Hi Everybody
I've been struggling with one of my GSPs for the last 2 and a half months. He is part of my original group of 5 GSPs I got as a present almost 2 years ago. I lost one of those within a week because it got stuck in some decor.
Anyway, I moved 3 months ago but it started before that, he has never been a great eater, smaller and a slower grower, he doesn't eat until he is round like the others. He's only grown about 2cm in almost two years, while the others have basically doubled in size. My largest is around 9cm and hes about 4cm.
I have a total of 7 GSPs now with the newest additions coming in about a month and a half ago, I have never had any aggression issues ,not so much as a nipped fin between them, bunch of fatties. So this baby of mine, is still eating everyday and looks happy and busy. But is slowly becoming skinnier. I moved him to a separate container that floats in the tank around a month ago to make sure about how much he eats. I give medicated food at least twice a week to be sure of parasites, they also get live snails that I breed myself every second day, plus frozen food. They don't get food twice a week.
This poor baby is so skinny his spine has started bending in an S shape.
I don't know what to do anymore, all the others are fine!
Sorry for the long post.
Any help will be appreciated
GSP wasting away
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.
Re: GSP wasting away
Sorry just some additional info, they are in a custom 4ft, only the 7 puffers with "dry rock" you use in reef tanks as well as similar gravel since I'm slowly turning it marine.
SG is 1.018
Temp 26C
All other parameters are normal
I do a 25% wc every 2nd week and use red sea salt and RO water.
They are fed bloodworms, live snails, mussles, krill super ba, shrimp, polycheates, and hake.
SG is 1.018
Temp 26C
All other parameters are normal
I do a 25% wc every 2nd week and use red sea salt and RO water.
They are fed bloodworms, live snails, mussles, krill super ba, shrimp, polycheates, and hake.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32771
- 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: GSP wasting away
I'd QT that fellow & try a different med. There are many different IP species that can live in them for a very long time. ONLY feed medicated food for 5 days, then meaty foods soaked in vitamins for 2 days, then try a different IP med for another 5.
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!"
-
Welch4
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 698
- Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:22 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Abington,MA
Re: GSP wasting away
+1 to pp recomendation. Make sure you keep the krill as an infrequent treat. Qt'ing the affected gsp as PP said should have him have in healthy quickly if following the regimen she mentioned.
Forget other advice about puffers you don't hear here - Pufferpunk
Re: GSP wasting away
Ok I will QT him. Why should I only feed krill as a treat? I've been using prazi but got some new meds today to try.
-
Welch4
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 698
- Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:22 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Abington,MA
Re: GSP wasting away
Krill has been linked to lockjaw. Normally when it is the only thing fed but always best to be safe.
Forget other advice about puffers you don't hear here - Pufferpunk
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32771
- 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: GSP wasting away
You also need to feed your fish a varied diet. Often, krill keeps them addicted to it & they won't eat other, healthier choices. Try live earthworms. You can inject them with the meds.
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!"