Help!!!!

[KJD_0214]

I have two puffers in my tank right now (Porcupine Puffer and a Stars and stripes Puffer). Both of them are very lathargic and have white spots all over them and what looks like cobwebs on them. What is this. I dont have any pics due to camera being broke.

 

[KJD_0214]

both of them are rubbing up against the substrate and rocks

 

[hcahan]

Sounds like ICK. Can you move them to a treatmetn tank and do some hyposalinity. Takes 4-6 weeks to really treat the disease but it works. Saved my porc that way about a year ago, no problems since. Puffers are very prone to ick and sensitive to copper treatments (may die). Good luck.

 

[Puffer Queen]

Definitely sounds like an advanced case of ich. Need to treat with hyposalinity OR copper. I have successfully treated puffers with both methods but prefer hyposalinity over copper as copper may suppress the immune system and can affect fertility.

The "cob webs" are excess mucous production in response to the parasites.

Treatment needs to be started now versus later. Make sure you have good aeration in your QT/hospital tank. This tank should be bare bottom. NO live rock or substrate. Monitor water parameters daily with either treatment.

Enrich the food with vitamins, garlic and beta glucan to boost the puffers' immune system so they can fight off this parasite and any other opportunistic pathogens that could lead to a secondary infection.

Kelly

 

[KJD_0214]

I run copper on my tank now but I tested it and was low so I added more copper to make the level were it should be. im gonna give a couple of days to see if that takes care of it.

 

[Puffer Queen]

What test kit did you use ?

Kelly

 

[KJD_0214]

I run Seacure Copper and Fastest to test for the copper

 

[TerryB]

Hyposalinity at 12 to 14ppt salinity (not SG) works well for ich. I would not use any copper other than Cupramine, especially on copper sensitive fish such as puffers. You should test the copper level twice a day and you will need a different test kit to measure Cupramine. A RedSea copper test will work well enough. It only measures to .4ppm, but that is actually high enough with Cupramine (Seachem suggests .5ppm).

Terry B