Marine Fin Rot - Orbiculate Puffer

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Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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waterpuppy
Puffer Fry
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 08, 2022 9:28 pm
Location (country): United States

Marine Fin Rot - Orbiculate Puffer

Post by waterpuppy »

1) pH: 7.8-8.0, Ammonia: <.02, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 5, salinity 1.024

2) Tank size: 15 gal quarantine, list of ALL inhabitants: orbiculate puffer

3) Feeding: attempted snails, ghost shrimp and clams. Have only seen her eat maybe 2 snails, water change schedule: tank has only been up since this weekend, used cycled water from another tank and did 33% change yesterday, list of all products you are using or have added to the tank: Prime, Melafix and Paragard initially, Erythromycin starting yesterday

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so: New set up

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? This weekend, was established tank water from another healthy tank.

Issue: I brought home an orbiculate puffer who in the store was eating krill. She did not look at all sunken or like she wasn't eating. She was VERY shy though and wouldn't swim around AT ALL in her store tank, so much so I thought she was dead. I monitored for a month before bringing her home. Once home she began swimming around and being more active. Then two days or so ago she started having extremely quick progressing fin rot as well as a whiteish clouding of her eyes with one line like spot on one eye that looked like maybe she scraped it. Over those two days her fins have become completely gone halfway down to the base. It's all of her fins. I tried Melafix as soon as I noticed it and when that didn't slow it got Erythromycin on board last night. No new progression as of today, but I haven't seen her eat anything substantive and I can't deworm her simultaneously as it says not to mix the meds so I'm not sure what to do. Also, I read I need to use Minocycline instead of or in conjunction with the Erythromycin (one treats gram neg, the other gram pos) so I have that on order but won't be in until Friday and can't find in local fish stores. It seems the rapid degeneration of her fins has slowed/stopped but I just feel like so much went wrong in such a short period and I'm at a loss of what to address first or how to make sure this doesn't get worse than it already is.

Photo: Her just now. Image
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Pufferpunk
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Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
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Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
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Re: Marine Fin Rot - Orbiculate Puffer

Post by Pufferpunk »

Hi, I'm not sure your tank is cycled. Water has very little if no nitrifying bacteria in it.
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... blue-baths
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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waterpuppy
Puffer Fry
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 08, 2022 9:28 pm
Location (country): United States

Re: Marine Fin Rot - Orbiculate Puffer

Post by waterpuppy »

Thank you for the link. Do you suggest the bath in addition to the antibiotics or in lieu of? I am hesitant to leave her in the bath for an entire hour twice a day as it seems like it would be very stressful back and forth, especially trying to keep a puffer out of the air. Any recommendations for how to keep her under water for that?
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User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32636
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:
Contact Pufferpunk

Re: Marine Fin Rot - Orbiculate Puffer

Post by Pufferpunk »

Find something like a cup or pitcher to scoop her out with. Meth Blue IS an antibiotic & it does work if used exactly as posted..
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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