ick

[DpsiQ00]

I did a 15g water change on 75g last night, and now my puffers look like this. Could this be ick?

 

[dom418]

Looks like it. What are your water parameters? Is he still active and eating? You can't use copper with puffers. Be sure to soak his food in garlic or other vitamin like Selcon. Keep feeding him high quality frozen foods and nori if he will take it.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Sure looks like ich to me. I doubt if the WC had anything to do with it. Have you been using a QT with all new fish? Now your tank has ich, not just the puffers and all fish will have to be treated in an HT/QT while the DT stays fishless for 10-12 weeks.

 

[Fishfirst]

Looks like it. What are your water parameters? Is he still active and eating? You can't use copper with puffers. Be sure to soak his food in garlic or other vitamin like Selcon. Keep feeding him high quality frozen foods and nori if he will take it.

This is completely false... copper does not affect puffers much at all if kept at appropriate levels. Managing ich tends to kill more fish than it saves, which is why a full quarantine is the right step here.

As far as the puffer getting iChat after a water change, could the new sea water be substantially different temp, salinity, or pH?

 

[gobolts23]

This is completely false... copper does not affect puffers much at all if kept at appropriate levels. Managing ich tends to kill more fish than it saves, which is why a full quarantine is the right step here.

As far as the puffer getting iChat after a water change, could the new sea water be substantially different temp, salinity, or pH?

+1, I have treated many species of puffers with cupramine without any issues

 

[dom418]

This is completely false... copper does not affect puffers much at all if kept at appropriate levels. Managing ich tends to kill more fish than it saves, which is why a full quarantine is the right step here.

As far as the puffer getting iChat after a water change, could the new sea water be substantially different temp, salinity, or pH?

Fact is puffers are much more sensitive to copper than other fish since they are scaleless. I don't like using it on them. Educate the OP on what appropriate levels are so he doesn't kill his puffer. Thanks

 

[Fishfirst]

So what exactly are you basing your claim on? Sensitive compared to? I would put Elasmobranchii, Cirrilabrus, Pomicanthids and even some Acanthurids over them as far as sensitivity is concerned. Especially an established specimen such as this it is better to stop the parasite vs worry about copper sensitivity since it is of minimal risk.

I've treated hundreds of puffers with copper, as long as you follow the instructions on the bottle you have little to worry about. But this must start immediately before this parasitic infection takes its toll on the fishes condition.