The Puffer Forum

Before I get started I want to say that my f8 has not gotten worse. It's just that I thought he would be getting better by now.

I am pretty sure my f8 has IPs.

Symptoms : pinched belly, weak, no personality. He is so weak that he struggles against the filter current.

Good news : he is eating, swims around the tank constantly, poop looks good.

It is mostly the weakness that concerns me. I just thought by now he would be at least a little stronger. He also just does not have any personality...it is like when a human gets sick and you don't want to do anything because you don't feel good.

I have been treating his food with fizz tabs that contain praziquantel, difluben zuron, metronidazole and acriflavine. By tetra. (Little bit of tank water, small piece of a fizz tab, soaking thawed blood worms).

Tank parameters are fine, but I still change the water at 50% a day (clean water = healthy fish). 0,0, <10. Also I added decor to reduce stress.

Is there anything else I can do? Anything? Perhaps a different brand of medicine? Treat the whole tank? Should I just give it time? I am open to suggestions, comments or down right criticisms!

It sounds like you are doing everything right, how long have you been treating with meds? Have you tried adding garlic to the mix to entice him to eat more? Maybe up the dose a bit on his next feed

What vitamins are you soaking his food in?

I was thinking of increasing the dose, wasn't sure if it would hurt him.

Wasn't soaking in vitamins, should I? Will it help? Should I do medicine and vitamin? Any particularly good vitamin/brand you would recommend for this situation?

Idk if this is a "vitamin" but kents garlic extreme seems to be IME like ressurrection in a bottle

You can try the original formula of the tetra product,this one has always had the best results for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Jungle-TB630W-Bud ... site+clear

puffykid wrote:You can try the original formula of the tetra product,this one has always had the best results for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Jungle-TB630W-Bud ... site+clear

LOL, that is what I normally use..but I couldn't find it this time. Well, Wal-Mart might have it?

defool89 wrote:Idk if this is a "vitamin" but kents garlic extreme seems to be IME like ressurrection in a bottle

I will see if I can find that. Willing to try anything...this puffer just ain't "right". I really think he might go down hill

I'm sorry he's not bouncing back the way you'd hoped, PC. Fingers crossed that he shows Improvement soon. If you can't get him over the hump, no one can.

I would use either Zoe FW vits & Vita-Chem FW. ALL my fish get vitamin-soaked foods.

It wouldn't hurt to treat for IPs again--some fish need to be treated up to 3x.

Ok, I'll run out and get some. The little guy is just sitting around today.

If your little guy will eat peas you can rehydrate dried peas in a mix of meds and vitamins to get a good dose of meds into him.

I have found that a crushed snail/snails really seems to soak up the meds. At least I assume they soak it up because they start to break the snail down if you leave it in too long.

Do you have any ramshorn or pond snails?

I got peas and snails, but he doesn't seem to want to eat now, but I'll keep trying.

He was eating so good. Don't know what happened all of a sudden. He even ate the med treated blood worms.

I read in the article in the library that killing too many IPs at once causes stress. Maybe that is what is happening. I did not use any more meds than I have used on green spots of the same size.

Sadly, I guess this is the fate of a lot of puffers...just too stressed during shipping, then they get bullied at the pet store.

I knew he wasn't quite right when I got him, just was hoping he would come around.

I have added a bubbler, and I keep changing the water. Just anything to keep him going. At a minimum, he will die in a nice tank instead of in a shipping bag or a pet store.

Garlic?

Pufferpunk wrote:Garlic?

I got some, I am thawing out some food to soak it in, wish me luck!