The Puffer Forum

Now that I confirmed my tank is cycling correctly (had a nitrifying bacteria die-off) and am pretty convinced the last GSP had IPs, I got some PraziPro and found a new, bright green and healthy looking puffer at a normally crappy LFS (just to browse fish)...one that keeps multiple GSPs in a tank...5-6 of the GSPs looked dark with crappy fins, but this one appeared to be new, bright, no fin issues. I wasn't going to get one, but I had to save him from becoming a dark, fin-nipped version in that tank.

The move was quite stressful on him - his belly turned black before being added to the new tank - but he rebounded, got social, greeted me, got excited over the metal spoon coming his way (carrying his food). Didn't look like he had IPs. But now late yesterday, he became sluggish, periodically turned his belly black and then white again...and hes begun to fear my presence a bit...hanging in the back of decorations, not greeting, not excited over the spoon. His belly looks a tad lumpy....arg. This consistent IP thing irritates me.

Checked water levels, and they are near perfect. So it's not that. Zero everything except nitrates, which are at about 5 ppm. pH is 7.6.

I did a 50% water change with a 2x dose of Prime to make SURE chlorine isn't doing anything. Then I put 5-6 drops of prazipro on about 8-10 bloodworms yesterday, soaked for about 5 minutes, then soaked in garlic juice for 5 minutes. Dropped it into the tank (36g)...he ate some of it, not all...I had to net some of it out of there. He also ate a small snail I gave him, though not as ferociously as previous.

I'll keep you posted. I'm following every suggestion I've been seeing on this - water change that I'll do daily, orally feeding him food soaked in prazipro, have increased the aeration in the tank. He's the only one in the tank. In the meantime if you have any additional insights, that'd be great. I do not want to lose another GSP. I'm doing everything in my power.

I'm about to say something that only Puffer owners would say....

WOOOHOO! Stringy, white GSP poop today! LOL!

Still a blackish belly...and being ultra timid...

Lol. That is a fairly normally thing for me I'm assuming from the crayfish I do feed him but he has too much hunting them for me to stop. Prazi is always on deck.

Yeah, I dunno. He's been sitting near the bottom for 3 days now...black belly, timid, anti-social. He comes out once in awhile, but not for long. Mostly, he's just sitting at the bottom. I can't really get him to eat much of the medicated food...I've been trying to find the right prazipro-to-garlic ratio he'll accept...but now he's not coming out for the food at all. Just hanging in the back on the ground. No labored breathing, but he's not happy.

Not sure what to do. Been doing 40% WC's every 2-3 days since I got him. Levels are consistently 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, < 5 ppm nitrate, pH 7.6 - 7.8.

I'm considering supplementing with a PraziPro bath...one spot (Reef Central) I read said these fish actually do have a small bit of water enter their digestive system. But this may not work at all via bath.

IME baths do not work oral ingestion is the only effective way to treat. Mine will often spit out food once he's identified the Prazi. But the first dose is usually enough for him to purge some others may be able to add some more insight.

Welch4 wrote:IME baths do not work oral ingestion is the only effective way to treat. Mine will often spit out food once he's identified the Prazi. But the first dose is usually enough for him to purge some others may be able to add some more insight.

Yeah, I've gotten to the point where I'm trying a 1 drop PraziPro on thawing bloodworm, dousing it with garlic and VitaChem. Still not interested in it...at least initially. I'm hoping he's eventually eating them, though I end up pulling many back out with a net. He comes out every once in awhile, but still has a grey, lumpy belly. He hangs mostly in the back, on the substrate, or inside of a decoration. He's not breathing heavy - yet.

Even though a prazipro bath likely won't work, I'm trying it anyways...maybe a tiny bit will absorb in to a bloodworm he eats. I may try dipping a snail in prazipro and immediately feeding it to him...but I need to get him in a smaller location so he sees it.

Short of catheter force-feeding, which I don't feel ok doing, I fear the worst. It's been quite a few days in a row now. He's not rebounding. Not getting worse, but not rebounding either.

I know that PraziPro is supposed to kill invertebrates...has anyone has any luck with gut-loading live brine shrimp or ghost shrimp w/ PraziPro? Unsure how to do that...saw a post on reef central where a guy basically put this in the brine shrimp water for about an hour, drained the water, and added the brine shrimp tot he tank for feeding. To some success.

Any other suggestions?

How about injecting the meds into an earthworm?

Pufferpunk wrote:How about injecting the meds into an earthworm?

That's an option I'll try if I can't get him to respond to things he needs to chase. The LFS suggested using a gut-loaded feeder guppy by soaking it's flake food in it then putting it in the tank...I'm going to try both live brine shrimp and live ghost shrimp that have prazi-soaked food and have been submerged for an hour then set free in the tank. Both the guppy and ghost shrimp I'd anticipate are too fast to catch in his condition...but think the PraziPro dose slows down or even kills a ghost shrimp...so that is catch-able. Then the brine shrimp should dive-bomb to the bottom and then die due to the salt difference.

They also suggested trying Metro...which I didn't take them up on. I hadn't heard it mentioned here.

I just hope he's alive when I get home. He should be...he doesn't appear to be getting worse, but isn't rebounding either. One thing different than the last IP situation is that while he is skinny with a lumpy, grey belly, he doesn't at all have the voracious appetite the last one did.

Metro/Prazi both work well. Like the guppy idea too but the puffer may have to work too hard to catch it. Better is a gut-loaded ghost shrimp.

To early to tell, but he definitely gobbled up one of the shrimp, and a bunch of prazipro soaked and gut-loaded brine shrimp. He had a ball chasing them all, came out for the first time in days. He came out this AM too, greeted me, wanted more food, was white-bellied. I think...errr...hope we're on the right path. He ate until he was full.

There is still another ghost shrimp in there for him to chase.

*crosses fingers it's all working*

Yippee!!!

I experience the oddest thing with my new gsp. He seems to be skinny before feeding...and so I give him krill...but he gets immediately fatter BEFORE ingesting it. A semi puff? So odd. Me, my bro, and wife all just watched it happen.

2 days ago, it appears the IP's took hold again...must have still had it. He's the only fish in it. No warning, just won't eat anything now. And I look for the signs. Emaciated. Grey belly. Perfect water conditions...I do 8gal changes on Wednesday, 12 gallons on saturdays for a 36 gallon bow front. No new decor, chemicals, etc. I gave a bath on Prazipro yesterday...knowing it's not real effective...but he won't eat dead food or live. Hoping enough gets in his system so that he comes out.

Not looking good yall. If I see him out of his cave, I'll give an eyedropper feeding a try after work. But hes been hiding in cave decor for the last 18-24 hours. I havent gone as far as trying to pull him out...but I can't see him. When I remove the cave, he stresses....trying to keep him low stress. Otherwise, blah. Really don't want to have to put him down. But heading to the store today to hunt down clove oil in case. :-/