1. Water Parameters:
Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate: 0/0/0 ppm (API Master Test Kit)
pH: 6.4 (Hanna pH Checker)
2. Tank:
20 gallon long
1x female C. irrubesco (the sick one)
1x male C. irrubesco
6x kohl loaches
3. Maintenance:
Tank is fed snails, live white worms, and Fluval color enhancing flakes every other day
15% water change once a week with 50% RO water, 50% tap water
Seachem Prime
4. Changes:
Added about two gallons of blackwater one week ago. Blackwater was made by putting peat in a back into a bucket of RO water
5. Cycle
Tank has been running for about three weeks. I did not cycle the tank itself, but I added a cycled Aqueon 20 HOB filter that came from a 10 gallon that had been running for 1.5 years. I moved the filter quickly, it spent about 45 seconds not in water. No diseases in the 10 gallon. I tested the water every other day for the past three weeks to ensure that the tank is cycled.
I bought a male and female C. irrubesco from my lfs about three weeks ago. They were both healthy and eating. I never saw outright aggression between the two puffers, but they would sometimes both go after the same worm/snail. Roughly two days ago, I noticed that the female has been more shy. This morning, I discovered her swimming along the bottom of the tank. She ate 3-5 white worms but did not eat any more, even when I offered her snails/frozen mysis shrimp. She has what seems to be white growths on her back and caudal fin. She's not as active as she was before, but she still swims, albeit more slowly. I suspected that the male has been bullying the female so I put him in a floating breeder box for the time being. Right now she is hovering above the bottom of tank. I have attached pictures and a video for reference: https://imgur.com/a/vqwp7Od (Images were too big to be attached.) I have also attached a picture of the entire tank. I am waiting on some crypts to fill out the left side of the tank. I am hoping any behavior problems improve once I add more cover. I have two questions:
1. Does anyone know what is afflicting her? I think it may be bacterial but I am not sure.
2. How should I go about treating her?
I am entirely new to the world of puffers, and I'm really enjoying them so far. Any input is greatly appreciated.
C. irrubesco not eating and less active
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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Patpatthepat
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2021 6:42 pm
- Location (country): United States of America
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32773
- 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: C. irrubesco not eating and less active
Awwww... poor gal!
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... care-sheet
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... blue-baths
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... care-sheet
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... blue-baths
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!"
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Patpatthepat
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2021 6:42 pm
- Location (country): United States of America
Re: C. irrubesco not eating and less active
Ahhh shoot, thank you for that, seems like I have been doing lots of things wrong. A more knowledgeable Betta fish keeper friend of mine recommended Methylene blue and kanamycin so that is what I have been doing. Unfortunately she's been in there for two hours already, so its not a bath. I am taking her out right now and putting her in the main tank, but I am afraid that the male will bully her when she gets back. I'm thinking of putting her in a breeder box temporarily?
Should I leave her in there? Or take her back into the main tank? She is looking a lot worse.
Should I leave her in there? Or take her back into the main tank? She is looking a lot worse.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32773
- 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: C. irrubesco not eating and less active
Can you set up a hospital tank for her?
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!"