What could it be.

[Jose Berry]

I know I don’t have pictures of it and if I can get him to stay still I will take them.

I have a puffer (GSP) with the right side of his head swollen and the swollen area is a whitish color. Current tank mates,
Blue hippo tang
Dwarf red lion fish
Niger trigger
Royal Gramma
Lawnmower blenny
GSP green spotted puffer #2

Situation: upon going to bed I do a final check of all the fish a systems check if you will. I immediately spotted one of the green spotted puffers curled up into a ball in the lower right side. Upon looking at him closely I noticed his right side of his face towards pectorals and gill area swollen. I immediately did a water parameter check and everything was fine. I also immediately set up a hospital tank and took him out. He’s swimming around but I’m still concerned. I will update in the morning.

 

[Humblefish]

Sounds like a bacterial or fungal infection. The latter is more possible because he's a puffer. Kanaplex treats both.

Lymphocystis is another possibility: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lymphocystis.257461/

 

[Jose Berry]

Let’s hope, I’ve started treatment and am having the wife keep an eye on him while I’m out of town.

Update checked on him this morning it’s still visabel but less swollen. I’m thinking he may have been picking on the lion fish and gotten jabbed. Wife will keep me posted.

 

[4FordFamily]

Adding one TSP pure epsom salt (not the scented stuff read the ingredients) to 5 gallons of water can also help with the swelling until treatment is up.

 

[Jose Berry]

I’ve ever understood that stuff. How dose it work with salt water?

 

[4FordFamily]

I’ve ever understood that stuff. How dose it work with salt water?

To be honest, we don’t know. It does seem to help with swelling but it’s mostly anecdotal/observation.

 

[Jose Berry]

To be honest, we don’t know. It does seem to help with swelling but it’s mostly anecdotal/observation.

Ok well I asked the wife to go get it and she’s going to add it to the tank. It doesn’t raise salinity dose it?

 

[4FordFamily]

Ok well I asked the wife to go get it and she’s going to add it to the tank. It doesn’t raise salinity dose it?

Nope.

 

[Maritimer]

Can raise magnesium ... 'cause that's what it is.

~Bruce

 

[Jose Berry]

So everything is fine the swelling went away and his cheek came back to normal color. Glad he was fine.

 

[Jose Berry]

Ok so again I had to remove the same puffer for the same conditions except this time it’s worse. He’s not swimming as much and he’s laying on his side. Heavy breathing and he’s got black around the mouth (stress signs). The white with swelling has appeared all over this time.

Also recently lost my royal gramma to unknown causes. My blue hippo tang has been in and out of the recovery tank her self and now my Niger trigger is acting funny. I’m starting to think the display tank has something that I can’t test for or see.

Water conditions are as fallows for the display
Salinity 1.025
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Ammonia 0
Ph range 8.2

I need serious thoughts here and assistance. I might be having a tank crash with early signs or something. Was debating removing every one and cleaning everything.

 

[Maritimer]

A bacterial infection is certainly a possibility, in which case, you'd want to administer (in a QT) a wide-spectrum antibiotic - either Nitrofuracin Green _or_ the combination of Furan-2, Kanaplex and Metroplex.

Some reading on bacterial infections: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bacterial-infections.191511/#post-2196167


Looking at the white covering this guy's sides, Brooklynella also jumps to mind, against which Metroplex is also helpful.

An article on Brooklynella: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brooklynella.247938/#post-2913287

~Bruce

 

[Jose Berry]

I don’t think it was brooklynella, the puffer did not make the night. His entire body swelled up. That’s what caused the white spots was swelling. It’s not that he inflated him self, more so like when you get an allergic reaction and get a hive on your arm or so. It was fast and sudden. It was only 15 mins after I had seen him playing around and swimming next to his companion.

A possibility that struck my mind is an attack from the poisonous lion fish, both puffers are antagonistic and tend to play around with the lion fish, a catch me if you can kinda game. I will be looking into the affects of a poisonous sting from a lion fish and see if maybe that may have been the issue.

 

[Maritimer]

Based on photos I've seen of scuba divers, a lionfish sting will definitely cause severe swelling.

Sorry to read of your loss.

~Bruce

 

[Jose Berry]

More things to add, now the lion fish has passed away. Nothing was wrong with that guy. Upon further analysis of his body no signs of stress no signs of an attack no swelling no nothing. Checked water parameters and they are perfectly fine.

 

[Jose Berry]

I posted a pic of my blue hippo tang, she’s been in and out of QT but weeks apart. She keeps getting this hazy look all over. I keep treating her because she’s the only one that tends to get it. In the qt tank she clears up and in the display tank she gets it back.

 

[Humblefish]

@Jose Berry Your Hippo Tang has velvet. How long are you leaving the DT fallow (fishless) before putting her back in?

 

[Jose Berry]

The DT is never fishless due to I have other fish that remain in that tank.

The QT tank gets completely reset using new water and medication when it’s set up.

 

[Jose Berry]

I’ve decided to remove the Carbon media from the filters and have completed a 25 percent water change in the DT tank. I have also started medicating that tank as well to see if I can rid the tank of this velvet entity that is causing so much trouble. I’ve raised the temp to 83 and turned off the lights to assist in eliminating this threat. Crossing my fingers that in a few weeks time my tank has its sanity back.

Currently the Niger trigger and my lawnmower blenny are scratching them selfs on things.

 

[Maritimer]

Raising the temperature, while effective on freshwater ich, is just about useless against marine "ich" (Cryptocaryon irritans) or velvet (Amyloodinium ocellotum). Velvet's treatment will require copper, which would be lethal to corals or invertebrates - do you have a reef, or FOWLR? It should be noted that liverock will absorb copper, making it difficult to raise the level of the medication in the water to therapeutic levels, and may leach it back out at a later date, which may mean that adding inverts to the tank - ever - will entail some risk.

Most folks would opt to treat velvet in a QT, leaving the display with no fish for a minimum of six weeks - 76 days fishless would cover ich as well.

Know your enemy - some reading on velvet and its treatment: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/#post-2499399

~Bruce