I have a 30 gallon brackish tank. Sand/lots of plants and coves.
1 GSP
1 Leopard Puffer
Tank:
pH: 7.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Specific Gravity: 1.004 (newly introduced to brackish about 2 weeks ago)
Temp: 82
Two days ago I found one of my LPPs dead. Belly white and rounded. Color was good. No signs of injury or distress.
I did a water change.
The next day, there was a horrendous smell and I noticed that my water, while clear, was yellowish. The filter had a white, almost creamy substance on it.
The other two puffers would not eat anything. Bloodworms, snails, green peas, brine shrimp.
The GSP's stomach was black and he was lethargic and laying on the bottom. The other puffer looked normal but wouldn't eat.
I did a complete water change. Scrubbed the filter and the tank sides.
Refilled the tank and the puffers seemed a bit better.
However, today, the GSP is surface swimming and while his belly is not longer black, he is grayish from the end of his belly to his tail where there is a blackish stripe. The other puffer is alternating from the bottom to the top of the tank. Neither will eat, yet their bellies look like they have eaten recently. The GSP has labored breathing.
I have tried Melafix. Salt. And last night, I did the first dose of the parasite medication.
Does anyone has any ideas as to what I should try next, or what may be the issue? I am always "saving" the GSPs at Walmart where they're bellies are sunken in and they are completely black bellied. However, when I do so, they are in a separate tank. I have never seen anything like this though....
Thanks so much for any and all help!
Sick GSP
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.
-
Pufferpunk
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Re: Sick GSP
It is almost impossible for an established tank to show NO nitrate.
Please answer every single question above in red.
What's the difference between a GSP & "Leopard puffer"?
Please answer every single question above in red.
What's the difference between a GSP & "Leopard puffer"?
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!"