Puffer has ich or worse?

[NarumiHayaashi]

My tank has been up and running, thanks to help from this community and from a friend of mine who got me into the hobby.

I'm now looking to the community for help once again in what appears to be ick on my puffer. It matches the descriptions on the stickies and from what I have read there is hope for removing the ick.

From all I have read hear it would be wise to set up a QT and get my fish treated in there while I leave my tank fishless for 9 weeks. However, its a puffer and from what I have researched they are sensitive to copper. Another thing is that my friend tried a kordon ick-attack and said it works as it got rid of the ick in his 75 gallon tank.

Again from all of the wonderful advice here on the forms people say that this will not work. Has anyone ever had success with something like that or am i beating a dead horse here? :deadhorse:

P.S. the puffer is kinda lying in the sand and will not eat. He was the first in my tank and I really don't want to see him go. He even has that sad look to him where he looks at you and you know something is wrong.

 

[sandwi54]

I was going to reply yesterday afternoon but got carried away by a meeting.

If the puffer has stopped eating, the disease has progressed far enough and treatment needs to begin immediately to save its life. Please read the ich stickies in this forum to understand its life cycle and proper treatments. The only treatments that work are hyposalinity, copper, or tank transfer. Ich-attack will not work. your friend's tank may still have ich or his fish acquired temporary immunity to ich, such that the med looked like it worked (it really didn't).

I don't know how much experience you have in saltwater tanks, but if it's less than a year, I would not use hyposalinity. The margin of error is high and controlling pH is not easy for beginners.

I would recommend putting the puffer (along with all other fish) into a large bare-bottom QT (no live rocks or live sand; only PVC fittings for fish to hide in) and apply cupramine. I have treated puffers and other copper-sensitive fish with cupramine without any issue. The key is to ramp the dosage up very slowly, at 0.1ppm per day. Take four days to get up to 0.4ppm and monitor it with salifert copper test kit daily to make sure the dosage stays constant. If you do not have a cycled filter, you will have big ammonia problem which you will need to do large water changes probably twice a day to control. Do NOT dose prime to detoxify ammonia as it'll turn the safe copper into toxic copper.

Once you reach 0.4ppm, hold it there for four weeks, and then remove it with activated carbon. As you already know, leave the DT fishless for 9=10 weeks (I now recommend 10 weeks).

 

[NarumiHayaashi]

A sad sad day

A sad sad day

I was going to reply yesterday afternoon but got carried away by a meeting.

Once you reach 0.4ppm, hold it there for four weeks, and then remove it with activated carbon. As you already know, leave the DT fishless for 9=10 weeks (I now recommend 10 weeks).

Thanks for the tips, and we all know that meetings can take forever :angryfire:
Unfortunately the puffer (Wuffie is what my sister named him) did not survive the night. I woke up this morning to a dead immaculate puffer on my sand bed. :sad1: I have removed him and will begin treatment on the other fish as soon as I get a QT/HT set up in the small amount of time that I have to save the other fish.

Quick question as well, I have read a little on eels and their immunity to ick. I'm putting him in the category of fish so I am thinking I should remove him as well for treatment? Or should there be a separate QT for the eel?

May my immaculate puffer rest in peace

 

[sandwi54]

First of all, I'm sorry for your loss... When i lost my last puffer it hit me really hard too. Think of it that it's in fish heaven now and not suffering anymore.

I wouldn't say eel is immune to ich as it can still get infected in the gills. So I would remove him along with all other fish into a large QT. Eels are also sensitive to copper, but cupramine is the least stressful copper and when used correctly, you should have no problems at all. Make sure you follow my suggestion of increasing by 0.1ppm per day. Make sure the fish are all eating prior to dosing cupramine. If at any time the fish stops eating, that's a sign that it's getting stressed out by cupramine, and you should decrease the dosage with a water change. The lowest therapeutic level you can go is 0.3ppm. I would recommend 0.4ppm unless fish show distress.

 

[Triton_Z]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I agree with Sandwi as the Eel likely has a slime coat advantage, but could be infected. A routine in a QT with copper and DT fallow period will likely be the best way to get your tank and fish clean and healthy again.

 

[NarumiHayaashi]

Time to move on

Time to move on

Thanks guys. Yeah was sad to see him go, but like sandwi said he is not suffering anymore and I have learned a valuable lesson. I guess it was bound to happen at some point in this hobby.

I'll be treating and keeping a watch on the tank. For now corals are lacking in my tank so should give me something to ponder while treatment is taking place.

 

[sandwi54]

Yes, sometimes fish die despite what we do, and even when we do everything correctly. Such is life. Just have to put that behind us and look forward to doing better next time.