The Puffer Forum

well my dog face puffer died today. He most likely died of an internal parasite or SW ick. I was wondering what my next steps should be about taking care of my tank. Right now I have a yellow tail Damsel and a Huma... Trigger (baby) in there with about 25 pounds of live rock. I don't plan on putting anything else in there for a while but should I be concerned about the parasites or Ick still in the tank? This is my first large SW tank and I don't want to continue a cycle that would be harmful to it's future inhabitants. More quick questions: Does LR hold disease or parasites? Should I do a water change? If the fish in there show know signs of sickness then should I let the Ick cycle go until it eventually dies off if ever? Oh yeah I don't have any QT to use. I just want to know what I should do to get past this sad period in my saltwater hobby. Any and all help would be appreciated.

R.I.P Goodyear

How many gallons is this tank? 25 lbs of LR is enough for about a 15g tank.
How was the tank cycled?
What makes you think it was ich?
Water parameters?

Sorry for your loss.

The "diagnosis" of ich or internal parasites are at "different ends of the spectrum". Both have very different presentation/symptoms. What symptoms was your puffer displaying?

If it was ich - The only way to get rid of ich in the display tank is to remove ALL of the fish and treat them for parasites in a separate tank. The display tank should have no new additions and be fish free (fallow) for a minimum of 6 weeks (8 is best!). Without any fish in the tank, the parasites will die off. Everything wet (rock, algae, inverts, fish, corals, etc) needs to be quarantined or you will continually have problems with diseases.

If it was internal parasites - this usually is not the primary cause of death. Internal parasites (worms) will decrease the fish's immune system and leave the fish vulnerable to secondary infections/infestations.

Again, sorry for your loss.

Puffer Queen wrote:If it was internal parasites - this usually is not the primary cause of death. Internal parasites (worms) will decrease the fish's immune system and leave the fish vulnerable to secondary infections/infestations.

Depends on the worms..

A healthy fish can live years with internal parasites/worms. Cestodes and nematodes can migrate out of the intestine and infest other organs - especially the liver and spleen. On necropsy one will find organs packed with worms but the primary cause of death is usually bacterial or parasites in the gills.

What worms are you referring to - can you share some of your experiences?

Water parameters are fine all zero P.H 8.3. My tank is a fish only with live rock so I don't see why the amount of rock is relevant if I had no rock would it matter? My puffer had white spots all over his body and fins most likely not an internal parasite.The tank I had him in was too small and I was not informed when I bought him about this requirement. I tried to give him the best home possible for the time I had him, and do to the stress he became infected with Ick. I feel bad about not knowing his special requirements,but the amount of knowledge I learned in return makes the loss a bit easier to bear. I am not telling you the tank size because all you will say is that it was to small yes I know. SO lets move on. No I do not have pictures (no digital camera should be getting one soon). And like I said in my first post I do not have any quaratine tanks ( do not have the room/resources to get any). All I want to know is should I do a major water change and should I add any special additives in the process. Sorry about the tone I just want to move on from this episode,and all I seem to be getting in return are more questions.


R.I.P Goodyear

It is best to let the tank remain fallow (empty) for a month, so the parasite can die off w/o a host. Then do a major water change & start over with smaller fish.

I asked about the LR, because that is your main source of filtration, other than a good skimmer. Generally it's recommended to keep 1 1/2-2lbs LR/gallon. It is only partially the fault of whoever mis-informed you about the issues you won't speak of. It's your rresponsibility to do reasearh on your own.