GSP not eating.

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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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GSP not eating.

Post by mikeKICKz »

for the past week i've been haven't a hard time getting him to eat. I've bought garlic gaurd to soak up his food but still no luck. i feed him krill, gut loaded ghost shirmp, blood words (frozen), snails, and tetra color pellets. what can i do to make him eat? he's starting to look skinny. thanks!
i'm from san diego, if that matters
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by Pufferpunk »

Moving to the Hospital Forum. Please answer Qs above in red.
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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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by mikeKICKz »

1.
ph 6
ammonia 0 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 5 pmm
sg 1.008

2.
29 gal, 1 GSP, 2 ghost shirmp, i white cloud

3.
feeding: once a day of either gut-loaded ghost shrimp, freeze dry krill, frozen blood worms, and snails.
50% weekly water changes.
prime, oceanic sea salt, melafix, and stress coat.

4.
50% water change.

5.
fishless cycled 1 month
gsp has been in for 2.5 weeks


i just bought "proper ph 8.2" and am now dipping to raise ph.
i'm from san diego, if that matters
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by Pufferpunk »

Odd that your pH is so acid. What is your tap? What kind of substrate are you using? Adding a buffer will cause the pH to swing up & down which is worse than having a low pH.
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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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by mikeKICKz »

i am using araginite
i'm from san diego, if that matters
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by mikeKICKz »

and no i dont use tap i get my water from water system in front of grocery store. it has an RO system
i'm from san diego, if that matters
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by mikeKICKz »

so dripping "proper ph 8.2" is really bad. this will be my 2nd puffer ill be losing. i really dont want to quit the whole fish hobby.
i'm from san diego, if that matters
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by yunachin »

You want your ph to be 7.0-7.5, that makes it neutral.
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by Pufferpunk »

Actually for a GSP, it's more like 8. What is the pH of your tap water? You shouldn't be using filtered water, unless you are reconstituting it with minerals. Is there something wrong w/your tap water?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by yunachin »

Pufferpunk wrote:Actually for a GSP, it's more like 8. What is the pH of your tap water? You shouldn't be using filtered water, unless you are reconstituting it with minerals. Is there something wrong w/your tap water?
Oh ok. My fault. I apologize.
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by Pufferpunk »

We forgive you. :D
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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yunachin
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by yunachin »

That is good because I would hate to get kicked out for wrongful information. I need to stop posting after midnight I think.. :lol: :redface:
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by manutius »

Hi there, if you PH is that low I think you need to re-mineralise the water using marine salt and marine additives. The low Ph indicates a loack of chemical buffers that stop your PH dropping, as Pufferpunk says ideally the ph should be 8.0ish
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by spoot »

Is there any reason you are adding stress coat and melafix?

With the marine salt, your pH shouldn't be that low.

What kind of tests are you using? Liquid or strips?

Back on track. Did he have a sunken belly very soon after he ate (when he ate)? It could be internal parasites.
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Re: GSP not eating.

Post by mikeKICKz »

i use api liquid test kit.
i will test my tap and let you guys know whats up.
yeah when he ate his belly would drop low.
i'm from san diego, if that matters
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