Help with Puffer

[Drizzy1515]

So I am new here hopefully I am posting in the right category.. I am also pretty new to the hobby. I started saltwater tanks about 9 or 10 months ago and now have 3. I really really need help as I just 5 days ago bought a striped dog face puffer and noticed today he has ICH!! I am really stressing out as I have no quartine tank ( will be looking into one now) and I don't want him to die nor get the others infected. ANY advice or tips will be greatly appreciated, I bought so ich treatment today as my lfs advised not to use copper as puffers are scale less and it can be harsh on them, also got garlic for thier food.. I will be running uv as well but is there anything at all I can do further to get rid of this problem??? sorry for the long post

 

[Jekyl]

First of all welcome to R2R! Here are a few things that can help you out. First, it to ensure correct diagnosis. The rest are to help your situation. As far as copper your LFS was partially correct. Use of chelated copper would be better like coppersafe or copper power. These would both require a quarantine tank for ALL fish as well as a fallow period in display.

Some Helpful Hints When Posting or Responding to Threads in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Section

Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...

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Hyposalinity

Hyposalinity Jay Hemdal 2024 This term refers to a long-term bath treatment for marine fishes in which the salt content of the water is lowered and held below the point that certain parasites can survive. The salt level reached, and the time of the treatment are the two variables...

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Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

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45 Day Fallow periods

I've been doing some research into the "76 day fallow period". I never heard of that prior to coming to Reef2Reef this past summer. I had always used 32 days as the maximum time for a tomont to remain viable under tropical conditions, and then I would round up to 45 days to help ensure that...

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[vetteguy53081]

So I am new here hopefully I am posting in the right category.. I am also pretty new to the hobby. I started saltwater tanks about 9 or 10 months ago and now have 3. I really really need help as I just 5 days ago bought a striped dog face puffer and noticed today he has ICH!! I am really stressing out as I have no quartine tank ( will be looking into one now) and I don't want him to die nor get the others infected. ANY advice or tips will be greatly appreciated, I bought so ich treatment today as my lfs advised not to use copper as puffers are scale less and it can be harsh on them, also got garlic for thier food.. I will be running uv as well but is there anything at all I can do further to get rid of this problem??? sorry for the long post

Puffers can be prone to ich. Pictures always help taken under bright white light intensity but treatment will be in a separate tank using either coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25for a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off and with occupants exposed, they too should go into quarantine

 

[Drizzy1515]

I currently do not have a QT, so I'm not sure what else to do. I can get one soon but then it has to cycle and what not but by then he may die/spread to other tank mates

 

[astrobuckeye]

You can QT without cycling if you commit to close monitoring and possibly daily water changes. If you have a sponge filter in any of your tanks that can make a good starter source of bacteria. Otherwise use bottled bac.

 

[Jekyl]

I currently do not have a QT, so I'm not sure what else to do. I can get one soon but then it has to cycle and what not but by then he may die/spread to other tank mates

Hyposalinity would be an option but any coral or inverts would not survive. Would still recommend some pics and a 30 second video in white lighting just to verify. Some of these things can act quickly and a misdiagnosis could end in death. Hate to be giving bad advice.

Also, if this does get verified as Ich, all fish in tank will require treatment.

 

[Jekyl]

@Jay Hemdal

 

[Drizzy1515]

here are a couple pics

 

[vetteguy53081]

here are a couple pics

While I see the dots you mention, im not sold on ich, at least yet as it can be sand grains or lympho. Ich moves and multiplies on a given fish each 24 hours. See if you see the same or less tomorrow or more dots.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

here are a couple pics

That could well be ich. Spots on the body can be mucus plugs, but when I see spots on the clear portions of the fish's fins, it is usually ich.

What other fish are in the tank with the puffer? You will need to treat all of them.

Hyposalinity is a good option for this fish at this stage of the infection. Trouble is, as mentioned, invertebrates and coral cannot be in the same tank when you do that.

You can begin to develop a strategy to treat this, and while doing that - watch the spots. If the spots come and go and change location, but generally increase in numbers, then it is most likely ich. If the spots stay in the same locations, in the same numbers for more than 2 days, it may not be ich. If it is ich, the spots will begin to increase in number geometrically, and then you'll need to act fast.

One possibility is "ich management". It doesn't always work, but if you follow the steps carefully, it might:

"Ich Management"

Because this topic continues to come up, I wanted to create a sticky thread so that it is more easily referenced. Please understand that I am NOT presenting this as an optimum method for controlling marine ich, just putting it out there for people who want to try it. Also, do not pick and...

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Jay

 

[Drizzy1515]

it is somewhat difficult with seeing the spots on him due to his coloring, and he has a good number of them so I will try to pay attention to a few spots in noticeable locations to try and see if they move or disappear. I also have a picasso and niger trigger in with him

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

it is somewhat difficult with seeing the spots on him due to his coloring, and he has a good number of them so I will try to pay attention to a few spots in noticeable locations to try and see if they move or disappear. I also have a picasso and niger trigger in with him

Watch for spots showing up on the triggers, that would also tend to confirm ich.
If you think you’ll have to follow ich management if it does turn out to be ich, it would help if you started now, just in case.

 

[Drizzy1515]

I have already turned the heater up a bit, using garlic and have been using this kordon all natural ich stuff.. probably doesn't work. But in a strange event the puffer looks way better with almost no spots on it and he is alot more energetic and adventurous now

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have already turned the heater up a bit, using garlic and have been using this kordon all natural ich stuff.. probably doesn't work. But in a strange event the puffer looks way better with almost no spots on it and he is alot more energetic and adventurous now

Turning the temperature up only works for freshwater ich. For marine ich, anything above 80 degrees F. just makes the parasite reproduce faster.

Those natural ich tonics have no basis in applied aquarium science. There is no oversight to aquarium tonics - anyone can produce these and make any claims they want to about it and there is no accountability.....

Jay

 

[Drizzy1515]

I understand thats why I stated it probably doesn't work.. and I read and seen others in the hobby say that the temperature rise is nothing to do with the parasite and that its actually to increase the metabolism of the fish do it doesn't stop eating

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I understand thats why I stated it probably doesn't work.. and I read and seen others in the hobby say that the temperature rise is nothing to do with the parasite and that its actually to increase the metabolism of the fish do it doesn't stop eating

You definitely do NOT want to raise the temperature with marine ich! Fish won't stop eating with an ich infection until near the point that they die, so you need to treat things before it reaches that point.