help, theres something wrong with my puffer

[vsnsofadrgn]

usually im on the salty side, but there is something wrong with my freshwater dwarf puffer. its a figure 8 i believe. hes in a 20 gal with a cory and a chinese algae eater and it has a hob filter on it. hes swimming very funny, bumping into the glass, plants, and the rock that is in there. his tail looks like its been eaten on, but theres nothin in there that would do that. he hasnt eatin in 2 days either, he perks up a bit, but im not sure he can navigate himself. please help biggie.

 

[Devilishturtles]

his tail looks like its been eaten on, but theres nothin in there that would do that

chinese algae eater

Don't be so sure about that. CAE's can become quite agressive. Maybe you can try isolating the CAE in a breeder net for a few days and treating the Puffer with Melafix to help his wound along. A PWC every few days will help as well.

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

i see what you are saying about the cae, but ime, that happens as they get older, in which case hes very young, only an inch. it could be tho. what could explain his odd swimming behavior? poor guy, he acts as if he is drunk. i just want him to be better.

 

[penpitt]

What are your water parameters? Puffers tend to be more sensitive to nitrates then many other species, Also if you do have a F8 puffer they do best in a low brackish setup(SG around 1.005-1.008).

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

well i just cleaned the filter media, so im thinking i cleaned it too well. i did that on thursday, went out of town for the weekend and had a friend feed the tank. when i returned on sunday, thats when he was acting funny. also i thought about the brackish water, can i use that aquarium salt thats not really marine salt, or should i just use my marine salt? will the cae and cory be alright with the change? should i get the melafix for his tail?

 

[penpitt]

You need to use marine salt for the brackish tank, not aquarium salt. Neither the cory or the cae will survive in the BW setup. Just to confirm it is a F8 though does it look like this?

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=549

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

i couldnt open the link because im not a member, but here is a pic of him.

 

[penpitt]

Thats definately a F8. The link didn't work for me either this last time but they are/were in the process of switching servers.

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

so i should i add a lil bit of saltwater a day til i get to 1.005-1.008? do you think thats whats wrong with him? should i get melafix?

 

[penpitt]

Have you tested for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
I have never used melafix so not sure how well that would treat the tail.I wouldn't add any salt to the tank while the other fish are in it.When you do start adding salt make sure you don't raise the SG more then .002/week. The F8 would be fine in a 15 gallon tank