New and Need advise.. (Fig 8 Puffer.. Looks bad : (

[Praridglady]

Howdy all, brand new here. 1st post.. so bear with me. I have a fig 8 in a pretty darned near solid salt tank, he is about 1.5" (pretty close to max) I have no idea how old he is. I have had him along with his 3 (smaller - 1") buddies for about 6wks now. I have noticed that the Big guy is getting moldy looking. Not fuzz, but discoloration. He is NOT pinched, and eating like the round little bugger he is. His behaviour does not seem to be off either. Just the color. (Charcoalish.. No pattern) I was looking at him after he ate to make sure I was good and paranoid before I posted, and his belly is lopsided, where his buddies seem smooth and even.. ??? Any help is appreciated!!! (So sorry so long... : )

[stang69]

Dang this suprizes me I figured you would have a responce by now. I am Jeff the one you talked to on the phone [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] I guess ya can call Debbie tomorrow after 1 I believe she is there.

Jeff

[Bamm Bamm]

Sounds kinda like that bronkynella?? diesase that aragon has in his 135gallon tank..What are your water parameters, what do you feed how often do you feed size of tank etc..Need a little bit more info to try and figure out whats going on..Shooy an email over to Ninong he's really knowlegable on diseases of fish..Dan

[Firefish]

Hello Paridglady,welcome to reefland! You need to fill out your profile so we can help you more...Tank,equipment,live stock,water parms...

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"It's better to have a hen tomorrow then an egg today."

[Praridglady]

Hey Jeff!! I will give her a call. I live pretty close by I may just drop by. Hi Dan & Firefish! thank you for the warm welcome! I have updated my profile for what it is worth. My true love, alas is Prairie Dogs **G** But if anyone has ever had a puffer, you know how they are! They have so much more personality than just about any *fresh water fish I know. (Except my beloved Parrots [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] I have maintained my tank for over a year with the salt. In October I added an unusual piece for a halloween visual and the fish have since made it their home. It is the skull of a horse, named Harvey. (Jeff, NOW you know which freaky customer I am [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]It sounds horrible. but imagine all the great hiding places! I am mentioning it because it may help with some kind of diagnosis. Is "Harvey" contaminating my tank? (Please no... [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Chris

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Psychiatrists say that 1 in every 3 people are crazy.
If you have 2 normal friends...

[Firefish]

I cant imagine "Harvey" being a big problem since the skull is just calcium...quite origional if you ask me...it would look pretty cool if it got covered with coraline and had some corals growing out of its eyes!!! [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]

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"It's better to have a hen tomorrow then an egg today."

[Praridglady]

Thanks Firefish! We love him. And he really didn't fit in too well anywhere else in the house. I figured he was safe since everyone other than the Lrge Puffer is showing any signs of stress. And HE is the new guy! [img]/ubb/frown.gif[/img] Thanks! Chris

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Psychiatrists say that 1 in every 3 people are crazy.
If you have 2 normal friends...

[DEE]

You may want to check your salt levels I do know that to much salt can hurt over the long run. Check to see what the salt level at the store where you bought him was. I know a little salt won't hurt most freshwater fish but if you use to much it could have adverse affects. You may want to do alittle more research on Puffers I do know there are a few sites out there. They are cute though aren't they.

GOOD LUCK !!
~Dee~

[Biomanjcs72]

If it was brooklynella, then all of your fish would be affected and your tank youd be dead by now.. Brooklynella goes really quick, It can knock out a tank in 24-36 hours.
We lost an entire nine tank system once when the UV sterilizer went down at the same time. We had to sterilize the system with Potassium Permanganate (Kills everything, NOT a fish medication.) before we could put any fish back in the sysyem.

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JCS
"Take one and pass it back, just like your IQ's were normal."
-Professor Hathaway in the movie"Real Genius"

[hcp28]

From what I've heard figure 8 puffers and green puffers start out brackish water but as they mature they need the salinity found in the ocean, I think that in your case you need to get a bigger tank and make it a FO for your puffer and since you have 4 puffers eventually they will all grow too big and need higher salinities. I'm pretty sure about this but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I don't think you have to worry bout Harvey [img]/ubb/tongue.gif[/img] I think this is the only explanation I can think of that would explain your fishes unusual stress.

Henry

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Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall down an open manhole and die.
-Mel Brooks

[Praridglady]

Hi Dee! Hi Henry, My Blood Parrots, Pleco, Ch Algae eaters and eel are fresh water fish that have lived in my [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] SALT [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] tank since mid-99. I have had puffers before. I adore them. I have him isolated via screen. I am going to keep an eye on him for a while. He may be being picked on. And if he isn't, he will be if he is sick. I will keep you posted! [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

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Psychiatrists say that 1 in every 3 people are crazy.
If you have 2 normal friends...

[Praridglady]

Well, Bummer. I was fortunate to see Debbie (outside of Petco) and she advised that if I brought the poor guy in it would stress him further. Duh!! Anyway, long story short, I have had him separated from the rest of the population for fear of picking. It did no good. I appreciate all of your advise out there!! (PS, I KNOW that puffers require more salinity as they mature.. Please read past posts.. My tank is just about 100% salt.) Waaaaaay beyond Brackish. Heck, I may have the only two living Blood Parrots in a salt tank!! :LOL hee hee!! Thanks again all. Chris

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Psychiatrists say that 1 in every 3 people are crazy.
If you have 2 normal friends...

[Praridglady]

Sorry, I meant to tell you all that I lost him. It is a bummer. But he is not in anymore distress. He is swimming peacefully under the rainbow bridge [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Chris

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Psychiatrists say that 1 in every 3 people are crazy.
If you have 2 normal friends...

[Firefish]

He's riding Harvey into the sunset... [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]