and what can I do?
parameters are

salt 1.20
ammonia 0
ph 8.1
phos 5
nitrate 10
nitrite 0

Sorry to say, your puffer has Vibro, a fast-acting bacterial flesh-eating disease.

Try a combined therapy of Maracyn and Maracyn II in a hospital setup or as 10-20times overdosed half hour baths.

The problem with this Vibrio sp. infection is that almost never real antibiotics are used in the early stage (which would be day 1).

A large UV sterilizer with a slow flow and feeding high vitamin food as well as high oxygen (esp. by surface current, 30 times tank volume per hour, no skimming while treating) can support the treatment.

There are many diffeent Vibrio spp. with very variable symptoms, the most commonly known affecting humans is cholera. I *guess* Cholera meds may have an influence on the fish Vibrio species, too. Anyway, don't grab into the aquarum with wounds and clean your hands thoroughly after contact with the fish or its water.

Another imporant Vibrio species (obviously not the one of this infection) is thought by some scientists to live in symbiosis with puffers and to produce their tetrodotoxin poison.

Pufferpunk wrote: flesh-eating disease.

I'm not sticking my hand in that tank

nasty