Parasites vs. Air?

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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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LilPuff92
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Parasites vs. Air?

Post by LilPuff92 »

Hi guys,

I'm brand new to (being registered in) this forum. I've read a bunch of posts on here before, but I'm having an issue with my new Figure Eight that I haven't been able to find the answer for.
Water parameters: 10gal tank (Overfiltered; will be moved to 20gal soon) ammonia <.02ppm, nitrate 20ppm, nitrite undetectable (<.5), pH 7.5, SG 1.008.
I got this little guy about 3 weeks ago and he was doing great- buzzing around the tank, meeting me at the front, eating ramshorn/pond snails and freeze fried brine shrimp soaked in tank water. Yesterday I noticed his sides were paler than usual, but I thought I had woken him up because he had been lying on the bottom sand when I walked in the room. But he got up to greet me as usual even though he stayed relatively pale. I checked for nitrates because his color usually lightens when they're getting higher, and they were at about 40. I did a 60% water change this morning to bring it back down to 20. He was sluggish and still pale, and I tried to feed him before I did the water change and he ate half a snail and barely touched the shrimp. About three or four hours ago, he started just kind of floating around the tank even though his fins are moving. He's currently swimming, but his head is pointed up to the top. I read that he may have ingested air if the shrimp wasn't soaked long enough, so I tried to burp him, but he's a little guy (~1in.) and I'm afraid of pushing too hard. It didn't help anything.
His sides are currently still pale, but his belly is white and his back is still a normal black/yellow.

I was wondering if it's possible to tell the difference between when a puffer has air versus when they have a parasite? I'm wondering if, since burping didn't work, if that means it's a parasite. I see nothing on him, but that doesn't really mean anything.
Any help is appreciated!
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Iliveinazoo
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Re: Parasites vs. Air?

Post by Iliveinazoo »

You shouldn't be showing any ammonia so I don't think your tank is cycled? Perform massive water changes daily until you can get to a shop to buy Tetra Safe start which should instantly cycle your tank. hopefully he isn't too far gone.
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Re: Parasites vs. Air?

Post by Pufferpunk »

With air, they're bobbing on the surface of the water, usually on their back.
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/
library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/
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!"
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bertie 83
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Re: Parasites vs. Air?

Post by bertie 83 »

It's likely the ammonia is causing this. +1 on getting safestart ASAP
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
LilPuff92
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Re: Parasites vs. Air?

Post by LilPuff92 »

Thanks guys, sadly Calypso died before this ended up getting approved. But it still helps for future reference, as I plan on getting another F8 when I get the 20gal. The tank cycled (fishless, with live sand and some medium from an established tank) for about 2 months- hit the nitrite spike and everything. I have an ammonia reader that auctions to the side of the tank and doesn't register anything below that reading, so I guess next time around I'll get a different ammonia test.
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bertie 83
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Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
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Re: Parasites vs. Air?

Post by bertie 83 »

Sorry for your loss
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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Pufferpunk
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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
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Re: Parasites vs. Air?

Post by Pufferpunk »

:rip: So sorry...

Brackish LS???
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!"
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