The Puffer Forum

I have had chubbs ( my green spotted puffer) for close to 2 years now. For the past 3 months he has gotten so skinny. I feed him everyday. At first I thought his beak was overgrown. I trimmed his teeth about 2 months ago. I used clove oil and cuticle nippers. I thought it would help him get back to normal again. But he looks at if he got worst. I have him in a 40g tank. He is about 2 inches long, which bothers me, shouldn't he be bigger by now? He hasn't grown much since I got him. So I thought he has internal parasites. I went to my lfs. I treated the tank with prazipro, and put in Vita Chem 2 days ago. I have just started feeding him some frozen food that has been soaked in vita chem and garlic guard. I really love him.I always done 45% water changes every week. I have marineland canister filter c-220 and I have a Penguin 150 Bio-Wheel by marineland. my parameters are pH 8.0 Ammonia 0.0 Nitrite 0.0 Nitrate 10ppm. There are no other fish. I really want to save him. Any suggestions on what else can I do? should I treat the every 3 to 5 days with prazipo like it says on the bottle? I took out the active carbon. How long should I treat him. how often should I do water changes and what percentage? should I soak his food in the parzipo took. if so would you dilute it?

You MUST soak his foods in the med to treat internal parasites:
library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/

Thank you so much! When I soak his food in prazipro do I have to dilute? Should I feed him the prazipro in food every day?

Read my thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34449

While I lost my Puffy, there is lots of good info about how to feed and treat for IP. I even force fed mine because he wouldn't eat. Good luck!

Thanks, I worry he is so unhealthy he looks really skinny, like you can see his spine a little, but he still stuffs him self when he eats the medicated food. i don't even know where it all goes. I'm sorry about your lost of your puffer. I hope mine improves. He always swims up to the glass and begs
for food when I come in the room, so thats normal. His belly is always white. I have no idea how is still looks to happy when he is so unhealthy.

The above links are great resources for treating IPs. I personally believe they have saved my GSP. In your initial post you give a run down of your tank but you do not mention salinity. Is your GSP in freshwater?

they are helpful, I read them before. My puffer was really being weird today. He was rubbing his body against some of the decorations. Is he itchy? from the prazipro? or you think he would have skin flukes?

It's probably just one of those things, you are treating his food not the tank?

I am treating both. The tank and his food. I have another question. My gsp looks so anorexic but has a lump on the left side toward the tail a little past the anal fin, is that where the parasites are?

How's he doing today?
I've not heard of a "lump" like that. It's so frustrating when you don't know what is wrong. Mine randomly started darting or rubbing too. I immediately thought flukes but now I'm convinced that it was just strange behavior because of the IP's that he had. As long as he's eating you still have a chance. I would only feed him medicated food that you have soaked for several hours or even overnight just to be sure he's getting it.

He is doing the same, still just swims round slow, still eats, still looks so skinny. I feed him a ton of treated food. I ordered levamisole hydrochloride powder, Because I don't think the prazipro is working on whatever he has. I think he has some kind of round worm.

What's the SG of that tank?

My SG is 1.019 and its too late now. Chubbs passed away a few hours ago. I he was a little fighter. He tried tilL the end..... I still thought it was odd his belly never got dark, or black

So sorry you lost him, you did what you could