HELP! Puffer looks bad
- Thread starter shookbrad
- Start date
Treating your tank with antibiotics for cyanobacteria was such a bad idea. Got ahead and do some water changes with aged, conditioned water, and offer this fish quality fresh seafood soaked in fresh garlic. Lets see what happens over 24 hrs.
In the meantime, if he needs treatment with antibiotics, you have just wasted the antibiotic of choice needlessly.
Treating your display with antibiotics yes kills bacteria which is why red slim is. It also kills off all the beneficial nitrifying bacteria up which your system totally relies upon.
Is that fish's eye swollen at all?
What are all the water readings in your tank?
In the meantime, if he needs treatment with antibiotics, you have just wasted the antibiotic of choice needlessly.
Treating your display with antibiotics yes kills bacteria which is why red slim is. It also kills off all the beneficial nitrifying bacteria up which your system totally relies upon.
Is that fish's eye swollen at all?
What are all the water readings in your tank?
The problem is that the antibiotics really makes an uncycled QT very difficult to maintain. Do as I suggest over the next day with water changes with aged water, and start offering the fish the seafood soaked in fresh garlic juice.
In the meatime get the QT ready but don't put him in it yet. Put some sand from your tank in the QT. Use 100-% water from your display to setup the QT. Be prepared to do some water changes daily using water from your display [just before redosing with antibiotics].
What do you have in your display tank? LR?
In the meatime get the QT ready but don't put him in it yet. Put some sand from your tank in the QT. Use 100-% water from your display to setup the QT. Be prepared to do some water changes daily using water from your display [just before redosing with antibiotics].
What do you have in your display tank? LR?
scubadoo
Active Member
Red slime is caused by old lighting, poor water movement, high nutrients, and poor water quality.
Locate the contributing factor(s) and improve/remove. Treat with chemicals and your water quality suffers. Unless you remove the contributors the red slime will return.
Also, eyes that show cloudiness can be from injury or poor water quality. Water changes often can help.
Also, if your red slime problem is chronic and widespread, massive cyano aka red slime die-off from the chemicals can cause MAJOR system problems.
Locate the contributing factor(s) and improve/remove. Treat with chemicals and your water quality suffers. Unless you remove the contributors the red slime will return.
Also, eyes that show cloudiness can be from injury or poor water quality. Water changes often can help.
Also, if your red slime problem is chronic and widespread, massive cyano aka red slime die-off from the chemicals can cause MAJOR system problems.
puffer24/7
Active Member
use pimafix and melafix right away
shookbrad
Member
I did about 5 - 4 gallon water changes yesterday. I plan on doing the same today. The Puffer refuses to eat any frozen food. So he has not gotten any garlic. His eye looks a little worse now. I am pritty sure he has pop eye. If his eye was injured he had to have done it since I have never put him in a net. I do have a lot of live rock in my tank.
Should I move the puffer to the QT tank today? I set it up Friday evening with some live sand and a pice of live rock from my display tank. I used water from my display tank to fill it. It is aprox 12 gallons.
As far at the red slime I added two aditional powerheads to improve water movement. The lighting over this tank is only about 2 months old with 2 40W 6500K Floresent lights. This was set up for my Puffer and Lion to keep seperate from my other fish. both tanks are on the same water cycle system.
Should I move the puffer to the QT tank today? I set it up Friday evening with some live sand and a pice of live rock from my display tank. I used water from my display tank to fill it. It is aprox 12 gallons.
As far at the red slime I added two aditional powerheads to improve water movement. The lighting over this tank is only about 2 months old with 2 40W 6500K Floresent lights. This was set up for my Puffer and Lion to keep seperate from my other fish. both tanks are on the same water cycle system.
unleashed
Active Member
Originally Posted by shookbrad
Hey Puffer42/7 will pimafix and melafix harm inverts or live sand or rock? I am going to go pick some up today.
no they will not harm your other stock.I have used both in my reef without problems and I have a shark in that tank. just remove carbons before using.and to be honest if it werent for melafix alot of my fish would not have lived for 4 yrs .puffers are very sensitive to medications.but you have to get that ph to the right levels to make sure this is not the problem.ph needs to be at 8.2.I personaly beleive once you get that to the correct levels your puffer will become a little more active if my ph drops to 8.0 my puffers hiding and acting pouty but keep up those water changes to get the medications you already added out.add new carbons to help speed that up.I have lost very few fish to illness in 4 yrs time the majority have pasted on by becomming dinner for other tank mates
Hey Puffer42/7 will pimafix and melafix harm inverts or live sand or rock? I am going to go pick some up today.
no they will not harm your other stock.I have used both in my reef without problems and I have a shark in that tank. just remove carbons before using.and to be honest if it werent for melafix alot of my fish would not have lived for 4 yrs .puffers are very sensitive to medications.but you have to get that ph to the right levels to make sure this is not the problem.ph needs to be at 8.2.I personaly beleive once you get that to the correct levels your puffer will become a little more active if my ph drops to 8.0 my puffers hiding and acting pouty but keep up those water changes to get the medications you already added out.add new carbons to help speed that up.I have lost very few fish to illness in 4 yrs time the majority have pasted on by becomming dinner for other tank mates
shookbrad
Member
Thanks for the info. I moved the puffer to a 12 gallon QT tank and added Melafix last night. I will do about 20% water change in it this evening and add move more Melafix to the QT tank. I am going to continue doing abou 4 gallon water changes at least once a day to the main tank to try to get the water levels to optimum quality.
I think all the other medication is finally out of the tank because the Skimmer is not going crazy anymore. It took about 7 gallons of water out of the tank when it was all sain and done. WOW. usually I only fill the collection cup(3"X8") up about twice a month.
I think all the other medication is finally out of the tank because the Skimmer is not going crazy anymore. It took about 7 gallons of water out of the tank when it was all sain and done. WOW. usually I only fill the collection cup(3"X8") up about twice a month.