I need help,
I have a 100 gallon tank. In the tank I have a small angel (had for 3 years) a maroon clown fish (had for 8 years) and a box puffer fish (had for 5 years). I recently removed another fish who seemed to be bullying the tank. After pulling that fish out my maroon clown fish started really fighting my other 2 fish. The angel is fine, but the puffer fish got a decent size bite mark and was being bullied for a couple days. Since then my tank guy who I trust and have had for 7 years came over and we rearranged the rocks. Put melafix into the tank to help puffer heal and now I have a piece of plastic with small holes for air flow dividing the maroon clown from other 2. My issue is the puffer won't eat! I've tried brine and mysis shrimp which usually he will consume 2-3 cubes, and I've tried a piece of zucchini which he usually eats very quick. He just looks sad, beat up and I'm afraid if he won't eat soon he will die. Any tips??? Please help!
Puffer beat up and not 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.
-
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: Puffer beat up and not eating
I don't blame him, I wouldn't eat if I was bullied or didn't feel well. 
I am surprised your boxfish didn't wipe out the entire system, releasing his toxins under stress. You're VERY lucky! Obviously, you removed the top fish & now the maroon has taken his place. Maroon clowns are the most aggressive clowns on the list! With a puffer/boxfish, they must always be the top fish in the tank, with the others, being much less aggressive. I'm not sure the boxfish will be oK, until that clown is gone. Maybe put it with the bully?
I am surprised your boxfish didn't wipe out the entire system, releasing his toxins under stress. You're VERY lucky! Obviously, you removed the top fish & now the maroon has taken his place. Maroon clowns are the most aggressive clowns on the list! With a puffer/boxfish, they must always be the top fish in the tank, with the others, being much less aggressive. I'm not sure the boxfish will be oK, until that clown is gone. Maybe put it with the bully?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!"
-
dma1976
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Fri Dec 06, 2013 10:22 pm
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Vermont
Re: Puffer beat up and not eating
Is your's doing any better now? My GSP is going through a similar issue right now except he gets "sad" when I separate the bullies. I am re-homing them tomorrow and hoping that helps. Has he eaten anything? I'm hoping that your situation is improving and can give me some optimisim. Have you tried small snails? Mine usually devours them. Best of luck to you!