# Amazon Puffer has ich. What do I do?



## thewatson27 (Feb 5, 2011)

I found ich on my amazon puffer this morning. I've conquered ich a few times with month-long dosing of strong medication. I recognize it as ich as there are salt like spots on his back and side. My Clown Loach is slapping himself on the gravel and is slightly lethargic. My three tiger barbs are lethargic and look peckish and my Common Pleco has white spots on him as well. The other two fish seem fine -my Bristlenose Pleco and zipper loach. The fish exhibiting symptoms of ich did not eat well this morning when they usually eat like pigs. I believe the outbreak stems from a batch of 50 snails I put in Monday. (like a fool I dumped the aquarium water in the bag into my tank) What's the max sallinity these guys can tolerate to cure ich. I've done a 50% water change and started increasing the temperature. So far I've added about three tablespoons of marine salt and threw the last three jungle tabs (ich cure) in the tank for good measure. The dosage only treats thirty gallons and I have a 75 gallon. I do not want to kill my fish. Am I doing it wrong?
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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I am not a fan of using salt as many fish cannot tolerate it. Loaches being one, along with all catfish and characins.

My cure for ich (which I have had more often than someone with my experience should) is now Coppersafe. The last time I used this, with loaches, the ich was dealt with and the loaches appeared none the worse.

If you go this route, I would first do a major water change, 75-80%. Then dose with Coppersafe; you only need use it once, it lasts 30 days (except water changes will obviously dilute it, which is one reason I suggest a major wc first, the other is to dilute the salt and Jungle stuff). You can raise the temperature if the fish can manage. The fish you mention are OK with temps over 80F for a week, so as long as there is not something else that will have problems with a high temp, I would raise it because loaches with ich can be very difficult to cure, sometimes impossible. Slowly raise the temp, just turn up the heater today and then again tomorrow, aiming for 84F for the rest of the week. This helps to speed up the ich cycle.

Some people advocate high temperatures, meaning 90F, on its own. I've not tried this. If you do this method, make sure there is plenty of water flow and surface disturbance to bring oxygen into the water. At higher temperatures, water can hold less oxygen, much less.

While I'm here, a comment on the possible cause. It may have come in with snails/water. But healthy fish usually can fend this off, it is natural; ich occurs in all tropical waters in nature but the fish manage to combat it. Stress, whatever the cause, is a major reason fish come down with ich.

And you have some fish issues causing stress. Clown loaches are very social fish (all loaches are for that matter). They should always be in a group of 5 or more. A lone loach is highly stressed because his "family" is not present, and he feels isolated, and vulnerable. This alone could easily bring on ich.

Same for the Tiger Barb. This species should always be in groups of no less than 8. They have a strong "pecking order" within the group. Fish that are shoaling by nature and kept in too small a group will not only suffer stress and health issues but frequently become even more aggressive than normal.

Always research fish before acquiring them, so you will know how many they need to be, tank size, compatibility issues, etc. We have fish profiles, second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page.

Hope this helps you.

Byron.


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## thewatson27 (Feb 5, 2011)

*Thanks*

Thank you for all the information, I will buy some coppersafe today and start treatment. A friend gave me the tigers barbs and clown loach, he had had them for a few years and they school together. I did not want these fish but I didn't want to see them crammed into the tank he down-graded to. The pet store I go to is Preuss Pets. They are my go-to aquarium people and have helped and informed me every step of the way, especially with fish selection. Their website is preusspets.com. I have to go but I'll write back thanks again so much and I'll figure out what to do with the barbs and loach.


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## Grimmjow (Jul 22, 2009)

Ive had raising the temp work for me. I tried these tablets one time and it stained the seals blue so I threw that tank out and just raised the temp at the first sight of it.


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## Pufferfish22 (Feb 6, 2011)

Is coppersafe not poisoness to puffers due to their lack of scales?


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## thewatson27 (Feb 5, 2011)

*coppersafe*

I don't know I ended up not using it because I couldn't find it anywhere. I went to my LPS and they recommended ICH cure which I've been using in conjunction with raised temp.


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## Jacks974 (Apr 5, 2011)

thewatson27 said:


> Thank you for all the information, I will buy some coppersafe today and start treatment. A friend gave me the tigers barbs and clown loach, he had had them for a few years and they school together. I did not want these fish but I didn't want to see them crammed into the tank he down-graded to. The pet store I go to is Preuss Pets. They are my go-to aquarium people and have helped and informed me every step of the way, especially with fish selection. Their website is preusspets.com. I have to go but I'll write back thanks again so much and I'll figure out what to do with the barbs and loach.


Hi. I just got 3 SAP's from Preuss about 2-3 weeks ago. I would love to chat sometime. I bought the ms222 and don't think I'll ever use the whole amount if you wanted to buy some of it. Also I have questions about them eating. Mine don't seem to go after snails. Give me an email sometime.
[email protected]


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