Possible Brook in Porcupine Puffer -- Urgent help

Eagle_Steve

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I have had excellent results with 2 treatments for ich in puffers.

Hybrid TTM and Coppersafe.

Coppersafe seems to be the least harsh when treating puffers using copper. But you need to keep it at theraputic levels and need to make sure it stays there. Testing needs to be done with something like a hanna copper or a decent sopper test kit. You also have to watch ammonia very closely. Puffers, once eating, are waste producing machines.

Hybrid TTM is a lot of work, but works well and puffers do not seem to stressed when swapped from tank to tank like other fish. It does require h202 baths in between the transfers though. ALso, ammonia is not as much of an issue, as the fish gets new water each transfer. The down side is 2 tanks to do it, must wash and disinfect old tank after transfer and make sure not to cross contaminate from tank to tank. This is made a little easier, for cross contamination, as there are dips in between the transfers. This is now my preferred method for treatment of puffers, as there is no copper to suppress appetite.

Both methods mentioned above are easy to find via search or a sticky in the fish disease section of this forum.
 

vetteguy53081

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Update:

Major improvement. He is swimming rather than sitting on the bottom, and is peering around at me from the paper I taped to the side of the tank. One eye looks MUCH more clear and the other has visible crap sloughing off of it.

Tomorrow morning he is getting a %100 water change and I will offer him some shrimp!

IMG_2391.jpeg
Great to hear and 50% should be more than sufficient
 

rmorris_14

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Update:

Major improvement. He is swimming rather than sitting on the bottom, and is peering around at me from the paper I taped to the side of the tank. One eye looks MUCH more clear and the other has visible crap sloughing off of it.

Tomorrow morning he is getting a %100 water change and I will offer him some shrimp!

IMG_2391.jpeg
He does look like he is smiling :D ;Happy
 
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yodeling_toast

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I have had excellent results with 2 treatments for ich in puffers.

Hybrid TTM and Coppersafe.

Coppersafe seems to be the least harsh when treating puffers using copper. But you need to keep it at theraputic levels and need to make sure it stays there. Testing needs to be done with something like a hanna copper or a decent sopper test kit. You also have to watch ammonia very closely. Puffers, once eating, are waste producing machines.

Hybrid TTM is a lot of work, but works well and puffers do not seem to stressed when swapped from tank to tank like other fish. It does require h202 baths in between the transfers though. ALso, ammonia is not as much of an issue, as the fish gets new water each transfer. The down side is 2 tanks to do it, must wash and disinfect old tank after transfer and make sure not to cross contaminate from tank to tank. This is made a little easier, for cross contamination, as there are dips in between the transfers. This is now my preferred method for treatment of puffers, as there is no copper to suppress appetite.

Both methods mentioned above are easy to find via search or a sticky in the fish disease section of this forum.
Thanks! I was reading threads about TTM in particular until deep in the night.

The puffer is alive this morning and still acting significantly better than he was at the store. Frankly I'm pleased how quickly he improved given the severity of this issue, but we're not out of the woods.

I gave him an h202 bath this morning and transferred him to a new infirmary tank with its own equipment; the other tank and equipment is being sterilized. I've not added any more medications at the moment (I only have Ich-X and General Cure, and metro) but am ordering Coppersafe.
 
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So I believe this may be an intense fluke infection, Neobenedenia for sure. When I began treating for Ich specifically, the puffer started looking worse again. Eyes cloudy, sitting a lot, new missing patches of color around his face.

This morning I did another 5 minute freshwater dip and noticed the characteristic sesame seed-shaped things on the bottom of the container. Rocky is in a fresh 10 gallons and I've treated again with General Cure (which is a mix of prazi and metro).

I'm trying to upload a pic of the new white patches but the forum/my Wifi more possibly is being a bit weird, will do so as soon as I can.
 

vetteguy53081

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This looks bacterial
Seachem kanaplex or Maracyn 2
Assure water quality is good at proper salinity And add aeration via air stone during treatment
Keep an eye on ammonia levels
Ruby rally pro would be another good treatment covering bacteria-flukes-parasitical
 
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Thanks all. I've been dosing Kanaplex too, I also have Furan-2 and Maracyn-2 on hand but have been a bit reluctant to just shotgun blast the poor fish. Will add Kanaplex or the Maracyn, and still waiting for the Ruby stuff to arrive. Two air stones on full blast currently.
Ammonia has never been allowed to rise, same with nitrate. Prime and daily large water changes with 100% wc ever other day.

Ugh. I've never tried to save a fish so ill before. But he's hanging in there. :(
 
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yodeling_toast

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Should I add kanaplex and Furan-2 along with the General Cure? Should I add additional metro via metroplex?

Need to add that he's not eating.

We have evidence of flukes for sure but I am not incredibly convinced this is ich, still thinking he has brook or velvet along with the flukes...and now a bacterial infection.
 

Jay Hemdal

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So I believe this may be an intense fluke infection, Neobenedenia for sure. When I began treating for Ich specifically, the puffer started looking worse again. Eyes cloudy, sitting a lot, new missing patches of color around his face.

This morning I did another 5 minute freshwater dip and noticed the characteristic sesame seed-shaped things on the bottom of the container. Rocky is in a fresh 10 gallons and I've treated again with General Cure (which is a mix of prazi and metro).

I'm trying to upload a pic of the new white patches but the forum/my Wifi more possibly is being a bit weird, will do so as soon as I can.
If you’ve confirmed Neobenedenia, I would consider a 35 day hyposalinity treatment at 1.012. Prazi won’t kill the Neo eggs and it just tries to return. The white spots could be secondary bacterial infection from the Neo.
Jay
 
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yodeling_toast

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If you’ve confirmed Neobenedenia, I would consider a 35 day hyposalinity treatment at 1.012. Prazi won’t kill the Neo eggs and it just tries to return. The white spots could be secondary bacterial infection from the Neo.
Jay
In the process of slowly lowering salinity! He is more active and curious today, but still won't eat. Maybe I should try offering clam instead of shrimp. Not sure if that will make a difference...

The white patches seem to be dissipating, and his eyes are sloughing off a lot of that material again. ICU tank has been upgraded to a ten gallon black rubbermaid tub.
 

Jay Hemdal

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In the process of slowly lowering salinity! He is more active and curious today, but still won't eat. Maybe I should try offering clam instead of shrimp. Not sure if that will make a difference...

The white patches seem to be dissipating, and his eyes are sloughing off a lot of that material again. ICU tank has been upgraded to a ten gallon black rubbermaid tub.
Keep a close eye on the ammonia and pH levels in tanks where you don't have a solid biofilter running.

You can safely get to 1.012 specific gravity over 72 hours if you are starting at 1.023 or so, and try to do two or more drops per day.

Jay
 
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yodeling_toast

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How’s the little puffer doing today?
We are at full hypo salinity now. He is swimming around and seems curious, but maybe still not seeing well -- although his eyes have improved quite a bit. The white patches look better, as do his fins and general body. Still can't get him to eat...he did take a peck at fresh clam on the half shell this evening but then nothing else. Doesn't matter if I leave it on the bottom of the tank, drifting in the water, or hold it in front of him. Wondering if I should try to tube feed him or if that would cause more harm. I was told he was eating brine shrimp at the store.
 

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