MBU Puffer Mouth Fungus?? urgent!!
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:25 pm
About a month ago my MBU puffer had a bit of an accident. Something spooked her (probably a plant); she swam across the tank at lightning speed directly into the glass (face first). During this display of stupidity I believe she bruised her mouth.
A few days after the incident she began refusing food. She would try to bite down on her food and then give up. I believed her mouth was in pain. I switched to offering her softer foods in her diet (thawed shrimp, thawed clam meet, etc). At first she would attempt eating but then get discouraged when she couldn't take a bite. I took the carbon out of the filter and started medicating the tank with Melafix. I then went and purchased some krill and blood worms for her to eat. This showed to be successful for about a week. She then started refusing the small food. I figured the best way to offer her food would be to get her some ramshorn snails so that she could eat when she pleased. The first hundred snails I got her, she ate. The next batch of snails she hasn't touched.
I came home one day from work, and was looking at her mouth and noticed something foreign. I eventually got her to open her mouth and it looked like pink cotton candy covering the whole inside of her mouth. I immediately went to the LFS and got her some E.M. Erythromycin and Triple Sulfa. I went through two full treatments with no success. Please note that before this time, there were no signs of anything foreign in her mouth. Also, she does not have lockjaw because she can still fully stretch her mouth wide open. I have tried taking pictures of her mouth, but she continuously moves around.
I then did some more research and found that people with puffer problems were treating their tanks with a Melafix and Pimafix combo. I have been treating the tank now for 4 days with this combo; it looks like the pink stuff has gone down somewhat but it's still there. She still won't eat, but is still active. What should my next step be? Should I consider force feeding her? I am worried that she is getting weaker and will not regain her appetite.
Tank size: 120 gal.
Temperature: between 81 and 82
GH: 160
KH: 120
PH: 7.5
NO2: 0
NO3: 0.5
Other notes: I clean the tank once a week (between 25 and 50% water change); tank mates include 4 large tetra, 1 six inch frontosa, 4 three inch clown loaches, 3 five inch red tailed sharks, 1 watermelon pleco. All tank mates are healthy, active and eating well.
Thank you.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/seyascg906vyc ... .45.08.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aevuk7ykqntzq ... .50.10.jpg
A few days after the incident she began refusing food. She would try to bite down on her food and then give up. I believed her mouth was in pain. I switched to offering her softer foods in her diet (thawed shrimp, thawed clam meet, etc). At first she would attempt eating but then get discouraged when she couldn't take a bite. I took the carbon out of the filter and started medicating the tank with Melafix. I then went and purchased some krill and blood worms for her to eat. This showed to be successful for about a week. She then started refusing the small food. I figured the best way to offer her food would be to get her some ramshorn snails so that she could eat when she pleased. The first hundred snails I got her, she ate. The next batch of snails she hasn't touched.
I came home one day from work, and was looking at her mouth and noticed something foreign. I eventually got her to open her mouth and it looked like pink cotton candy covering the whole inside of her mouth. I immediately went to the LFS and got her some E.M. Erythromycin and Triple Sulfa. I went through two full treatments with no success. Please note that before this time, there were no signs of anything foreign in her mouth. Also, she does not have lockjaw because she can still fully stretch her mouth wide open. I have tried taking pictures of her mouth, but she continuously moves around.
I then did some more research and found that people with puffer problems were treating their tanks with a Melafix and Pimafix combo. I have been treating the tank now for 4 days with this combo; it looks like the pink stuff has gone down somewhat but it's still there. She still won't eat, but is still active. What should my next step be? Should I consider force feeding her? I am worried that she is getting weaker and will not regain her appetite.
Tank size: 120 gal.
Temperature: between 81 and 82
GH: 160
KH: 120
PH: 7.5
NO2: 0
NO3: 0.5
Other notes: I clean the tank once a week (between 25 and 50% water change); tank mates include 4 large tetra, 1 six inch frontosa, 4 three inch clown loaches, 3 five inch red tailed sharks, 1 watermelon pleco. All tank mates are healthy, active and eating well.
Thank you.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/seyascg906vyc ... .45.08.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aevuk7ykqntzq ... .50.10.jpg
