Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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.
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bertie 83
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Posts: 5298
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis
Location (country): Brighton, England
Location: brighton , england

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by bertie 83 »

Sorry to hear this. Don't give up, get a 30g follow our fishless cycle and enjoy fishkeeping as we do. This is very unfortunate but use this as a learning curve
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
SaraGarcia1701
Puffer Fry
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:56 am
Location (country): United States

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by SaraGarcia1701 »

Maybe one day I'll get another puffer but being in college with only a 10 gallon tank allowed at school makes it tough so I think it's best when I can devote the space for a puffer to enjoy a 55gallon tank all to himself instead.
As a side note I checked the nitrite and ammonia levels and they were both below 0. Maybe she was just viciously I'll when I got her or maybe the water changes stressed her out and that's what killed her. I'm not really sure. Granted, maybe that lt 50% water change I did this morning knocked down the levels but I think there was something else wrong with her.
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puffykid
Former Staff Member
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Gender: Male
Location (country): Madison, WI

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by puffykid »

I'm in college right now too. I got fish tanks soon after I moved out of the dorms ( I got a 55g in my apartment right now)

I know you said you weren't ready to get another gsp but, if you could find a store around you that sold dwarf puffers a singleton in a 10g would be fun to have and you wouldn't have to worry about upgrades.

Here is a thread about a dwarf puffer

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=30153
1 M. Turgidus - 29 gallon
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bertie 83
Moderator
Posts: 5298
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis
Location (country): Brighton, England
Location: brighton , england

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by bertie 83 »

Why not fishless cycle the 10g and get 2 dps they are seriously amusing to watch
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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kcartwright856
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 289
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 12:17 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: 2 C. travancoricus (dwarf puffer)
7 Pangio kuhlii
5 Otocinclus vittatus (w/ fry)
Location (country): USA
Location: Millersburg, PA
Contact:

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by kcartwright856 »

I was just about to suggest DPs.

You could even do three as long as not more than one of them is male.

I prefer the aesthetics of the female more (That's what she said...) and they seem to spend more of their time out hunting than males, which spend a great deal of time simply defending their turf.

With a little training, it isn't hard to tell them apart as long as they're big enough! I haven't been to a store yet that had DPs so little that the males weren't showing their eye wrinkles.
-KC

My DP tank journal: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29746
SaraGarcia1701
Puffer Fry
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:56 am
Location (country): United States

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by SaraGarcia1701 »

Originally I wanted to get DP's but no one in my area sells them and, as cute as they are, I'm not spending $35+ in shipping on a fish. I really would love to have a pair of DPs and I would if I knew where to get them. :/
I'm in Hempstead NY (that's on Long Island for anyone who doesn't know) so if anyone knows where I could get a pair of them I would be very grateful!!!
I did a lot of research on DPs but I've heard mixed things about them being freshwater only, not freshwater, brackish water...if someone could clarify that for me, that would be super.
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puffykid
Former Staff Member
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Location (country): Madison, WI

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by puffykid »

SaraGarcia1701 wrote:Originally I wanted to get DP's but no one in my area sells them and, as cute as they are, I'm not spending $35+ in shipping on a fish. I really would love to have a pair of DPs and I would if I knew where to get them. :/
I'm in Hempstead NY (that's on Long Island for anyone who doesn't know) so if anyone knows where I could get a pair of them I would be very grateful!!!
I did a lot of research on DPs but I've heard mixed things about them being freshwater only, not freshwater, brackish water...if someone could clarify that for me, that would be super.
straight fw
1 M. Turgidus - 29 gallon
User avatar
bertie 83
Moderator
Posts: 5298
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis
Location (country): Brighton, England
Location: brighton , england

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by bertie 83 »

Yes strictly f/w
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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suvattii2012
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 427
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:52 am
My Puffers: Arrowhead / Suvattii
Location (country): UK

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by suvattii2012 »

SaraGarcia1701 wrote:Originally I wanted to get DP's but no one in my area sells them and, as cute as they are, I'm not spending $35+ in shipping on a fish. I really would love to have a pair of DPs and I would if I knew where to get them. :/
I'm in Hempstead NY (that's on Long Island for anyone who doesn't know) so if anyone knows where I could get a pair of them I would be very grateful!!!
I did a lot of research on DPs but I've heard mixed things about them being freshwater only, not freshwater, brackish water...if someone could clarify that for me, that would be super.

Please make sure your aquariums water is all right before getting some more fish :D
Arrowhead
User avatar
bertie 83
Moderator
Posts: 5298
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis
Location (country): Brighton, England
Location: brighton , england

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by bertie 83 »

Yes. Tear it down and start from scratch. Use the fishless cycling technique, buy a liquid test kit. Your next fishkeeping experience will be a happy one. When you are ready and have your test kit we will talk you through the cycle. For now read the fishless cycle article so you are familiar with it. Good luck with whatever you choose. Remember larger tanks are more stable, so worth considering, every gallon helps.
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
SaraGarcia1701
Puffer Fry
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:56 am
Location (country): United States

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by SaraGarcia1701 »

Oh believe me, I plan on totally redoing the entire tank. I don't want to risk anything happening to any fish I plan on putting in the down the line.
Thank you, again, for all of your help and information. :)
User avatar
bertie 83
Moderator
Posts: 5298
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis
Location (country): Brighton, England
Location: brighton , england

Re: Sick Green Potted Puffer!!!

Post by bertie 83 »

No problem
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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