video of my sick puffer

porcelaind

New Member
click the following link to see video of my puffer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6pnf...layer_embedded
I have a sick spiny box puffer. all of his spikes have turned completely clear and he has huge white patches covering his body, some fin rot. this has only happened once before but this is by far the worst it has ever been. I have been treating him with maracyn. it was continuing to get worse after the first 2 days of treatment and is now at a stand still. all of my other fish are fine.
I do not have a quarantine tank at this time so i have been forced to treat the main tank.
so a couple of questions for the experts out there.
-will the white patches completely heal or leave a scar? (i'm worried about that really big one behind his eye that looks like his skin is peeling off)
-am i using the right medication? what medication do you recommend?
-is it best to euthanise a fish that is this sick?
he is still active but hasn't eaten in 3-4 days.
ammonia=0
nitrite=0
nitrate=40
ph=8.2
temp=80
 

kingphish

New Member
I have had this problem before. yes, some scarring may appear if it's as bas as you say. There are so many different meds whos to say what works best. I would definately do freshwater baths. Place sick fish in freshwater for about 5-8 minutes and return him to the tank. You claim he hasnt eatten in 3-4 days, this is due to stress I would not worry about that
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Freshwater dips are only marginally effective for removing surface parasites. I see no reason to do a FW dip on this fish.
Nitrates are rather high. I am wondering if that is not Head and Lateral Line Erosion. Does that white areas look eroded or wasted away? Stop using the Maracyn and do small daily water changes to get the medication and the nitrates down.
It really is always a very bad idea to add meds, especially something like antibiotics to the display tank. Antibiotics will decimate your tank's biofilter. Is that tank strictly a fish only tank? Meaning no live rock?
 

porcelaind

New Member
nitrates are the same as they have always been and i've had this fish for over 3 years so not realy sure if that's a possible cause. the white areas look like skin being eaten away. i really don't think it's Head and Lateral Line Erosion as these white blotches are in randon spots all over his body, along with fin rot.
it is a fish only tank. no live rock but it does have live sand. however maracyn does claim that this product does not affect the nitrifying bacteria. but he has now been moved to a quarantine tank. and i am using a different type of medication. only problem now is how to avoid ammonia and nitrite spikes in a quarantine tank. ????
 

porcelaind

New Member
well as of right now, nothing has really changed. he still has that HUGE white blotch by his eye that doesn't appear to be healing and he is still not eating. as i said in the previous reply, I have moved him into a quarantine tank and i am still medicating him but i see no improvement. how long can he go without eating? it's been a week now. :(
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Can you try to post some pictures. HLLE can appear all over the body. The fish has a large blotch behind an eye, which is a common location for HLLE. A tank with inadequate nutrient export is also common with fish that suffer with this ailment.
Did these blotches develop over what time-frame? Did they appear small and get bigger, or popped up suddenly?
 

porcelaind

New Member
i posted a video. that should be better than a picture, right? the blotches appeared within a 2-3 day period, stayed the same size though. he's still not eating. can someone please tell me how long a sick fish can go without eating?
 
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