Dog Face Puffer won't eat and is laying on the bottom of the tank gasping

jshields1010

jshields1010

New Member
I've had a dog face puffer fish for about 2 months now. A few weeks ago my other tank had a problem and I had to put a fish in with my puffer. The puffer was the one who got scared and did not like his new addition. A few days ago my puffer got ich and was treated. He started eating again and swimming after the treatment. A few days later, I moved the other fish out of his tank and was hoping everything would go back to normal. Now my puffer will not eat at all or swim around. All he does is lie on the bottom of the tank gasping for air. Any ideas?
 
skate020

skate020

Member
if you treated with copper, this can cause alot of stress for the fish and can harm it aswell.
you best to do hypo, is alot less stressful and still works just as well.
for now tho your best bet is to turn up the heat a little bit, and maybe give him a couple feeder shrimp to encourage him to eat
 
crypt keeper

crypt keeper

Active Member
copper is fine on fish if done correctly. You can kill fish with hypo if not done correctly as well. I would do a water change asap. check your params. for ammonia nitrites.
 
R

rcreations

Guest
I was thinking maybe he treated the ich with one of these fake medications like RidIch or IchBGone or whatever they call them and ich went away temporarily and now it's back. That's why the puffer is acting like that.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by RCreations
http:///forum/post/3246423
I was thinking maybe her treated the ich with one of these fake medications like RidIch or IchBGone or whatever they call them and ich went away temporarily and now it's back. That's why the puffer is acting like that.
Exactly my idea of those products. Curing ich takes at least 4 weeks, in a QT. All of your fish will probably need to be treated as well. IMO & IME, only hypo or copper will cure ich. I'll stick to that opinion, in spite of all the new miracle products, until some real authority says otherwise. I believe that a good understanding of ich life cycle (and other parasites) is vital for long-term success in this hobby; here's some reading from an expert: https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/vb/s...d.php?t=127007
 
skate020

skate020

Member
yeh, if you treat, stick with cuprazin or hypo.
and if you use cuprazin READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW STEPS!
 
jshields1010

jshields1010

New Member
Thank for the help. There is no ich visible anymore, but a water change was done and the heat was adjusted. I switched his light off and I have been offering the shrimps. He hasn't eaten for 2 days now, which is very unusual for him. We'll see, but it isn't looking too good for him right now.
 
R

rcreations

Guest
What did you use to treat the ich? Just because it's not visible, that doesn't mean it's not there. There's a cycle to ich and sometimes it seems like it's gone only to reappear.
 
el guapo

el guapo

Active Member
If you want to get good help your going to need to tell us what you used to treat the ich and how long you used it . As much detail as possible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top