Hello from Singapore

Dwarf, Red Eye, South American & more. Freshwater puffer talk in here.
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RonJ
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 12:40 am
Location (country): Singapore. Less than 75miles from the equator. Warm weather 365days a year.

Hello from Singapore

Post by RonJ »

Hello all,
I am from Singapore and for the first time keeping a predatory carnivorous fish. Two tiny Indian dwarf puffers in this case. I will have to start my first post also with few questions :(

I had got my first dwarf puffer roughly 2+ weeks ago. And I made a rookie mistake. I put it in my 20G tank with Angel fish and GBRs for 2 days before moving it to a cycled 3G tank(it was instant cycled as I had media and filter running on another tank, just had to seed it, I use sand substrate also from my established tank), where it stayed for a week and a half and this Sunday I moved it to a 7G tank along with one more dwarf puffer, I got over the weekend.

Both my dwarf puffers are active. The one I got first is slightly smaller in size to the new one. Now here are the problems

1) I have never seen any of them eat, Do you think, the first one could have lasted without eating anything for 2weeks or more? I have tried Tubifex worms and did not see them eating. I left it there and taken out what was not spread out after 30minutes or so. I also added a ramshorn snail 2weeks ago. Now that snail has become quite big and still is not eaten. I did put small amount of dried blood worms also once in a while. Not sure they have been eating when i was not around. My tank parameters are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate a color between 10 and 20, PH 7.4.

2) I did not know about the massive issue with internal parasites in dwarf puffers. The fish came from a LFS store which I know very well. But not sure about the sources of their dwarf puffers. As I have seen these fishes never eat, they could be probably having internal parasites too right? If so, Would I have introduced them to my 20G tank also already? I do not even know what medicines we here in Singapore for treating IP. My puffers are still very active comes to the front of the glass then swims in some kind of wave motions. Both of them swim 3-inches apart most of the time.

3) I have seen posts to look for sunken belly to diagnose IP. But I do not even know what is considered as sunken. I also used my fish net across my 3 tanks, which I used to handle the these DPs. Now I am really worried that, i would have passed something to other fishes in the other two tanks. What to look out for? If I introduced IPs to my angel fish-GBR tank, how long before I see fish sick?
devildog999
Puffer Fry
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:30 am
Location (country): USA

Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by devildog999 »

I think it may be best to repost this in one of the forums that seems appropriate for your title (such as "Hospital" or "Freshwater Puffers") given you'll have a better shot at finding the people that have the answer. This forum is not likely to be checked by many as it is for meet and greets, but that could just be my opinion. That being said, I like to live by better safe than sorry. As for your questions, I can try my best, but other opinions are good.

In regards to the net, while you don't want to cross contaminate between a QT, hospital, and display tank, I doubt any parasites were passed via the net.

It isn't just dwarf puffers, but most puffers which are wild caught so they usually have parasites. Unless your LFS treated for said parasites, you likely have fish with some critters in their systems I would imagine. If you look through some Hospital stickies, I think you'll find something that can help you.

As for your first question, and I apologize for answering out of order, they should have eaten by now. It is possible your specific fish so not like an audience when eating but it is not very likely all of them are that way.

Just my thoughts, others may have better info.
RonJ
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 12:40 am
Location (country): Singapore. Less than 75miles from the equator. Warm weather 365days a year.

Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by RonJ »

And here are some pictures and a video of my puffers. Sorry for the bad pictures because they hardly stay still when I go with the phone to take a picture. They do a peek-a-boo with me. Moving away from direct eye-contact. Not sure it is normal or it is because they have only been few weeks with me.
Image

Image

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=qbrQrA-UTHs
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
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Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
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Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by Pufferpunk »

It seems you have posted the same info 2x. I will close your other thread. I have moved this one to the FW Puffer Forum.
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!"
RonJ
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 12:40 am
Location (country): Singapore. Less than 75miles from the equator. Warm weather 365days a year.

Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by RonJ »

The thing is I need to wait for moderator approval. So someone asked me to post here then I posted. Then I realized that my thread was already moved here. So I added additional info here as well. That's what happened. Sorry. Please delete the other thread. Thanks
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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
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by Pufferpunk »

I deleted it already. You'll just have to be patient, while the admins get on here to approve your posts. It's only for a short time.
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!"
RonJ
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 12:40 am
Location (country): Singapore. Less than 75miles from the equator. Warm weather 365days a year.

Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by RonJ »

Still shows my previous thread as locked.

I know it is no-no but because of some special circumstances, I had to keep 3 tetras in this 7G tank with my pea puffers. Tetras are there only temporary and they have been there for 2 weeks now. Nothing happened to tetras and they pretty much ignore each other.

But until now I have not seen my puffers eating or pooping. It is highly unlikely that my puffers have been surviving without eating anything for last 3 weeks or so right? And I do not see any difference in body size. Sometimes I can see one chasing another. But all are short chase and lasts only few seconds. And sometimes I can see both of them gliding and hovering body to body in various locations in the tank. And sometimes I see one of them rapid swimming top to bottom for few turns on one of the sides of the tank(no particular side).

Last week one day I put frozen, thawed blood worms, I still did not see them take a bite, but next day whatever small pieces left were gone. Not sure tetra ate them or puffers.

Another day before that, I tried live tubifex, again saw tetra eating, never seen puffers eat. Anyway my puffers are still very active. I have ample ramshorn snails in the tank. But I have not seen any empty shells or dead/partially eaten snails either.

Do I still need to be worried about internal parasites? I checked with the LFS that I bought my puffers from, they said, all the fishes imported here are quarantined before coming to LFS. Not sure how true is that as I did not find any quarantine requirement in the govt website.
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lilacamy931
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Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by lilacamy931 »

Have you tried live bloodworm or crushed snails? Another recommendation is to soak the food in garlic juice as it can entice them to eat. The pics - they don't seem to have shrunken bellies. Are the ramshorns large compared to puffs? They might need smaller.

When next feeding try staying and observing for half hour. When you first put the food in do they show any interest?

Lastly what is the tank like? PLenty of decorations/ broken lines of visions? How are the water parameters for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites? It sounds like there has been a lot of change with them in the two weeks they have been with you and tetras might be pushing them out the way of food.
RonJ
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 12:40 am
Location (country): Singapore. Less than 75miles from the equator. Warm weather 365days a year.

Re: Hello from Singapore

Post by RonJ »

lilacamy931 wrote: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:04 pm Have you tried live bloodworm or crushed snails? Another recommendation is to soak the food in garlic juice as it can entice them to eat. The pics - they don't seem to have shrunken bellies. Are the ramshorns large compared to puffs? They might need smaller.

When next feeding try staying and observing for half hour. When you first put the food in do they show any interest?

Lastly what is the tank like? PLenty of decorations/ broken lines of visions? How are the water parameters for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites? It sounds like there has been a lot of change with them in the two weeks they have been with you and tetras might be pushing them out the way of food.
Water parameters are Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20. PH 7.4. Only 2 changes in last 3 weeks for the first puffer. No change for the second one, he was directly introduced to the 7G tank. There are two plants and rock formations to hide. They don't really hide much though.

There are many baby snails as well big snails. I have tried giving frozen and free dried blood worms. Also live tubifex worms. Snails live in there. There are at least 20 of them in different sizes. They never showed interest in food as in, came up to eat when the food was given. However, Foods always disappear when I come back after few hours. Could be the tetras or may be they themselves are eating. It's gonna be a month in 5days since I got the first one. So it must have eaten. Both are very active and inquisitive. But still very shy around me and always avoid direct eye contact. Like if I go to the side of the tank they are, they will just move away to the other. Even to take those pics, I need to stay on one side and extend my hand and hold the camera on the other side. That is why most of the shots are out of focus.

I have seen them swimming with the tetras as if schooling. May be they were imitating the tetra behavior. I also noticed some of the snails have not moved in few days. May be they are just empty shells? I have to check again.

Here is a picture taken 7days ago.
Image



And this video taken 4days ago. Very difficult to film them
https://youtu.be/ob5udul-n80
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