The Puffer Forum

I have a 24 gallon tank with two puffers and a black molly. The SG right now is around 1.002 on its way to 1.005. I just bought my two figure 8's and the molly about two weeks ago. I monitored them for IP since day one but did not notice any white stringy poo. I think one time I did in one of them but I figured it could just be that I had been feeding them a shrimp every day so it could just be the shrimp meet not fully digested. Well today I noticed it again, while eating (the time when they usually poop) one of them pooped out white stringy "chain of beads" like stuff. It looked like little white balls strung together with white string. It was followed by a normal black poop. Is this a definite ID for IP. My plan is as I have read elsewhere on the Puffer Forum, soak their food (either a cooked clam on the half shell or a shrimp) in Jungle Tabs Internal Parasite medication (I am going to put a half tab in just a tiny bit of water) and let soak over night. I will do this for 7 days, then fast 2, then another 7 days and hopefully everything will be good. The only thing I am worried about is the molly. I feed him micro-pellet food which he loves and every once and a while nothing, just letting him eat the algae or leftover from the two puffers. What should I do to treat him? Do I have to treat him?

Yes, the molly needs to be treatd as well. Gel-Tek works better IME for soaking pellet or dried foods, but if you just feed it the shrimp, it should be fine. The puffer food should not be cooked though, they should be fed raw seafood.

Do I have to do anything to disinfect the tank?

Nope.

I agree with BM, souns like IPs.

You can try soaking blackworms in the Geltek too.

The stuff has the warning that it is know to the State of California to cause cancer. Do anyone know how dangerous the stuff actually is. I am taking all precautions as to not get it on my skin but if I did, how bad is it?

I mean, cigerettes are known to cause cancer but I wouldn't go as far as wearing gloves and a ventillator to handle them...

Its not dangerous to you unless you ingest it. So don't eat it.

Boxermom wrote:Its not dangerous to you unless you ingest it. So don't eat it.

Uh-oh...Really?! I'm in trou...Er I mean I've NEVER tried eating Geltek.




J/K

If it can cause cancer in humans, wonder what the long term effects on the fish are? The rules arde so strict in the UK, stuff like that isnt allowed to be used...

Saccharine can cause cancer, but you'd have to eat several pounds of it a day for several decades for any substantial risk. Still, we require warnings on foods that contain it.

oh, ok

Yes, I admit there is a possibility that the chemicals in it can be relatively benign in the concentrations present in the product. However, there is a chance that it can be very dangerous in the concentrations present. That is the problem with the policy of labeling every product that contains even the smallest trace of cancer causing substance as "This product is known to cause cancer." It causes people to follow the moto "Hey sugar says it causes cancer and I eat it every day, then it should be equally safe to expose myself to this chemical which also says it can cause cancer." It is bad practice to think, hey if someone puts a product on the market, then it must be safe to expose myself to it. I would really be interested in knowing what amount of the carcinogenic material is present in the product.