Struggling Dog-face Puffer. PLEASE HELP!

[delpni]

I have tried everything I can think and am out of ideas. I have a Dog-face puffer who has been in my 75 gallon tank for 2-3 months now (I have a 90 gallon for him to advance to later). A few weeks ago, I purchased a Blue-chin Trigger. Unfortunately, he refused to eat (tried muscles, krill, shrimp, squid, Entice, Garlic, etc) and passed away. Before the Trigger died, I noticed a white film all over his body and he died with his mouth wide open. Immediately, I tested my oxygen levels and they were fine. A few days after he died, I noticed white spots all over my puffer...ich. I tried treating the puffer with a freshwater dip (matched PH and Temp to display tank) and ParaGuard, then moved him to quarantine for 2 weeks. After that time, the ich was gone and I returned him to the display. Two days later, I noticed ich..again! I moved the fish to quarantine again and just like the first time, I treated the water daily with ParaGuard. By the end of his first day back in quarantine, he appeared to be struggling to breath and the oxygen (for whatever reason) was testing extremely low in the QT tank. Having not other options, I removed ALL of the sand from the display tank and decided to treat it with the ParaGuard and return the fish there (The oxygen is 8mg/l, which is perfect). Today, my fish is sitting at the top of the tank, mouth wide open, gasping for breath. I don't know what to do! At this point, I have done 2 water changes (50-60% each), gone through an entire bottle of ParaGuard, added a bubbler for extra air, shut off my lights for 24 hours now, and lowered (over the past week) the salinity to 1.021 (was 1.024). I really love this fish and don't know what else to do for him. My water params are as follows:

Salinity 1.021
Temp 79
PH 8.3
O2 8mg/l
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Phos. 0
Ammon. 0
Copper 0

Sorry this is so long; I want to be sure to include any info that may help. Up until last night, the fish was eating (he had two pieces of Krill and I have been feeding him a diet of Krill, Squid, Muscles [in shell], coctail shrimp, and Kent Garlic).

Thank you!

 

[delpni]

beccamc10;613420 wrote: Can you list the other stock in this 75 gallon

Just the puffer

 

[delpni]

Amici;613467 wrote: I think you may have set it on a downhill spiral with the dips and moving to QT. If it was just ich then odds are it should stay in the display. Although it sounds more like brook than ich which is a whole different beast. I would suggest you QT fish before the problem and not after they are sick. IME a fish should only be moved if it requires specialized feeding or can transmit the illness. It's already in the display so I would keep everything stable and not move him around.

Also what test kit? Those numbers look real suspect.....

Prior to all this, the trigger was in quarantine prior to placing him in the display (for 1 week). At that time, there was also a talbot damsel and 6-line wrasse. After the trigger passed, the wrasse and talbot developed these white spots and were dead within 48 hours, which is why I removed the puffer into quarantine. I should have mentioned that first. As for the test kit, it's an API chem test and the oxygen is salifert test

 

[delpni]

beccamc10;613511 wrote: You did 2 50-60% water changes in what kind of time period?

Over a course of 2 weeks

 

[shamanofsexy]

If you think your tank has ich would it not be better to treat the tank as the spores just jump off the fish live in the sand then spread.