The Puffer Forum

Hi,

I have a figure of 8 puffer and have noticed that his stomach is slightly concave the following day after feeding. I observed this about two weeks ago and having researched on this forum, suspect that he might be suffering with internal parasites.

ph 8.2
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrates 20ppm
Salinity 1.008
Temperature 78 Degrees

Tank Size 15 gallons no other inhabitants.

Feed once every day with a variety of food, snails, bloodworms, Mysis shrimp, krill, river shrimp and king prawn. And fast one day of the week.

50% water changes once a week, taking out all ornaments, vacuuming gravel and cleaning out external filter. Last water change carried out yesterday. My tap water has a Nitrate level of 10ppm and I use Prime to condition the water.

No products added to tank.

No changes made to the tank itself, although I have been doing a lot of DIY close buy which has involved a lot of banging, drilling and sanding......not sure if this could have stressed him out?

The aquarium has been set up for the last 10 months and it was fishless cycled.

I have had my Puffer since a juvenile measuring one inch and he is now roughly 2 inches in length. He is still very active, to the point of being hyper and still eating well and constantly looking for food. I have not noticed any change in behaviour, just the slightly concave stomach the day after feeding.

I have carried out plenty of research, read the excellent article on treating IP in the Puffer Library and read many threads in the forum. The problem I am having is that all of the medications mentioned in the article and threads I am struggling to find in the UK. PraziPro which is highly recommended can't be bought in the UK.

The only UK products that I can buy with Praziquantel are "Vertarak Professional Fluke solve" and "Kusuri Fluke P" but I have no idea if these are suitable and can be administered internally, they are meant to be added to the tank as a "bath".

I have spoken to my LFS, but they have been unhelpful.

I have spoken to a vet who deals with fish, but they will not prescribe medication unless they see my puffer.

My only other option is to make my own medication using pumpkin seeds as described in the IP article in the puffer library, but it was suggested that this be used more as a preventative measure.

So I am desperate for some help. If you agree that my puffer could have internal parasites I would be most grateful if someone could recommend a medication that I can purchase in the UK to treat him.

Many thanks in advance for your assistance, help and advise.

Unfortunately i can't help with what IP medication to buy but why not buy one of the fluke products that you mentioned and follow the instructions on the bottle? It's worth a shot.

In the past when i have noticed my puffer's tummy getting thinner faster than usual i have just fed him a little bit extra and a little bit more often and it has always put him back to normal.

Can you get Sera tremazol in the UK? It contains praziquantel, same as in Prazipro.

Many thanks for your responses.

My reluctance about the medications I can buy in the UK are based on the fact that they are meant to be administered by "bathing" and I recall reading a thread that suggested that to treat IP they need to be administered orally?

I can purchase Sera Tremazol from the internet in the UK. Can this be administered orally in the same way PraziPro can by soaking food in it? The instructions suggest that again it is meant to be used for bathing?

Your comments and advise is much appreciated.

You can get prazipro off amazon but it will set you back around £50.

szentia wrote:Many thanks for your responses.

My reluctance about the medications I can buy in the UK are based on the fact that they are meant to be administered by "bathing" and I recall reading a thread that suggested that to treat IP they need to be administered orally?

I can purchase Sera Tremazol from the internet in the UK. Can this be administered orally in the same way PraziPro can by soaking food in it? The instructions suggest that again it is meant to be used for bathing?

Your comments and advise is much appreciated.

Yes, just soak his favorite foods in the med. You may need to add garlic to enhance flavor.

After having contacted a number of retailers in the USA, I have now ordered some PraziPro from Ebay. Hopefully it will arrive OK and not be confiscated at customs. Out of interest, Is there much of a difference between the two, Is one better than the other or do they all pretty much do the same thing? Prazi Pro could take as much as a month to reach me so having Sera Tremazoi as a back-up is really useful.

Is it recommended to carry out regular precautionary treatment for internal parasites or only when your puffer is showing signs of infestation? My puffer is kept on his own and the only live food I feed are snails that I breed myself in a snail only tank, so once he has been treated for internal parasites I struggle to see how he could catch any?

Many thanks for all of your responses.

Is he showing symptoms?

Hi Pufferpunk,

After feeding my puffer so that he has a nicely rounded belly, the same time the next day he has a very slightly concave belly. Nothing as bad as you see in some LFS but enough for me to be concerned, perhaps I am being paranoid! So I just wanted to treat him for peace of mind, I was never sure if the LFS I bought him from had ever treated him. I have never seen him poop, so can't comment if it is stringy or not. When I carry out a weekly water change the poop that I vacuum up seems to be solid and pellet like in shape. Do you think my diagnosis is correct or do you think I am worrying unnecessarily? Could it be something else? Otherwise he seems perfectly happy, super active constantly hunting for food and swimming around his tank, he is never stationary when I am around. Recently he has started what sound like grinding his beak and opening his mouth as though he is after food.

Many thanks for your help.