Help with Puffer, possible Ich?

[lildawnld]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum, as well as only 4 months into the hobby. My LFS has sold me a couple of fish, including this puffer. They did not tell me what kind of puffer he is. I have had him about a week now, and all has seemed great. He is a very friendly and active fish! Can anyone confirm the species of my puffer from the picture below?

Yesterday I have noticed some white specs on his fins, although he is not acting any different this worries me. I have noticed this specs on my foxface, as well as my orange tail butterfly fish, all came from the same LFS. The weird thing about the butterfly is he has a swollen and cloudy eye. The LFS told us it was stress from transporting him home.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[EllieSuz]

It's probably Ich. Do the spots look like little grains of salt? There is a lot of information about this parasite on the Disease Forum. Read the stickies to learn about how to identify it and then how to treat it. Briefly, there are no magical cures that eliminate it in the Display tank. You will have to set up a hospital tank and move every fish from the display and leave the display tank fallow (fishless) for ten weeks. You options to treat the Ich vary, so do some research and if you have specific questions after your reading, feel free to ask. If one fish has it, they all have it. The only way to prevent it is through quarantine. If you plan to get serious about this hobby, starting a quarantine regimen is essential. How big is your tank?

 

[lildawnld]

Thanks for the fast reply! Yes, they look like grains of salt. I had seen them on my Foxface about 2 weeks ago, although nobody had confirmed it, the LFS had given me Dr G's DeWormer to treat the whole tank. From what they told me it is all natural, and fed as food for 3 weeks, every other day. Does not contain copper. My fox face was also on the wrong diet, once he was fed Nori his spots went away, so I never treated the tank with the food. I have done a bunch of reading on fish diseases, as well as any other information regarding my aquarium, as this is not a cheap hobby, and I do plan on getting serious.

I do plan on getting a hospital tank started. I am worried about the medicine the LFS sold me to treat the whole tank.

I have a 75 gallon, a Tom's Rapid Pro Wet/Dry with protein skimmer.

1 - FoxFace
1- Puffer ( Still can't figure out the species )
1 - Orange Tail Butterfly
1 - Percula Clown
1 - Snowflake Eel
1 - Picasso Trigger
1 - Blue Spotted Goby
4 - Damsels (That are going back to the store, they are like roaches!)
2 - Snails
3 - small hermit crabs

I have had mixed reviews on the species of fish that are in my tank, from different sources. The same person at the LFS has sold me all of my fish, and assured me they will all be ok together. So far so good, but I hear that might change.

Ph - 8.3
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10

Just did a water change last weekend.

 

[lildawnld]

Thanks for the fast reply! Yes, they look like grains of salt. I had seen them on my Foxface about 2 weeks ago, although nobody had confirmed it, the LFS had given me Dr G's DeWormer to treat the whole tank. From what they told me it is all natural, and fed as food for 3 weeks, every other day. Does not contain copper. My fox face was also on the wrong diet, once he was fed Nori his spots went away, so I never treated the tank with the food. I have done a bunch of reading on fish diseases, as well as any other information regarding my aquarium, as this is not a cheap hobby, and I do plan on getting serious.

I do plan on getting a hospital tank started. I am worried about the medicine the LFS sold me to treat the whole tank.

I have a 75 gallon, a Tom's Rapid Pro Wet/Dry with protein skimmer.

1 - FoxFace
1- Puffer ( Still can't figure out the species )
1 - Orange Tail Butterfly
1 - Percula Clown
1 - Snowflake Eel
1 - Picasso Trigger
1 - Blue Spotted Goby
4 - Damsels (That are going back to the store, they are like roaches!)
2 - Snails
3 - small hermit crabs

I have had mixed reviews on the species of fish that are in my tank, from different sources. The same person at the LFS has sold me all of my fish, and assured me they will all be ok together. So far so good, but I hear that might change.

Ph - 8.3
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10

Just did a water change last weekend.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Geez, I hate to tell you that the guy at the LFS just doesn't know what he's talking about, but someone has to. Introducing all of these fish, along with ich, is going to be a nightmare.
Just a few comments:
Dr. G's De-wormer does nothing for ich; it may help with flukes and other parasitic worms; but if its 'all natural, I doubt it.

You have too many fish for a 75 gal tank.

Your Picasso is cute now, but will outgrow your tank.
Puffers and triggers eat crabs and snails.
The trigger may even eat the clown and goby when it grows large enough. My picasso is about 8" and will eat many small fish. LA, a good source for basic info, suggests 180 gals as minimum for this trigger. They are slow growers though. (http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Cupramine.html)

IMO & IME, butterflyfish are not a fish for new hobbyists. I'm not sure which butterfly you have, several have been called 'orange tail"; but if its Chaetodon ephippium, it will need a much larger tank. This is not an "easy" butterfly.

The eel will eat some small fish and inverts, I hope you have a tight fitting lid, they love to take outside trips.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Geez, I hate to tell you that the guy at the LFS just doesn't know what he's talking about, but someone has to. The LFS used to be a great source of info, not anymore. Sadly, many hobbyists have started with a lot of lousy info....you aren't alone.

Just a few comments:
Dr. G's De-wormer does nothing for ich; it may help with flukes and other parasitic worms; but if its '"all natural", I doubt it. Prazi-Pro is a proven wormer; but I think ich is your biggest problem now.

You have too many large fish for a 75 gal tank. The LFS almost always sells the small version of fish, always check the adult size.

Your Picasso is cute now, but will outgrow your tank.
Puffers and triggers eat crabs and snails.
The trigger may even eat the clown and goby when it grows large enough. My Picasso is about 8" and will eat many small fish. LA, a good source for basic info, suggests 180 gals as minimum for this trigger. They are slow growers though. (http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Cupramine.html)

IMO & IME, butterflyfish are not a fish for new hobbyists. I'm not sure which butterfly you have, several have been called 'orange tail"; but if its Chaetodon ephippium, it will need a much larger tank. This is not an "easy" butterfly.

The eel will eat some small fish and inverts, I hope you have a tight fitting lid, they love to take outside trips.

You'll have to chose a way to treat all of your fish for ich and this is going to be a giant PITA, but necessary. Like Eileen, when this ich problem is solved, quarantine all new fish and do some real research before buying. When you have a QT/HT, let us know and we (meaning EllieSuz) can help with the ich problem.

 

[lildawnld]

Thank you so much for the response!

I was afraid of all of this! I had a feeling the LFS guy was just telling me anything to sell me fish! I have finally found a reputable LFS that I am going to deal with from here on out. Being that the Butterfly fish was introduced into my tank with his eye popped out, I am taking him right back to where I bought him from. I have a feeling he is the reason why I am now having all of these problems!

All of the fish have been doing great together, they have all been together for 2 months, besides the puffer and the butterfly. They have been there only a week. I plan on returning the Damsels, as they were just started fish to establish the tank and are no longer needed, and just pests. The Eel has escaped once, while I was cleaning the tank, and have kept the lid tight from then on out.

The trigger is great to look at, but as you say, he is a baby, and he won't stay as calm as he has been. I am thinking of trading him back as well.

I had a feeling about all of these fish! This is why I am on this forum.

Thanks for your help!

 

[EllieSuz]

Meanwhile, this is all good, but it doesn't address the issue of Ich. If you want to save your fish you must start treatment. It's up to you whether you choose copper, hyposalinity, or tank transfer, but you have to do something soon. You are fortunate that MrTuskfish has noticed your thread and is on board. His advice is to be taken very seriously.