My Mbu saved me now I need to save him..... PLEASE HELP!

[xxSarahxx]

Firstly I must apologise for my first post being a help post.... I've been registered on here for a while but only browsed rather than posted for which I apologise.
I have a (approx) 4" mbu puffer in a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank. It is heavily planted and also houses about 45 other small fish (cardinals, a few types of rasboras, threadfin rainbows, and a couple of other types of tetras as well as some otos and flying foxes) The tank is filtered using a two large externals (can filter 500 litres each) as well as a Fluval 4plus. It is well aerated as well. The tank is very mature (the filters even more mature as have been running on other tanks for years) and I have had Blinky (he only has one eye but it has not been eaten away it looks like it never grew at all) for almost 3 months but have known him for about 7 months as he was in the shop that I work in for a few months before I got him,
Ammonia (NH3) = 0
Nitrite (NO2) = 0
Nitrate (NO3) = 15
pH = 7.8
KH = 5.5
I do water changes at least once a week if not twice and change between 25% and 40% each change using re-mineralised RO water.
My well loved Blinky gets fed muscles, prawns, snails, languistine, cockle, fresh prawns on a regular basis.
I fell in love with Blinky when I was acclimatising him into his tank at work (following importing him). His colours were the best I'd seen a mbu and the fact that he only had one eye just made him more appealing. A day after he came home to me I had major spinal surgery and when I got home he was by my bed the whole time and really kept me going when no one else seemed to be around there he was. I can't tell you how much I love this fish.
The last few days he has not been himself. On Tuesday first thing he appeared to be swimming slightly on his side but after a little while he corrected himself. Tuesday evening when the lights came on (they're on a timer) he spun around a few times and then proceeded to swim on his side slightly again. However, after about half an hour he was his usual self and very happy.
Today he is really sulking. Normally as soon as he sees me he is up and about and his colour comes up and then he just keeps swimming. He is incredibly active and sociable. Today his colour isn't good at all. He is hiding and not at all active. It's the first time I've ever known him not to come up and see me. He normally eats out of my hands and as soon as I open the lid to the tank up he comes to get it. Today he didn't. I reached down to him and he still wasn't interested even though it was his favourite food (muscle) eventually he took a bite (but with less energy than normal) and proceeded to choke a little bit. I removed the other half of the muscle as I didn't want to risk him choking. I don't understand what could be wrong with him. There are two things that have been a bit different recently. Coming up to a week ago I fed him a muscle that looked a little bit pink. It didn't smell but I'm now kicking myself incase it wasn't right (frozen muscle). The only other thing was I haven't slept at home in the past couple of nights (something he is quite used to) but the lights got left on all night as the timer got fiddled with by someone I live with. I am just really really hoping that he is stroppy because of this. I have now left the light off as he seems a bit happier with it off. They are due to come back on in around 12 hours. I have also used some aquarium tonic salt but at half dose and not put in all at once.
If anyone has any ideas as to what else I can do to bring back the Blinky I know and love I am willing to listen to all suggestions.
Thanks so much. I will now go and introduce myself offically in the appropriate place.

[Nick]

Is it possible he was exposed to anything while at the fish store? If your tank systems are internconnected at the store, the chances of him not having been exposed to something bad are slim. He could also have internal parasites, that sometimes puts puffers off their food, does his belly shrink VERY fast after he eats normally?

[xxSarahxx]

I had considered that but no his sotmach remains tubby after he has eaten. Although there is a small possibility of him catching something from work I have to say the the mbus and other puffers that are still on that system are still very healthy and I can honestly say there's been no real problems on that system (or any of the others!) apart from white spot in the past year or so. I know what you're saying but I don't think it is that. Internal parasites are not the easiest things to diagnose but from his bowel movements and eating habits up until the last couple of days I don't think that's it.

[Pufferpunk]

I'm sorry you are having problems with your favorite fish. I am not sure what his problem is but I can tell you how to see if a bivalve food is OK. When purchased, it should be completely closed. That way you can tell it was frozen still alive & not let out to thaw.

[mikeosoft]

I would try doing a water change and seeing how he responds.

Try not feeding him for a couple days and see what happens. If he's not begging for food after a couple days then you know something is wrong. Maybe he just ate a bad meal and needs some time to pass it.

[xxSarahxx]

I've done a couple of water changes and there's been no real change. I don't know what else I can do. I'm terrified I'm going to loose him. I don't know what I'd do without him....

[crazedpuffer]

Maybe he's constipated? That or he needs more nutritious food. Try feeding him live shrimp and see how he acts then.

[xxSarahxx]

He seems to be recovering. I have raised his KH up to 6.5 and that seems to have made a real difference. He's never realy liked shrimp to be honest... unless they're dead!! I don't know if he just can't see them with his one eye but he's never tried.
He is now eating but only a little bit and his colour is coming back amazingly. He is becoming more and more active. I just hope that's it now... no more worrying me!!
Thanks so much for all your help. Anymore ideas though please let me know.

[mikeosoft]

You might want to try enriching his food with a vitamin supplement. I would take it easy with the amount you're feeding though, make sure his water is extra clean.

[manutius]

Hi there, this is a tough one actually. May I ask why you are adjusting the kh? the more changes you make to the water the more stress this causes the fish. As puffers are very sensitve creatures, this could be a possibility. Is you tap water not ideal? For the record My GH and KH are both 15 and I have never tried to soften it. My fish have been in perfect health, discounting Clooney's passing recently which I have covered in various other threads.

The only things I can guess at are a faulty test kit and maybe your nitrates are higher than you think, I was going along ignorantly thinking my tank was fine with Clooney and when he started to be under the weather I found my Nitrate to be 120ppm+ even with 75% weekly water changes on a 400L tank. My eventual problem was overcrowding and I think you may be going the same way, though there is no actual evidence of this yet.

Have you read my article in the library?

I dont think you have to worry about IP's if the fish has been with you in some way for 7 months.

The only thing I can say is that if Clooney overate at any time which I tried very hard to prevent he was listless and lethargic for about 2 days after, maybe you should cut down the feeding?

[xxSarahxx]

My tap water has very high nitrates.... so much so that I am having to talk to the water board as they are approaching 100ppm.... definitely not good for my Blinky!!
I do use a vitamin enricher funnily enough and at the moment he is getting fed about 5 times a week and only a small amount of food for example one mussel.
As mentioned... since raising the KH a little bit he is back to his normal self. I think the water was just too soft for him and it's possible (although unlikely as it was over 4 degrees) that the pH was not perfectly stable.
I have tested his water with a couple of test kits just in case and my levels were all ok. I find that if you use the liquid test then as long as you REALLY shake the second bottle then they are pretty reliable.
Blinky is now doing incredibly well and back to his normal self. Eating is perfect again and colour is back to how it used to be.... not sure if he was just being grumpy/stroppy or whether or not it was to do with his KH I might never know... either way he's doing very well now and I'm much happier!
Thanks for all your advice though... maybe I was just panicking too early!?!?

[Mynn]

100ppm out of tap? Isn't that like really bad for nitrates out of your tap water?

[manutius]

whoah 100ppm out of a tap is ridiculous, I hope they sort that out, though it would be very good for watering your garden

I think you are right about the KH and the PH stability, so lets hope that from now on it will be fine

[xxSarahxx]

I've discovered it's a common problem in my area having nitrates so high.... I had to test it with 4 different test kits to make sure i wasn't seeing things!! Not good at all. The house I'm talking about is in a school and I am on the case don't worry!!!

[mikeosoft]

So RO water is a must for you! It sounds like you're doing everything you can for the time being. Glad to hear he's doing better.