Puffer fish sick

[Chris Van Daele]

Hello,

I have a green spotted puffer who is about 6 months old. He has always had a very healthy appetite and had been very happy.

The last couple days he does not look well at all. His colouration has changed and he is not acting like himself. Everything else in my tank is happy and healthy and water parameters are all in check.

I did notice during feeding the other day that he swam into my urchin fairly hard. Could this be what is making him sick??

Thanks for your help!

 

[Big G]

Any sign of a spine either sticking out or broken off in the puffer's skin?

 

[Chris Van Daele]

Not that I can see but his underside has gotten very dark and blotchy

 

[Big G]

Not that I can see but his underside has gotten very dark and blotchy

Well heck. That's "dark and blotchy" is how a sea urchin wound is described on people. Sounds like it did get stung. Do you have any antibiotics?

 

[Chris Van Daele]

I do not have anti-biotics, what would you recommend? Do fish typically pull through something like this or is it basically game over?

 

[Big G]

Do you have a quarantine tank to treat it with antibiotics?

 

[Chris Van Daele]

I do have a quarantine tank but it's not currently set up and running as I haven't needed it for some time. I could always set it up but I am not familiar with dosing any sort of antibiotics

 

[Big G]

I do have a quarantine tank but it's not currently set up and running as I haven't needed it for some time. I could always set it up but I am not familiar with dosing any sort of antibiotics

Well the good thing is you can use some of your tank water to get the biological filter going in the QT. For antibiotics to do some good, it's best to dose in a QT. Here's Humblefish's antibiotic advisory. Be advised that antibiotics are very slow acting on fish. So dosing for at least 10 days is advised. And since antibiotics can be at times a bit hard to find, I'm giving you the entire list. Suggest using a "wide spectrum" antibiotic.

How To Treat - Follow the directions on the label of whatever product you are using. Always use a broad spectrum antibiotic medication i.e. one that treats both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial diseases (very important). Examples of this include Furan-2, Kanamycin aka Seachem Kanaplex, Nitrofuracin Green Powder, Triple Sulfa Powder or a combination of using both Erythromycin & Minocycline. The latter can be accomplished (albeit expensively) by using freshwater Maracyn 1 & 2 and then doubling the dosage for saltwater use. When battling a particularly nasty bacterial infection, combining Furan-2, Kanaplex and metronidazole (ex. Seachem MetroPlex) can be very effective (and safe). Props to “hedgedrew” for enlightening me of this.

Normally you have to do 4 doses to complete a full course of treatment. The instructions may say to dose every 24 hours, and perform water changes at certain intervals. In my experience, you often have to do 2 full courses of treatment (or 8 doses total) before a fish will show signs of improvement (antibiotics are notoriously slow acting with fish). If a fish shows no signs of improvement after the second full course, then it’s time to try a completely different medication. Just like with humans, sometimes a certain fish will respond better to a different antibiotic. You can run activated carbon at any time when you wish to end treatment.

Pros - One of the few medications that can safely be mixed with others. You can use antibiotics in conjunction with just about everything.

Cons/Side Effects - Appetite suppression, depletes the water of oxygen (so provide additional gas exchange).

 

[77.christy]

I too have a green spotted puffer. Have had him for about 2 years. Mine also gets a dark blotchy belly from time to time. I’m not saying yours isnt suffering an urchin sting, just saying the grey/brown blotchy belly is a normal thing. I can do a water change and it clears right back up. [emoji6]