Hello from Beijing

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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.
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Vee
Puffer Fry
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 9:54 pm
Location (country): Beijing China

Hello from Beijing

Post by Vee »

I am an American teacher in Beijing. I have bitten off more than I can chew with my two puffers....I cannot read Chinese and I am struggling to find water measuring kits. My hydrometer registers the same in my fresh water tank as my puffer tank.
I have two puffers in a 20 gal. One cannot dive- he is stuck on the surface.

I do weekly water changes with 1tsp marine salt per gallon. I am treating them with mystery meds that contain methyl blue. They feel better for a minute after I dose them.

I feed shrimp and snails.

Their fins were bad when I got them, got healthy and now are deteriorating.

Tyson is not eating...I hand fed him...he is stronger but now spitting out his favorite shrimp.

Instead of enjoying them I am worrying myself to death.
Appreciate some help,
Virginia
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
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
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suvattii
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Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
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Re: Hello from Beijing

Post by Pufferpunk »

[welcome]
I'm sorry you are having so many issues. Is the tank cycled? I'm moving this to the Hospital Forum, so you can answer all the questions above, in red.
Here are a few articles that may help:
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19348
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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hadla
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1626
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 8:33 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: 2 gsps and a big Stars and stripes
Location (country): California
Location: Sacramento, CA
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Re: Hello from Beijing

Post by hadla »

Do you know what kind of puffers they are? Any pics?
Never trust big puffers. The fingers you save may be your own. -RTR
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