The Puffer Forum

Here's the params:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
NitrAte: 10
Ph: 7.6
Tank has been running for 20 months.
Diet: home bred ramshorn snails
DP singleton living in a 10g tank

I'm concerned that my DP, Neville, has IP's. But he doesn't look like it. Last Thursday, I was feeding him and noticed he was passing a prodigious poo... a very normal looking puffer poo. When I moved my hand up to lift the tank lid I must have startled him. The poo broke loose in a cloud of fine white short cobweb like strands (1/8 inch long at most). A few were hanging from his vent but they were eliminated when he finished his poop (which was very normal looking). I've been watching him closely since and haven't seen this again.

Below are some pics of him 36 hours after his last feeding (it was fasting day). He doesn't look unhealthy or IP laden to me. What do y'all think?

possibly or a very picky eater. Find the food he likes and treat it with an IP med.

Looks a little pinched to me. I'd treat for IPs and watch if his body condition changes.

He actually eats like a horse... one snail/day on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday; 2 snails/day Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Saturday is fasting day. Occasional bloodworms as a treat. He eats them all with gusto. I can even get him to eat a blanched, shelled pea every now and again...

I guess I'm going to be medicating some snail meat for a few days...

I'd vary his diet. Add worms.

He looks a bit too skinny for my liking. I would treat for ips

Pufferpunk wrote:I'd vary his diet. Add worms.

Can do, will do!

I have both prazipro (liquid) and levamisole hcl (powder) on hand. Can I use either of these orally (soak food in)? Or is treating the water sufficient in this case? Jungle Parasite Guard is really difficult to find in stores in these parts.

The food must be treated for the mess to work. I can't advise on whether the meds you have are safe or not. Anyone ever used these?

I haven't directly used PraziPro, but I've used another type of ip meds that had the same active ingredient of praziquantel, and wasn't impressed with the results (granted the puffer in question was much more heavily infected with ip then yours). I would say if you can get some jungle fizzy tabs to just go with those because it's been tried and proven. I saw that you posted that you've been having a hard time finding the fizzy tabs and I was just wondering if you've checked a walmart supercenter nearby? Because, I was having problems finding the tabs too until I went to a walmart that sold fish and spotted the fizzy tabs in the fish supplies area next to the decor, so I would check there before using PraziPro because IMO

Fizzy tabs >> PraziPro


for treatment it has to be administered orally because fresh water fish don't drink water and so if you treat the water the meds won't get into the dp

use a small cup for preparation, get a small amount of tank water into it add the food and the ip meds (if fizzy tabs break the tablet up into small chunks and add only a few small pieces) and let soak for at least 15 mins the longer the better PP says she always soaks the food overnight. Then strain with a net and add the food in as normal, do this for about a week.

I also suggest crushing up a clove of garlic & soaking some of that with the medicated food. It will enhance the flavor. Most fish don't like the taste of meds.

+1 to pp I meant to add that but it slip my mind.

Ya adding the garlic extract will make your puffer eat more of the medicated food

I'll be d*mned... WallyMart had the Jungle fizz tabs. Thanks for telling me to look there!

I started treatment last week (just finished day 8 ). I'm going to do 12 days (as I spent the first 3-4 trying to find a combination that he would eat). Snails are definitely his preference. One crushed snail, approx. 2-3 tablespoons tank water, 1/4 of a fizz tab and part of a crushed garlic clove. I've been letting that soak for about two hours then feeding him. He doesn't go after it with the same reckless abandon as unmedicated food, but he eats it up.