The Puffer Forum

Help!! I have 2 asellus puffers, 1 GSP, and 2 figure 8's. The Figure 8's are doing great, but recently my GSP developed black on the underside of his belly. Also, my 2 asellus seem to be developing ick.

My situation is this...

29g aqaurium
1.005 SG
PH ~ 7-7.5
Nitrate and Nitrite both minimal
50% WC usually 1x/week
2 filters - Marineland HOB Pengiun 100 with Biowheel and an Aquaclear 30.
Temp ~ 82degrees but recently raised to 84 to try and fight the ick!
Sand substrate

The main problem that I know I am fighting is that I directly added salt to the tank and have read on here not to do that. Struggling with how to add water without using buckets. right now my method is to siphon out water, double dose with dechlorinators and ammonia remover, and pump tap back in, then add salt as needed.

HELP!!

Thanks so much.

Are they all in the same tank? Keep reading...
GDP is a high-end BW/SW fish, that needs a minimum of 30g for a singleton:
viewtopic.php?f=68&t=28469

F8 is a low-end BW species, that requires 15g for a singleton:
viewtopic.php?f=68&t=28692

SAP is a FW fish that prefers to live in groups of 5 or more: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebinde ... tNeale.htm

ANY nitrIte at all, is bad. You need to separate these 3 species into 3 systems & start treating. Heat & salt for all 3: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28113

I think I messed up with the salinity of the tank. The tank was previously freshwater and housed several african cichlids. I didn't re-cycle the tank as BW but just added salt and then the fish. Do you think I killed all of the bacteria?

I have had this tank up and running for about 3 years as a FW before recently turning it about a month ago.

Was it empty between the cichlids & puffers? Do you have a refractometer? What are your plans of separating these 3 different species?

The tank was empty except for a plecostomus for about a week, which I also get rid of the same day I got the puffers. I have a hydrometer and measured the SG at 1.005. It was around 1.003 and then I tried to increase it to fight the ick. I just read your heat and salt treatment post and will try that for the ick.

I have no idea what I am going to do about separating them yet. I live in a condo and definitely do not have space for 3 tanks.

I am going to at least try and mix my salt and water separately before adding to the tank. Just got home today and the GSP is looking black throughout his whole body!!!

Sorry about the double posts...I saw this hospital heading after my first post and thought it would fit better under here.

One more thing, sorry...


In your post on treating the ich...you mentioned to remove water and add 1 tsp of salt per gallon...how many gallons should be removed? I removed 5 gal and added 5 tsp, temp is increased to 86. Should i continue? SG was already at 1.004 in tank...the salinity of the water i just treated is basically the same...how will this help the treatment?

1.004 is good enough to treat ich. Is it just the SAP showing it? They almost always get it, when moved. Please answer all the other questions above, in red.

It is just the two SAP that are showing it. So since my last post...the GSP died that night. I have done the first step of your method to treat ich (adding 1 tsp of salt into extracted water and recycling it). SG is now at 1.005. I have waited 24 hrs and the puffers show no ill effects so my intent was to increase the salt dosage as suggested in your treatment.

answers to the above:

1. pH~7.5, ammonia between 0-.25/mg/L, nitrate and nitrite 0, SG 1.005.
2. 29 gallon tank with 2 figure 8s and 2 SAPs. Have a variety of fake and real plants, driftwook and other decor. Real plants are anacharis and cabomba (sp?)
3. They are feed twice a day. I rotate between bloodworms, mysis shrimp, and brine shrimp...but one of figure 8s and one of the SAPs only really eat the bloodworms. They periodically get snails and I dump 10 ghost shrimp in the tank about 1x/2weeks. Don't really notice them eating the snail shells though. i have tried both ramshorn and regular pond snails.
4. I hvae done a 25% water change 4 days ago and another 25% the next day just so I could get a full 50% change in this week. Usually I do 50% WC each week. I did recently buy 1 bunch of anacharis from PETCO and put it in. Not sure if they would have anything to do with this...i add Prime and a dechlorinator when adding new tap water.
5. The aquarium has been up for 3 years as FW. Recently converted to BW for puffers. been converted for about a month. tank was originally cycled with goldfish. Then the tank house serveral african cichlids, a pleco, and clown loach. All were successful.

2x 25% is not even close to a single 50%. Whilst treating for ick up your waterchanges to at least 2-3 x 35- 50%, obviously 3x 50% would be great and be sure to thoroughly vacuum your substrate.

Actually, ich treatment requires 80% WC every other day, to remove free-swimming cysts.

Whilst that would certainly be beneficial, I got through ich with smaller regular partials. If I am not cleaning filters I don't go below the intake pipes. I would prefer to change more water more frequently than have to restart my filters ( this started with my sun sun the eheims are no bother). If you can change that quantity then certainly do so. If not do regular daily largish partials with gravel vac. Certainly not trying to take anything away from what pp says.

Do you know anybody that can take care of some of these puffers? You obviously have a very, very incompatible tank.

If I am not cleaning filters I don't go below the intake pipes. I would prefer to change more water more frequently than have to restart my filters

Just unplug or turn the filters off.

Pufferpunk wrote:

If I am not cleaning filters I don't go below the intake pipes. I would prefer to change more water more frequently than have to restart my filters

Just unplug or turn the filters off.

The eheims are no bother but after my sun sun saga I choose not to. I just do multiple smaller changes that equate to much more than I need to do on a weekly basis. When dealing with disease things may be different. However I got through it and now have a healthy fish. 80% changes may be beneficial but multiple smaller changes may work just as well.