Fahaka Stopped eating
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
As long as he's eating something, that's good! What's the temp of his tank?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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kass
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Temperature is just under 80, and has been the same since I got him.
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pokeystar
- Figure 8 Puffer
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- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 4:41 am
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2 GSP Pickle and Noodle
My children name the fish - Location (country): Ireland
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
I had very similar behaviour with my fahaka. I have read that parasites can make their way to the mouth making eating painful. I used a bath of prazi over 24 hours to treat. While none of it likely makes it to the stomach it did trigger feeding si I could get meds in. I also noticed that feeding could be temporarily triggered by dosing the water with water conditioner 'prime' or stress coat. I wondered if this soothed the mouth slightly? The bath method was stressful for the fish and me. I used a box with a external cannister filter I had running.
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kass
- Green Spotted Puffer
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- Location: Guelph, Canada
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Thanks for sharing your experience pokey. If his condition worsens ilI try a bath, but as you said I imagine it would be pretty stressful for the fish and I don't want to dose the display tank. I have been doing water changes every other day, so maybe the conditioner has helped a bit.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32773
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Chicago
- Contact:
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Try raising the temp to 82.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
kass
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:14 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): Canada
- Location: Guelph, Canada
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Today he ate a bite or two of shrimp, mussel, blackworms and snail soaked in meds. Not enough to give him a belly but it looked like he probably consumed some meds. Then he ate a bunch more snails without meds. He is very interested in the food but doesn't seem to want to eat it. So I was thinking that maybe his mouth was sore as pokeystar mentioned. However he had no problem crunching up some small snails... so possibly it is the meds putting him off or him just being picky.
I have raised the temperature a bit (in the sump) and willl see what it gets up to in the display tank and keep raising it up to 82.
I have raised the temperature a bit (in the sump) and willl see what it gets up to in the display tank and keep raising it up to 82.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32773
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Chicago
- Contact:
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Sounds like he's eating again!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
pokeystar
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 4:41 am
- My Puffers: Fahaka aka Mr Big Puff
2 GSP Pickle and Noodle
My children name the fish - Location (country): Ireland
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Great news. Keep us updated
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kass
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:14 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): Canada
- Location: Guelph, Canada
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Nipped at some medicated foods. Not interested in live worms. Ate a few bites of crayfish tail that filled him up. I just hope that he's getting enough meds in those little bites he takes.
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pokeystar
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 4:41 am
- My Puffers: Fahaka aka Mr Big Puff
2 GSP Pickle and Noodle
My children name the fish - Location (country): Ireland
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
It took about 2 days after meds for me to see improvement. Keep at it
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kass
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:14 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): Canada
- Location: Guelph, Canada
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
His activity level is much improved. He is roaming around hunting. Keeps finding cherry shrimp but can't catch them. Ignores snails.
Its strange, he acts very interested in all foods (medicated and not) offered takes a couple nips at them then swims away. Then he will eat more of his pick of the day. The last few days at each feeding I have offered snails, market shrimp, cherry shrimp, crayfish, clam, mussels, blackworms and bloodworms.
This morning he nipped at some medicated food. Then he ate most of a freshly killed cherry shrimp. Then a short while later I offered him some blackworms again which he didn't want earlier but he ate a few of them this time.
He looks good after eating this morning. Which is good because I am away for the weekend and he won't eat for two days, although there are a couple cherry shrimp and some snails in there with him
Its strange, he acts very interested in all foods (medicated and not) offered takes a couple nips at them then swims away. Then he will eat more of his pick of the day. The last few days at each feeding I have offered snails, market shrimp, cherry shrimp, crayfish, clam, mussels, blackworms and bloodworms.
This morning he nipped at some medicated food. Then he ate most of a freshly killed cherry shrimp. Then a short while later I offered him some blackworms again which he didn't want earlier but he ate a few of them this time.
He looks good after eating this morning. Which is good because I am away for the weekend and he won't eat for two days, although there are a couple cherry shrimp and some snails in there with him
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pokeystar
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 4:41 am
- My Puffers: Fahaka aka Mr Big Puff
2 GSP Pickle and Noodle
My children name the fish - Location (country): Ireland
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Great Kass, with lots of food being offered keep an eye on the water parameters, last thing you want is an ammonia spike
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kass
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:14 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): Canada
- Location: Guelph, Canada
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Yes for sure.
All food offered is taken out right away, or shortly after, once he has lost interest.
All food offered is taken out right away, or shortly after, once he has lost interest.
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pokeystar
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2016 4:41 am
- My Puffers: Fahaka aka Mr Big Puff
2 GSP Pickle and Noodle
My children name the fish - Location (country): Ireland
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
How's it going?
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kass
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:14 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): Canada
- Location: Guelph, Canada
Re: Fahaka Stopped eating
Got home after being away for a few days and couldn't find him. Found him in the sump playing in the bubbles from the overflow water. He was a bit thin but fine. I found a couple large-Ish empty snail shells in the aquarium, so he had eaten something over the last few days.
He ate a bunch of blackworms and small snails and a few bites of earthworms. And part of one snail medicated. His activity level is back to normal. Looking good, will have to keep an eye on his poop and how thin he is between feedings.
Edit: the small gap he must have used to fall into the overflow has been filled with a peice of foam.
He ate a bunch of blackworms and small snails and a few bites of earthworms. And part of one snail medicated. His activity level is back to normal. Looking good, will have to keep an eye on his poop and how thin he is between feedings.
Edit: the small gap he must have used to fall into the overflow has been filled with a peice of foam.