The Puffer Forum

HI All,

I have 2 new dwarf puffers currently in a quarantine tank for about 3 weeks - i've treaked for Internal parasites as a precaution.

Water Paramaters
Temp:77-80F
Nitrites:0
Nitrates: 40ppm straight out of tap, so using a nitrate removal filter to
bring this down to 0 before adding to my tank(not RO, just a nitrate
remover)
Ammonia: 0.001(from seneye, verified as "0" with an API test kit)

Both fish seem to have grown signficantly and I thought all was well. But I've started to notice a strange behaviour in one of the DPs - a sort of flicking/shaking motion that lasts for about 5-10 seconds and then stops.

I've inspected both fish very carefully and can't see anything untoward.

Any ideas what this could be? I'm very reluctant to move the two fish untill I know that they arent harbouring anything that could infect my Dwarf puffer in my main tank.

Thanks in advance.

If it is flicking towards decor/substrate then ich is a possibility. Ich is primarily a gill parasite that only affects the skin once the gills are full so early diagnosis is difficult. Keep them in quarantine until you know for sure.

Thanks for the reply - is it worth treating as a precaution? and if so, whats the safest method?

Many Thanks

You have them in quarantine which is a good move, I would just keep an extra close eye on them for now as it could be nothing and ich treatment is stressful for fish. Is this behaviour happening a lot or was it a one off?

Its been happening on and off for the last couple of weeks. I notice it at least several times a day.

How long would you recommend I keep them in quarantine for?

Thanks.

Keep them in there as long as it takes. If it stops and you are happy you can move them on. All the time it continues don't risk it

one of them isnt exhibiting any symptoms but its being chased quite aggressively by the one that is. Is it a risk moving the one that isnt showing any symptoms?