The Puffer Forum

Hi, I have a porcupine puffer and he seems to be developing ich. He only has a few dots on his tail and a couple on his top fin. Other then that he is swimming around and eating normally. Should I let him try to fight it off on his own? Or should I step in now? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I'm not so sure that's Ich (Crypt actually, Ich is a FW parasite). Looks more fungal. Try SW Melafix & answer all the Qs above, in red.

Pufferpunk wrote:I'm not so sure that's Ich (Crypt actually, Ich is a FW parasite). Looks more fungal. Try SW Melafix & answer all the Qs above, in red.

Sorry! PH. 8.2, nitrate 0 Ammonia 0, salinity 1.024, nitrites 0. Tank size is a 100 gallon with 2 true perc clown fish 2" and 3'
bubbles (porcupine puffer) (piggy) green spotted puffer, mandarin goby, filefish, buch of crabs and snails. I use ro/di water with .5ml of prime per 5g, tank is a little over a year old, feeding for clownfish is small twice daily and puffers once, live clams and shrimp. Do about 1-2 water changes (10-15 depending) and i calcium dose 2 part additive twice a week (tues and fri) iodine on thurs.

metalhead789 wrote:

Pufferpunk wrote:I'm not so sure that's Ich (Crypt actually, Ich is a FW parasite). Looks more fungal. Try SW Melafix & answer all the Qs above, in red.

Sorry! PH. 8.2, nitrate 0 Ammonia 0, salinity 1.024, nitrites 0. Tank size is a 100 gallon with 2 true perc clown fish 2" and 3'
bubbles (porcupine puffer) (piggy) green spotted puffer, mandarin goby, filefish, buch of crabs and snails. I use ro/di water with .5ml of prime per 5g, tank is a little over a year old, feeding for clownfish is small twice daily and puffers once, live clams and shrimp. Do about 1-2 water changes (10-15 depending) and i calcium dose 2 part additive twice a week (tues and fri) iodine on thurs.

Also the splotches of white are now gone, its just little dots of white on his fins. He only has a hand full. Will he fight this on his own?

metalhead789 wrote:

metalhead789 wrote:

Pufferpunk wrote:I'm not so sure that's Ich (Crypt actually, Ich is a FW parasite). Looks more fungal. Try SW Melafix & answer all the Qs above, in red.

Sorry! PH. 8.2, nitrate 0 Ammonia 0, salinity 1.024, nitrites 0. Tank size is a 100 gallon with 2 true perc clown fish 2" and 3'
bubbles (porcupine puffer) (piggy) green spotted puffer, mandarin goby, filefish, buch of crabs and snails. I use ro/di water with .5ml of prime per 5g, tank is a little over a year old, feeding for clownfish is small twice daily and puffers once, live clams and shrimp. Do about 1-2 water changes (10-15 depending) and i calcium dose 2 part additive twice a week (tues and fri) iodine on thurs.

Also the splotches of white are now gone, its just little dots of white on his fins. He only has a hand full. Will he fight this on his own?

Better picture!!!

Still doesn't look like it to me. You could try vitamin C at a level of 25ppm:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30163:

I don't suppose it could just be some dirt/sand/gravel. My GSP would occasionally have very fine aragonite stuck on the fins.

Pufferpunk wrote:Still doesn't look like it to me. You could try vitamin C at a level of 25ppm:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30163:

So just to be clear, what exactly do you think it is?

I said it looked fungal. Those spots look larger than Crypt, Crypt looks like someone salted the fish.

Pufferpunk wrote:I said it looked fungal. Those spots look larger than Crypt, Crypt looks like someone salted the fish.

Alright! I will treat with the medication you mentioned and I'v been in the process of getting a uv sterilizer as well so hopefully that will help!

Punk, did you seriously say ich is a fresh water disease? Hmmm me thinks not.

arrivalanche wrote:Punk, did you seriously say ich is a fresh water disease? Hmmm me thinks not.

Ich : Ichthyophthirius multifiliis
Crypt (marine ich) : Cryptocaryon irritans

arrivalanche wrote:Punk, did you seriously say ich is a fresh water disease? Hmmm me thinks not.

Yes, I seriously did. Please explain otherwise???

Tim wrote:
Ich : Ichthyophthirius multifiliis
Crypt (marine ich) : Cryptocaryon irritans

^this is all you need to know.

It always makes me nuts when folks refer to marine whitespot as ich!