Dogface Puffer Questions

[sc50964]

I recently got a blue golden dogface puffer. I have to say that I never had any interest in a dogface until I see this guy. I’m quite inexperienced with puffers so I need some help. I read that they shouldn’t be fed everyday & they need very clean water. Is that true? I find it difficult to keep ammonia in the 20L QT to be below 0.05ppm. I used to feed him 3 krill in the morning & 3 more at night daily. He then stopped being active & eating after 3 to 4 days of this diet. He doesn’t like clam or any other smaller frozen food like mysis. He is also going through 2.0ppm of coppersafe. Pls tell me if I’m doing anything wrong with his diet. Thx

 

[lion king]

Sometimes puffers do not do well with copper treatment, that's likely why he went of feeding. Ammonia should always be zero, this is really non-negotiable. While the experts here on this board believe in prophylactic treatment with copper, I do not. First off get the ammonia to zero, if you have to do daily water changes, do daily water changes. If you are not actually treating a diagnosed disease, I would ditch the copper. Puffers also have a high possibility of coming in with internal parasites, and not eating is one sign, it would be hard to tell if his going off feeding due to the copper, or possible internal parasites. Puffers are usually pretty piggish, they should be fed meaty, chunky bits of various seafood; shrimp, scallop, etc, and they really should love clams. You could also try PE mysis but not the little regular mysis. I usually feed my puffers daily.

 

[sc50964]

Sometimes puffers do not do well with copper treatment, that's likely why he went of feeding. Ammonia should always be zero, this is really non-negotiable. While the experts here on this board believe in prophylactic treatment with copper, I do not. First off get the ammonia to zero, if you have to do daily water changes, do daily water changes. If you are not actually treating a diagnosed disease, I would ditch the copper. Puffers also have a high possibility of coming in with internal parasites, and not eating is one sign, it would be hard to tell if his going off feeding due to the copper, or possible internal parasites. Puffers are usually pretty piggish, they should be fed meaty, chunky bits of various seafood; shrimp, scallop, etc, and they really should love clams. You could also try PE mysis but not the little regular mysis. I usually feed my puffers daily.

He is only 4” & didn’t eat at the beginning which was about 2 weeks ago. I have a camera in front of his tank so I could see how active he is at night, as he is nocturnal. Is he too small to have a taste for clams on half shell? I also tried PE mysis & he would take a bite or so but not much more. The only thing he likes are krill.

Do you suggest me to use metroplex, pure metronidazole, or fenbendazole to deworm? Wouldn’t I see white stingy poop before treating him?

Do you suggest chloroquine phosphate treatment instead of coppersafe?

 

[lion king]

He is only 4” & didn’t eat at the beginning which was about 2 weeks ago. I have a camera in front of his tank so I could see how active he is at night, as he is nocturnal. Is he too small to have a taste for clams on half shell? I also tried PE mysis & he would take a bite or so but not much more. The only thing he likes are krill.

Do you suggest me to use metroplex, pure metronidazole, or fenbendazole to deworm? Wouldn’t I see white stingy poop before treating him?

Do you suggest chloroquine phosphate treatment instead of coppersafe?

My methods are a little different, if you want standard medicated qt protocol, hit them up in the disease forum. I do not believe in prophylactic treatment. I have also found cp to not be that effective and for the most part just serve as a placebo effect, really only effective when it is treating nothing. General cure would be the treatment for internal parasites, seeing stringy poo is not always seen, you may also find what looks like shredded white stringy plastic on the bottom of the tank. If they are not really eating you also would not see stringy poo. While puffers can definitely get ick, I would be concerned internal parasites. Any other info on treatments hit up the disease forum.