Hello,
I have a valentini saddle puffer who is at least two years old. I have had him a little over a year now. I have been feeding him emerald frozen omnivorous mix twice a week and white shrimp shell on once every two weeks. I recently found out that is not enough so now I feed him frozen every day and shrimp twice a week. He also grazes my live rock for pods all day long. He is normally very active and eats like a horse. For the past four days he has been sleeping a lot and only coming out to eat. This morning he only woke up when I turned on the lights and moved to a cave to go back to sleep. He wouldn't eat either. It looks like the skin on his belly is peeling off now, I don't know if this is from him being on the rocks so much or something ells.
Tank info:
55 gallon fowler
Ph- 8.2
Nitrate- 5ppm
Nitrite- 0
Ammonia- o
Salinity- 1.023
Temp- 80*F
Water change 10%/week
Thank mate is a yellow tail damsel who is very dosile and cuc.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
sick valentini saddle puffer
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
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32776
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C valentini
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Also kept:
lorteti
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Re: sick valentini saddle puffer
Can you get a clear pic of the skin issue? Anything added to the 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!"
-
El Scorpio
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 534
- Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2010 12:11 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: none, at the moment...
- Location (country): Louisville, KY.
Re: sick valentini saddle puffer
Water quality looks okay. It is possible he has a skin infection which is leaving him not feeling too well. When you say his skin is peeling, does it look damaged or look like an ulcer?
+1 on a picture; I've had tobies before that have gotten skin diseases, which I was able to successfully treat.
+1 on a picture; I've had tobies before that have gotten skin diseases, which I was able to successfully treat.
Re: sick valentini saddle puffer
I can't really get a good picture of it because he is staying under the rock. It looks like road rash that's the best way I can think of to discribe it. There is definitely no ulcer though.
Re: sick valentini saddle puffer
I haven't added anything to the tank. I did change to led reef lights a few months ago if that counts.Pufferpunk wrote:Can you get a clear pic of the skin issue? Anything added to the tank?
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32776
- 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: sick valentini saddle puffer
I'd at least start adding Melafix. Are there corals/anemones in the 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!"
Re: sick valentini saddle puffer
There are no corals at the moment but I am getting ready to start adding some soon. And should I leave him in QT or move him back to the the DT?
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32776
- 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: sick valentini saddle puffer
If he's the only sick one & you can keep the parameters stable, keep him in QT.
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!"
Re: sick valentini saddle puffer
He didn't make it through the night 
, but thanks for all the help.
, but thanks for all the help.