The Puffer Forum

Hi Folks,

Is it possible for a GSP (or any other puffer for that matter) to suffer from HLLE? My GSP has developed some small, golden spots between his eyes, over his snout and extend along his centre line to behind his eyes. (Granted that's not the greatest description - so if anyone's familiar withe medial terminology he has spots from his snout that extend medio-caudally just further than his eyes.)

His appetite has not been affected, neither has his activity levels and his tummy is as white as ever. Also, he is not flicking or scratching against anything either.

His water parms are:
SG: 1.0012
NH3 0
NO2 0
NO3 <15

I have already dosed him with Melafix (as i do not have any pima to hand - you may remember when i posted about my F8 who passed on, that my LFS only stocked out of date pima at the time!!) as a precautionary measure.

Any ideas?

TIA

Neil

Sounds like velvet disease to me, that has gold spots to my thinking

Can you get a picture? Does it look like individual distinct spots or more like he's been dusted with something?

ok got a pic - what's the easiest way of getting it in here? NB i do not have any webspace to upload it to. can i not just "attach" it here?

Go to the gallery section at the top and set up your own album then upload it from your ahrd drive or email it to me at

smorse@greensward.essex.sch.uk

and I'll whack it up for you

its hard to tell but it could just be scrapes from trying to hunt something out and he's rubbed his face on something abrasive. See what the others say though

sorted! was just in a rush and couldn't be arsed to "learn" anything new - user gallery - what a great idea and dead simple - even an IT manager can use it!! <--me ;o)

i did think velvet first of all but all the pictures i've seen do not relate to the head and these look more like little pin-pricks? the picture is not the best quality - but hey, he's an active bugger!!

yep good call - knew i'd seen it somewhere before - it looks like the scratches i see around his beak when he's been cockle-ing. i never open it up fully so he has to bite the shell to keep his teeth trim. i just wonder how he got them there!!

any further opinions?

Doesn't look like ich or velvet, looks like abrasions. If so, I would use Melafix and Pimafix to prevent infection.

thanks for the advice team!

like i say he's already melafix-ing so i'll get some pima tomorrow.

thanks again!

I agree, looks like he stuck his head somewhere he shouldn't of, or maybe irritated his spines.

Let us know how he looks in a few days of Melafix and of course keep his water as clean as possible.

Well folks, I'm glad to say that those "spots" he had, were exactly as you described, they're healing up well and although there's a little scaring, it's to be expected in the early phase of recovery. glad it wasn't anything more serious.

Thanks again for all your help


Neil

Very good news!

Glad to hear it, the marks should clear up completely given time