911

Capt. Nemo · 10/22/2006, 09:56 AM

Hi everyone,

My porcuppine puffer has ich and is in critical condition. This morning I found him laying on the sand with his body covered with a dusting of white spots and his one eye cloudede over. He was breathing heavily. I have moved him to a hospital tank and I am about to begin hyposalinity. I dont believe he has much of a chance of surviving. Based on the description of his symptoms is it too late to try to save him? I just read up on hypo and from what I learned you are supppose to gradually reduce the salinity over a 72 hour period to 1.09. However, the way the puffer looks I dont think he has 72 hours to live. I believe his condition requires a more extreme and immediate treatment. Can I reduce
the SG to 1.09 in a shorter time frame? Please help. Thanks!

gopens · 10/22/2006, 10:21 AM

i am not 100% sure. i know you can lower clowns salinity within a couple of hours to .009. i know because i do it with awesome results. i would say if you don't think he will last 72 hours, you might as well do it quicker. just my thoughts

Shagsbeard · 10/22/2006, 10:30 AM

Make sure your QT has plenty of oxygen for him.

ACBlinky · 10/22/2006, 11:59 AM

Do the spots look like he's sprinkled with salt, or powdered sugar? Ich looks like grains of salt and can be treated with copper or hypo (reducing SG to 1.009 and leaving it there for six weeks), but if it's Brooklynella or Amyloodinium/velvet you'll need to use a med like formalin (neither copper nor hypo work for these AFAIK). Try to get a picture of the fish, as clear as possible, and post in the disease forum. Hopefully someone can ID the disease and help you figure out the best course of action.

Sk8r · 10/22/2006, 12:06 PM

Brook is a clown disease, as I understand it. Velvet or ich is the main possibility, and both respond to cupramine---I think! Cupramine would be the instant treatment, faster than lowering to hypo, but I have zip experience with puffers, and don't know if they can tolerate it.

Copper [cupramine] is a poison calculated to poison the parasite while not killing the fish. It is stressful, for a fish in weakened condition, and not compatible with all species. It is, however, fast. It has one other negative: it ruins a tank for any other use other than copper-based treatment, so do not above all else put it in your display tank or use any net you have used in this solution in any other application, period: to keep things straight, back in the stone age when I last used copper, I threw out the whole rig, nets and all, except the qt tank, to prevent its accidental reuse.

BrandonS · 10/22/2006, 12:11 PM

it would be stressful for the fish, but in the interim before starting treatment you could give him a quick freshwater dip for a minute or two and some of them might drop off. It'd be some relief for him until the treatment starts kicking in.

10/22/2006, 09:56 AM	#1
Capt. Nemo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,102	911 Hi everyone, My porcuppine puffer has ich and is in critical condition. This morning I found him laying on the sand with his body covered with a dusting of white spots and his one eye cloudede over. He was breathing heavily. I have moved him to a hospital tank and I am about to begin hyposalinity. I dont believe he has much of a chance of surviving. Based on the description of his symptoms is it too late to try to save him? I just read up on hypo and from what I learned you are supppose to gradually reduce the salinity over a 72 hour period to 1.09. However, the way the puffer looks I dont think he has 72 hours to live. I believe his condition requires a more extreme and immediate treatment. Can I reduce the SG to 1.09 in a shorter time frame? Please help. Thanks!

10/22/2006, 11:59 AM	#4
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Do the spots look like he's sprinkled with salt, or powdered sugar? Ich looks like grains of salt and can be treated with copper or hypo (reducing SG to 1.009 and leaving it there for six weeks), but if it's Brooklynella or Amyloodinium/velvet you'll need to use a med like formalin (neither copper nor hypo work for these AFAIK). Try to get a picture of the fish, as clear as possible, and post in the disease forum. Hopefully someone can ID the disease and help you figure out the best course of action. __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

10/22/2006, 12:06 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Brook is a clown disease, as I understand it. Velvet or ich is the main possibility, and both respond to cupramine---I think! Cupramine would be the instant treatment, faster than lowering to hypo, but I have zip experience with puffers, and don't know if they can tolerate it. Copper [cupramine] is a poison calculated to poison the parasite while not killing the fish. It is stressful, for a fish in weakened condition, and not compatible with all species. It is, however, fast. It has one other negative: it ruins a tank for any other use other than copper-based treatment, so do not above all else put it in your display tank or use any net you have used in this solution in any other application, period: to keep things straight, back in the stone age when I last used copper, I threw out the whole rig, nets and all, except the qt tank, to prevent its accidental reuse. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/22/2006, 10:21 AM	#2
gopens Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Grants Pass, Oregon Posts: 284	i am not 100% sure. i know you can lower clowns salinity within a couple of hours to .009. i know because i do it with awesome results. i would say if you don't think he will last 72 hours, you might as well do it quicker. just my thoughts

10/22/2006, 10:30 AM	#3
Shagsbeard Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Morro Bay, CA Posts: 2,143	Make sure your QT has plenty of oxygen for him.

10/22/2006, 12:11 PM	#6
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	it would be stressful for the fish, but in the interim before starting treatment you could give him a quick freshwater dip for a minute or two and some of them might drop off. It'd be some relief for him until the treatment starts kicking in.