Trying to save a puffer
- Thread starter dsalman1
- Start date
I also hear sprinkling garlic while swinging a cross works sometimes.
To the OP: Your best option is probably tank transfer (sticky here). Just use a colander to transfer him and make the transfer quick - don't expose him to air for too long. How big is your puffer?
No. You need to read this to understand how Ich works: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992196
If the puffer is too large for TT, then your remaining options are copper or hypo. Hypo would be easiest on the puffer, but is difficult to apply successfully and doesn't always work. And puffers are a known copper sensitive species, so that would be risky.
Your only other possible "thinking outside the box" solution would be this: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2136214
You sure this isn't Amyloodinium aka Marine Velvet? That's a much faster killer than Ich, but sometimes mistaken for Ich. For Velvet, a f/w dip and/or formalin bath will help.
Read here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=290
Read here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=290
kv2wr1
New member
You can use certain coppers with puffers and sensative fish. You just can't go fast with it. You have to acclimate them slowly to it. I used cupramine with my porcupine puffer at 0.35-.0.40 ppm. I did 1 drop per gallon every other day until I got to 0.35-0.40 ppm. I held it there for 4 weeks. I had to do water changes and add cupramine to the fresh salt water as well keeping in mind the drops per gallon used in the qt and retest the qt water to ensure the dosage was not exceeded. I'm not sure how sensative dogface puffers are, but you could try 1 drop per 2 gallons every other day. Do not do hypo and copper at the same time. You may have to bring up the salinity slowly in order to do the copper treatment. I did buy some Chloroquine Phosphate to have on hand for any future fish to try, but have never used it yet since the copper did the trick with the fish I currently have.
If it's Velvet, then the puffer and all his (fish) tankmates need to be treated.
How big a tank and how many other fish? FO or reef? Any inverts?
IF THIS IS VELVET, all fish need to be treated with copper in a hospital tank. The f/w dip only provides temp relief. Going fallow in your DT for 6 weeks will eradicate Velvet in there.
Only other option would be to treat the DT with copper; something I don't recommend.
If you drained your tank and filled it with fresh water, you would kill all of the nitrifying bacteria and uncycle your tank. If you have to treat in-tank, your only option for Velvet is copper. But I would be sure this is Velvet before you go thru all that. It sounds like many of your fish are surviving, and that's atypical for Velvet.
I agree that is not my best choice but it's also like setting up a new aquarium where you have to put something in the water to start it up. Velvet is really hard to determine but the fish have all the symptoms of it I have lost over half of them so I think it's a matter of time with the rest co but who knows maybe that's not what it is should I just put a half dose of copper and see how that works so it doesn't hurt puffer
