Emaciated Golden Puffee

[Feet4Fish]

Please help. I have him through two rounds of General cure and no help. He refuses all types of food even live clams, crayfish and shrimp. I have had him for two years and so afraid I will loose him. There is pic below of him two months ago.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

@lion king
@Jay Hemdal
@vetteguy53081

 

[vetteguy53081]

Fish seems to have gotten caght in some crevice or infected causing this gross deformity. Also getting thin.
Whe a puffer fish puffs up, it takes in water to raise the size. It makes the puffer organs move to the side, inside the body, and the organs flatten. Unfortunately to say, in some cases, the puffer fish dies from this pressure. It is generally followed by rejection of food.
The Abnormality on the fish’s body suggests that is has some type of internal infection. In lieu of General cure, you can try kanaplex and focus (both by seachem ) combination and/or Prazi.
If using Prazi, dose at 80% of recommended and increase oxygen with airstone

 

[Feet4Fish]

Fish seems to have gotten caght in some crevice or infected causing this gross deformity. Also getting thin.
Whe a puffer fish puffs up, it takes in water to raise the size. It makes the puffer organs move to the side, inside the body, and the organs flatten. Unfortunately to say, in some cases, the puffer fish dies from this pressure. It is generally followed by rejection of food.
The Abnormality on the fish’s body suggests that is has some type of internal infection. In lieu of General cure, you can try kanaplex and focus (both by seachem ) combination and/or Prazi.
If using Prazi, dose at 80% of recommended and increase oxygen with airstone

Can I do the kanaplex and prazi as a 30 minute bath.

 

[lion king]

He may have some sort of blockage, could be substate or a chunk of rock, shell, etc. Boosting up the mg sometimea helps any digestive issue including a blockage, by helping things along. I would boost my mg up to 1600ppm. There could be other reasons for him to go off feeding that is internal and hard to diagnose, some which would have no remedy.

Using meds without clear purpose will only make things worse, unless parasites could have been introduced lately, pp will not help; and indiscriminately using antibiotics is not a good idea. Puffers can get intetnal organ damage from meds like copper and antibiotics, that's one of the things that occur later, which is indicative of initially going off of feefing.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can I do the kanaplex and prazi as a 30 minute bath.

Prazi yes- not kanaplex which is best for a QT system.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Please help. I have him through two rounds of General cure and no help. He refuses all types of food even live clams, crayfish and shrimp. I have had him for two years and so afraid I will loose him. There is pic below of him two months ago.

Did it go off feed suddenly or gradually over time?
Jay

 

[Feet4Fish]

Did it go off feed suddenly or gradually over time?
Jay

Gradually over time. Got him in a treatment tank now and dosed with what I have in hand. Kanaplex and so Epsom salt in case of a blockage. I do have some fenbenazole on the way. Upon further research I am afraid I might have discovered the problem and regrettably it isn’t reversible. That tank ran copper in it for about 2.5 months. I read how this can cause irreversible organ damage to puffers.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Gradually over time. Got him in a treatment tank now and dosed with what I have in hand. Kanaplex and so Epsom salt in case of a blockage. I do have some fenbenazole on the way. Upon further research I am afraid I might have discovered the problem and regrettably it isn’t reversible. That tank ran copper in it for about 2.5 months. I read how this can cause irreversible organ damage to puffers.

Copper, yes and Epsom salt, rendered useless as fish in saltwater already (that is a freshwater remedy)
I believe in Miracles- Hopefully he surprises you

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Gradually over time. Got him in a treatment tank now and dosed with what I have in hand. Kanaplex and so Epsom salt in case of a blockage. I do have some fenbenazole on the way. Upon further research I am afraid I might have discovered the problem and regrettably it isn’t reversible. That tank ran copper in it for about 2.5 months. I read how this can cause irreversible organ damage to puffers.

What copper did you use? Coppersafe and copper power are safe for puffers. 2.5 months is pushing it, but I’ve gone as long as four months with porcupine puffers.
My thought is that it isn’t a blockage since it came on gradually -blockages would be sudden, acute.
These puffers are prone to mycobacterium - fish tuberculosis. The symptoms Mach up. There is no treatment for this, sorry. One last ditch possibility, I couldn’t see in its mouth, could it’s teeth be overgrown? That will case similar symptoms.
Jay

 

[Feet4Fish]

Copper, yes and Epsom salt, rendered useless as fish in saltwater already (that is a freshwater remedy)
I believe in Miracles- Hopefully he surprises you

Thanks Tony

 

[lion king]

Gradually over time. Got him in a treatment tank now and dosed with what I have in hand. Kanaplex and so Epsom salt in case of a blockage. I do have some fenbenazole on the way. Upon further research I am afraid I might have discovered the problem and regrettably it isn’t reversible. That tank ran copper in it for about 2.5 months. I read how this can cause irreversible organ damage to puffers.

I've seen this show before, a year or 2 max after exposure to copper. Copper causes liver damage, some species more so than others. For future info, the active ingredient in epsom salt is mg, keeping your tank at reef level mg usually addresses many digestive issues. And boosting up to 1600ppm whan there in a problem is safe, I keep my predator tanks at 1400pm. Epsom salt has other ingredients that are unnecessary and even questionable. Epsom salt is also a fertilizer, when people use it their display, under the right conditions, they get an increase in algae.

 

[Feet4Fish]

What copper did you use? Coppersafe and copper power are safe for puffers. 2.5 months is pushing it, but I’ve gone as long as four months with porcupine puffers.
My thought is that it isn’t a blockage since it came on gradually -blockages would be sudden, acute.
These puffers are prone to mycobacterium - fish tuberculosis. The symptoms Mach up. There is no treatment for this, sorry. One last ditch possibility, I couldn’t see in its mouth, could it’s teeth be overgrown? That will case similar symptoms.
Jay

Copper power. What is the potential source of mycobacterium? I personally feel like I lost a few long time fish a few months back due to some bad shrimp. Due to the size of the system I diy my own food. A while back ago I picked up some fresh shrimp ( in Indiana so fresh is relative). Historically I have always used frozen seafood. Subsequent to that (a coupon months later) I lost my queen angel of three years and my broomtail wrasse .

 

[Feet4Fish]

I've seen this show before, a year or 2 max after exposure to copper. Copper causes liver damage, some species more so than others. For future info, the active ingredient in epsom salt is mg, keeping your tank at reef level mg usually addresses many digestive issues. And boosting up to 1600ppm whan there in a problem is safe, I keep my predator tanks at 1400pm. Epsom salt has other ingredients that are unnecessary and even questionable. Epsom salt is also a fertilizer, when people use it their display, under the right conditions, they get an increase in algae.

Can I ask you what’s you acclimation/quarantine practice is. I don’t prophylactically blast my new arrivals with anything. To me, it is a cool ditinjng tank where they can rest, build up their immunity and reacquire and aggressive feeding response. Over the last year I have started feeding once daily a food doped with general cure as internal parasites seem very common. If they show an external parasite I will treat.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Copper power. What is the potential source of mycobacterium? I personally feel like I lost a few long time fish a few months back due to some bad shrimp. Due to the size of the system I diy my own food. A while back ago I picked up some fresh shrimp ( in Indiana so fresh is relative). Historically I have always used frozen seafood. Subsequent to that (a coupon months later) I lost my queen angel of three years and my broomtail wrasse .

Myco is found in the environment, including in seafoods. It is found in most aquariums. Certain fish develop infections from it, usually long term captives.
Jay

 

[Lyss]

I thought its beak looked potentially overgrown in that one pic, too…