Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ph: 7.8
Nitrate: between 3-10 each time
Salinity: 1.008 / 16ppt (newly adjusted)
Diet: little success with anything other than black worms. But we’ve tried krill, bloodworms, mysis, snails, clams.
Black worms are just a penny sized clump put into the tank daily after a smaller amount is put in to observe interest.
10 gallon holding tank with 4 figure 8 puffers. We have customers that are interested in buying them, but they are repeatedly coming in sick and I have zero interest in selling obviously sick fish to unsuspecting hobbyists.
Water changes are usually less than once a week, depends on how stocked we keep the tanks and with constant observation of parameters. With the puffers in particular they haven’t been making it even a week.
Tank has been running two years with no disease issues other than the puffers, we’ve tried different suppliers and different holding tanks and are getting similar diseases.
I have a photo attached to this with the worse one of our current batch. They do seem a lot more energetic with the salinity raised. All of our holding fish get general cure dosing upon intake with harsher medicine being added upon observation.
Right now the puffers are being dosed with acriflavine MS.
Our suppliers have stated that these figure 8 puffers have been kept in freshwater for months with no issues, we just started swapping them to brackish in a troubleshooting attempt.
Any advice would be more than welcome, we are a fish store and I’m generally the one that is responsible for the well being of these fish in the store.
Figure 8 puffers routinely getting sick
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.
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Opulentpenumbra
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2020 2:52 pm
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32773
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- 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:
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Re: Figure 8 puffers routinely getting sick
I do not see a photo here. You need to upload them on a photo site & then link them here.
If they are always coming in sick, can you use a different supplier? how long are they taking to be shipped to you?
Symptoms? Even as a holding tank, 10g is way too small for the fish to feel safe & comfortable=not stressed.
If they are always coming in sick, can you use a different supplier? how long are they taking to be shipped to you?
Symptoms? Even as a holding tank, 10g is way too small for the fish to feel safe & comfortable=not stressed.
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!"