Spiny Box Puffer with Ich

[SoonerFan732]

I recently purchased a Spiny Box puffer and it appears to have ich. What is the best way to treat a Spiny Box Puffer that has ich? It is currently in a quarantine tank.

Thanks!

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

If you do have it in QT then use Seachems cupramine

 

[stykthyn]

copper and puffers dont mix well. hyposalinity is the way to go. bring the SPG down to 1.1p and hold it for a week or two and then start to slowly bring it back up

 

[SoonerFan732]

Thanks! I think I will try Hyposalinty.

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

stykythn-not starting anything, but do u have personal experience with puffers and cupramine? I do, I have treated MANY puffers with cuprmaine with ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS. I have never had any fish die from it. I have even used it in a tank with an eel with NO PROBLEMS. Cupramine is different than most other types of copper, and is more safe. Personally i think "puffers dont do well with copper" is another myth floating around here at Reef Central. Follow the directions on the bottle, I think its 1 drop per gallon, and you should be fine.

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

I actually had a Spink BOx ( Chilomycterus sheopfri? ) and he has done great. I recently gave him to friend cuz I downsized, but he was saved from an LFS, never ate. The little guy never had any problems with meds. especially Cupramine. Ask this queston on the disease forum and you will probably get some more responses?

 

[agilis]

I used to collect juvenile Spiny Puffers, and often had more than a dozen at a time in my holding tank. They are a soft bodied fish, quite vulnerable to Crypt and other problems. Once they are stabilized, though, they do very well. It's best to start with a small one, under two inches. Bigger ones tend to swim up and down against the glass, in what seems to be a state of perpetual agita. Smaller ones also learn to eat pelleted food very easily.

My treatment for fish with signs of crypt was:

1. about 10 minutes in fresh water, carefully adjusted to match pH and temperature, followed by:

2. Isolation in a SW 20 gal tank treated with Cupramine, at the standard specified strength, about 0.5, for about 10-12 days. The tank had plastic plants and nothing else, and was dimly lighted. It was set up from scratch for each usage, though I might treat several fish at once. Frequent water changes, retesting and adjusting the Cu level, are critical. If there seemed to be bacterial issues (cloudy eyes, etc.), Seachem Neoplex worked well.

Water changes during medication are important, always making sure med levels are held constant. Cupramine is VERY different from other copper meds. I wouldn't use anything else. It's the gold standard, and is effective at even lower doses, down to about 0.3, for some light infestations.

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

I agree Cupramine is t he BEST copper product. I dont know how soft bodies fish do with other copper meds, but never problems with Cupramine. Like said above make sure youre doing water changes too.

 

[SoonerFan732]

Thanks for the information!

I have already started with the Hyposalinty treatment this time. What are the disadvantages of this method? If it happens again I will go with the Cupramine.

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

Disadvantages are......If you're not that experienced doing it you may not keep the salinity at the right level. IF it fluctuates too much then it might not be effective. And also I would definitely reccommend using a refractometer for hypo instead of a plastic swing arm style hydrometer. They are much more accurate and easy to calibrate.

 

[SoonerFan732]

Thanks XtrmCHoPZ!

I have brought the tank from 1.025 to 1.019 already. Since early this morning the puffer already looks better. It doesn't have nearly as many spots on it as it did last night.

I am using a refractometer. I think I will be able to keep salinity relatively constant as there is very little evaporation in my QT.

Thanks for everyone's help so far!

 

[stykthyn]

I had two, a toby and a fiji puffer, that were treated with copper and did not survive the treatment. may be completely non related issues, but I am not a big fan of copper anyway. If it truly is ich I have found hypo to be the best solution. Just my .02

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

what do u mean fiji puffer? THere are lots that come from there

 

[stykthyn]

I cant remeber the exact name. was orange with bright blue spots.

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

i think those are a type of toby too. ? I have never kept those types of puffers.

 

[stykthyn]

I dunno, it could be it was labled fiji blue spot, but I dont think that was an accurate name.

 

[SoonerFan732]

Well I have been using the Hyposalinity treatment for the last week. The first few days it cleared up nicely, but the last two days it has gotten much worse. The Spiny Box Puffer has stopped accepting food. Should I try a copper treatment like the ones described above?

 

[XtrmCHoPZ]

yes, raise sailinty back up to 1.023-1.025 and follow directions on the bottle.