The Puffer Forum

I know you have a rule asking me to post specifics about my setup and water parameters, but I don't think this information is relevant to the question I'm about to ask. However, if you read my question and still want me to post the information I have no problem with that.

I just got three F8 puffers yesterday. They were kept in fresh water, and are in a freshwater tank now (I plan to switch to brackish). As soon as I put them in my tank I noticed that two of them have small white marks on the skin next to their dorsal fins. I've seen a lot of fungus on fish over the years and this doesn't look like it. The marks are not fuzzy and the fish are showing no signs of illness or odd behaviour. They're actively exploring the tank. To me it looks like they've been nipped or damaged by something, possibly the 1.5 hour transit journey to my home. I used plastic containers to move them. One of the affected fish has what looks like a bite out of the dorsal fin, in the same spot as the white patch. These fish were kept in a tank with GSP's.

Are these white patches like scabs on the fish? Will they disappear as the fish heals, or do I need to treat them with something?

Second question: Is the API Freshwater Master Test kit suitable for measuring the parameters you're asking for?

If these are small injuries then the treatment usually suggested is melafix. White spots on newly purchased fish though may also be ich/whitespot? Can you post a picture?

Pics?

I've only been able to get blurry pics because they're so busy, and I have a crap LG cell phone which always takes several seconds to take a pic after the shutter button is pressed. You would probably have laughed watching me run back and forth in front of the tank with a cell phone in my hand.

The good news is that the smaller of the two puffers has lost the white spot on his dorsal fin and looks fine this morning. I did readings last night and noticed the nitrates were high, so I did a 40% water change and changed the filter cartridge. Maybe that helped? I'm going to do another set of readings today to be sure.

I tried to post a couple of days ago but it doesn't seem to have gone through. At first I thought it was due to the post not being approved yet.

I've had no luck taking a clear photo of the white mark. My crappy cell phone camera always focuses on objects in the background so I get a crystal clear pic of plants and rocks with a greenish blur puffer in the foreground. All I can tell you is that the mark is not raised, does not appear fuzzy, and is a very pure white colour. The smaller of the two fish has lost the white patch on his dorsal fin altogether. He has a tiny notch in the fin where the patch used to be. I'm not sure but it looks like the bigger one's mark is a bit smaller. Both fish are still behaving normally, and none of the other fish in the tank have developed white patches.

I've attached a couple of the least blurry pics in case they might help.

It really doesn't look to be much to worry about. Possibly just a scrape? You could add Melafix.

Pufferpunk wrote:It really doesn't look to be much to worry about. Possibly just a scrape? You could add Melafix.

Yes the marks did look to me like some kind of scab. Now my other fish (in the pics) has lost about half of the white patch. I'll get some Melafix anyway, in case it's needed later.