The Puffer Forum

Hey, everyone, this is LilGreenPuffer. I'm editing this post solely to add a note that this thread was split from another topic and is a bit disjointed.

So the whole original thread is best viewed to get a proper clear picture .thankyou . --Puffer King

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Seriously you wanna do a 50% water change to detox that tank water . Add maracyn at half dosage into the clean water and mix in well before you add to the tank . If still not eating you may well have to consider as a last resort get a small type syringe ( the type they use for orally administering baby medicine ) , and take some bloodworms (try to crush them up a bit ) soak them in jf mixture . Net your puff , keep him in the water and shoot some of the food mixture down your puffs mouth . Only do this as a last resort as being netted and force fed will be very stressful for your puff. So keep a steady hand and be quick . You need to act asap or i fear you will lose him .

Add maracyn at half dosage into the clean water and mix in well before you add to the tank.

Why Maracyn? Did I miss something major in this thread? I don't remember anything about a bacterial infection. And why at half-dose? Antibiotic doses shouldn't be altered lightly.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:

Add maracyn at half dosage into the clean water and mix in well before you add to the tank.

Why Maracyn? Did I miss something major in this thread? I don't remember anything about a bacterial infection. And why at half-dose? Antibiotic doses shouldn't be altered lightly.

half dose because puffer fish are scaleless and absorb medicines a lot easier , therefore are more sensitive to the effects. Antibiotics are a last resort in any treatment and seeing as nothing else has worked , they need to be administered asap . If ip's are present which they obviously are , the puffers immune ststem is taking a hammering and will slowly shut down killing the fish . Antibiotics will give its immune system a boost to help fight back , aid a quick recovery and help bring back a healthy appetite and a healthy fish .
Treat now and you'll most likely save your pufer . Otherwise its chances are looking slimmer by the day just like the poor puffer .

where do I get maracyn? and I just did a 50% change like a day ago

Try your LFS , or http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mardel-Maracyn- ... 3cbaea0538

Maracyn isn't going to treat the IPs or help the puffer's immune system. There is no reason to use it. It will do far more harm than good.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:Maracyn isn't going to treat the IPs or help the puffer's immune system. There is no reason to use it. It will do far more harm than good.

Total BS , maracyn used with the jf treated food i prescribed is the best chance this puffer has for survival . This method has been used many times to good effect and saved many a fishes life over the years . If you folow lilgrrenpuffers advice you'll land up flushing that poor little puffer in the next few days

always use antibiotics at half dose for any scaleless fish . Pathogens can only become resistant over long term exposure . Follow my guidelines and you'll be giving your puffer the best chance of survival .

Can you please point us to some research or other reliable evidence that this method works?

Antibiotics actually weaken an animal's immune system, preventing it from developing it's own healthy antibodies. That's why I try not to take them when I get bitten by cats. I have built up an immunity to their bacteria now.

I believe if this fish was healthy on the inside, the outside would heal.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:Can you please point us to some research or other reliable evidence that this method works?

I and many others have a sucessful proven track record with this method . I trust it implicitly.
Rather than critcise my helpful advice , perhaps you would care to be more considerate and contribute something that will help this puffer owner save his fish .

Pufferpunk wrote:Antibiotics actually weaken an animal's immune system, preventing it from developing it's own healthy antibodies. That's why I try not to take them when I get bitten by cats. I have built up an immunity to their bacteria now.

I believe if this fish was healthy on the inside, the outside would heal.

true thats why as children growing up , the more colds etc you catch the stronger your immune system becomes .....but there comes a times where if you start to lose the battle you need help ie in the form of antibiotics ......in the uk antibiotics are only sold on prescription for the very reason that if used too often , then viruses etc would become immune to them and peoples immune systems would be under developed . Thats why antibiotics should only be used sparingly and when absolutely necessary .

Puffer King wrote:

LilGreenPuffer wrote:Can you please point us to some research or other reliable evidence that this method works?

I and many others have a sucessful proven track record with this method . I trust it implicitly.
Rather than critcise my helpful advice , perhaps you would care to be more considerate and contribute something that will help this puffer owner save his fish .

As a moderator on this forum, it is my responsibility to make sure that the advice given by members is sound, based in fact, and not harmful. Both I and the administrator have stated that this method is a bad idea. If you would like to debate its effectiveness in boosting immune systems, please start a new thread, and then feel free to show us reliable evidence for use in intelligent debate.

well alright well right now I'm dissolving a small piece of a jungle tablet in some tank water, I'm going to take my smallest snail (too big for him to eat by himself) which should be enough to fill him up, crush it and let it soak in the meds for an hour, then feed it to him. Thats the best I can do right now. I've never seen that maracyn stuff at any of the local pet places when I've looked. And with opinions on it being a little conflicted, I'm not so sure I want to take the chance. I know this guy already has a low chance of survival, thats why I came to you to begin with. i've been fighting with his health since the day I brought him home.

Good luck! Keep up with the water changes, and if nothing else works to get him to eat, you may want to consider force-feeding medicated food, but this is a risky business, and you should talk with someone who has done this before, either here or on a reliable site like WetWebMedia.

only time will tell , but for me if given the either the option of increasing the chances significantly of saving a fishes life by using antibiotics or risk flushing the poor fella in next few days , i know without any doubt which option I'd choose .
Its your fish and ultimately your decision , so i will leave it down to your judgement . Good luck and i hope your puff pulls through

now signing off from this thread , all the best ..PufferKing

Puffer King wrote:Thats why antibiotics should only be used sparingly and when absolutely necessary .

Antibiotics are either used as prescribed or not at all. A little bit of fraying fin is not absolutely necessary.