The Puffer Forum

Hello all
I've had my dwarf puffers a couple of months now. 3 of them look great with nice round tummies and seem really happy. My 4th puffer doesn't seem to be doing so well. The 4th feeds pretty well but hasn't put weight on and has a pinched looking tummy.
I thought it may have been internal parasites and got some Prazipro after much searching (hurrah for ebay).
I've been reading the posts on the forum and I know that i need to soak their food in the treatment. The thing is what should the dose be? I worked out how much I'd need to put in solution according to the instructions on the back but i don't know if that is concentrated enough when the puffers are getting it in their food. I've been feeding them with treated food for 4 days but my DP doesn't look like he's getting any better? Can anyone advise me if I am treating him right?
Thank you very much in advance
mary

Here's part of the article in the library (if you haven't read it already you might want to):



Praziquantel. Praziquantel, which, in the US, goes by the brand name Droncit, is another alternative.

As with the other medications, the medication is best provided orally — but prolonged immersion, and more concentrated baths, are viable - albeit less efective and more stressful — alternatives.

TPF Mentor Kelly, AKA Puffer Queen, has been using Praziquantel to treat puffers for years….and uses the dosages recommended by Noga in Fish Disease Diagnosis and Treatment. This is the book most public aquariua use as a reference. Noga’s recommendations are as follows:

Orally: 23mg/pound of body weight x one treatment. This of course would require the fish to be eating or would have to be tube fed.

If the fish is not eating: Baths – 38 mg/gallon for 3 hours. Prolonged Immersion – 7.6 to 38 mg/gallon for 24 hours

Obvioulsy a dwarf puffer doesn't weigh a pound, anyone have guesses on how much they do weigh?

I usually go the Met/levamisole route and I've never had any problems with overdosing.

You won't see immediate results, it will take a bit for the one to put weight on again. Did you see them purging any long, stringy looking feces or anything of that sort? Keep in mind, if the one has too much internal damage, he may not make it, but at least you tried.

Be sure you are doing good gravel cleanings right now to clean up any not-quite-dead parasites they may purge so they don't reinfect themselves.

The above advice is great but do you have a hospital/quarantine tank you can place him in and ensure that he is getting the meds orally? As he is weaker than the other fish he may not be able to get thefood in him and therefore be too weak to fight off whatever it is that is wrong. Also by Quarantining him you can check for dodgy poo or any other symptoms.

If you don't have one, what would you guys say to using a floating breeding trap in the main tank to administer the meds orally?

Thanks for the replies. I hadn't spotted the prazipro advice - thanks for that. I'll guesstimate my puffer weight and see if that compares to the dose he's been getting.
I haven't been able to catch him doing a poo so I'm not sure what it looks like.
With respect to a quarantine tank. As far as feeding is concerned he is eating OK. I'd rather keep him with the other fish if possible as the quarantine tank i do have has another fish from another tank in it.

I'm wondering if it is possible that the puffer has a congenital problem and if he will just always be skinny.
Thank you again. If anyone does know the weight of a puffer please let me know!
mary

Sometimes a puffer that recovers from having had parasites will have intestinal damage and stay skinnier it's entire life.

Hello all
Unfortunately my puffer didn't make it. I fished him out of the tank this morning.
The other 3 look great. The prazipro doesn't seem to have done them any harm. Hopefully they'll stay that way..
Thanks for everyone's help.
mary

Aww, sorry to hear that

I'm sorry to hear that Mary.

I would highly recommend feeding them treated food though.. if one fish had parasites, its extremely likely they ALL have them, just the rest of them are healthy enough that you aren't seeing signs of it yet.

Really sorry top hear that

Thanks everyone.
I have treated all the fish with prazipro. I can never catch any of them doing poo so I don't know if they have/ had parasites or not. I'll keep a close eye on them and Prazipro them again if it looks like any of the others might have them.
Fingers crossed that's the end of puffer trauma for a while.
mary