I need to talk to someone with experience with puffers. i've been reading up on treating them for ich and trying everything. my fish is still alive, but the ich won't leave.
here's my sad but typical story. i've been trying s.w. for a few years. i'm almost ready to give up, but i'm not a quitter by nature haha. time after time, when i purchase fish from my local s.w. fish store (where the owner is an expert) they always get ich and the fish die...and that's with adding the fish all at the same time, from the same store, so i didn't have a need for a q.t.
after my last wipe out, my tank had been set up and cycled for over 1.5 years with only a chocolate chip starfish and some crabs and snails. this past Feb i thought i would add some damsels to get the fish started again. they were fine for 4 months, so i added a blue tang. within 2 days the tang had ich and i took it back immediately. the owner treated it for me and told me to pick it up in 3 days which i did, and he also told me that i didn't have to treat the tank because there wasn't enough time for the ich to hatch and get into the tank.
the next morning the tang was dieing. the damsels were fine. so the owner tells me (even knowing that i have 3 of his damsels) that he thinks the damsels killed the tang.
well there goes more of my money. he makes a deal and lets me trade in the damsels and gives me partial credit for the tang, so i bought a dog-faced puffer that i fell in love with....
within 3 days...low and behold he got ich. i can't understand it. i have done everything the owner has told me to do in regards to my tank set up. the water continues to test fine.
so here it is a week and half later and i've been keeping my baby alive with daily f.w. dips, daily partial water changes (getting very expensive with the salt usage), and half doses of Rid Ich. i read that puffers can't have the full dose because it burns their skin. I have also been soaking his shrimp in crushed garlic because i read that it detours parasites.
well.....the ich is still going strong, though it looks as though it's not burried in the skin, but "floating" slightly attached to the coating on his body...if that makes any sence at all. to my surprise the fish is still alive.
my ammonia levels went up because i haven't been able to use my carbon.
i'm worried about that, even though i used AmQuel. i dont' know how long the tank can go without active carbon before my biological filtration dies off. i've read about lowering the salinity, but i'm so afraid of doing that too fast, or for too long of a period and shocking him, and everyone has a different s.g. to use. any more suggestions? i just want this one fish to live and have a happy life. i don't even think i'm going to add other fish...ever. it's too much stress. i lost my starfish when i removed it to do the treatment. i don't have a lot of extra money right now, but what is the outcome of uv sterilizers? :help:
here's my sad but typical story. i've been trying s.w. for a few years. i'm almost ready to give up, but i'm not a quitter by nature haha. time after time, when i purchase fish from my local s.w. fish store (where the owner is an expert) they always get ich and the fish die...and that's with adding the fish all at the same time, from the same store, so i didn't have a need for a q.t.
after my last wipe out, my tank had been set up and cycled for over 1.5 years with only a chocolate chip starfish and some crabs and snails. this past Feb i thought i would add some damsels to get the fish started again. they were fine for 4 months, so i added a blue tang. within 2 days the tang had ich and i took it back immediately. the owner treated it for me and told me to pick it up in 3 days which i did, and he also told me that i didn't have to treat the tank because there wasn't enough time for the ich to hatch and get into the tank.
the next morning the tang was dieing. the damsels were fine. so the owner tells me (even knowing that i have 3 of his damsels) that he thinks the damsels killed the tang.
well there goes more of my money. he makes a deal and lets me trade in the damsels and gives me partial credit for the tang, so i bought a dog-faced puffer that i fell in love with....
within 3 days...low and behold he got ich. i can't understand it. i have done everything the owner has told me to do in regards to my tank set up. the water continues to test fine.
so here it is a week and half later and i've been keeping my baby alive with daily f.w. dips, daily partial water changes (getting very expensive with the salt usage), and half doses of Rid Ich. i read that puffers can't have the full dose because it burns their skin. I have also been soaking his shrimp in crushed garlic because i read that it detours parasites.
well.....the ich is still going strong, though it looks as though it's not burried in the skin, but "floating" slightly attached to the coating on his body...if that makes any sence at all. to my surprise the fish is still alive.
my ammonia levels went up because i haven't been able to use my carbon.
i'm worried about that, even though i used AmQuel. i dont' know how long the tank can go without active carbon before my biological filtration dies off. i've read about lowering the salinity, but i'm so afraid of doing that too fast, or for too long of a period and shocking him, and everyone has a different s.g. to use. any more suggestions? i just want this one fish to live and have a happy life. i don't even think i'm going to add other fish...ever. it's too much stress. i lost my starfish when i removed it to do the treatment. i don't have a lot of extra money right now, but what is the outcome of uv sterilizers? :help:
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