3 Dead Puffers
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.
3 Dead Puffers
First of all, it's best to let you guys know that of the 4 lil puffers which i kept for about a week, 3 have already died. I house them in a 20 gallon tank. I do not know if it is completely cycled as i do not have test kits. The tank has been used all along and it housed a freshwater fish. The fish has since been given away and i raised the salinity slowly(0.002/week) so as to not kill off the good bacteria. When the first one died, there was a large white spot at the side of its body. Was it a fungal infection or a bite mark? The other two died one day after the other died. Both had a clear distinct white spot at the tail part of its body. Could it also be ammonia or nitrites? I fed them snails which i got from a pond nearby and coincidentally the one that ate the least is the only one living. Could it also be the snails causing their deaths? They were fed live bloodworms before they died and seemed perfectly healthy. Bloated stomachs.... I really dont know why they died. I didn't expect the second one to die but the third one is pretty obvious. his body turned grey n u can see a white spot.
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StormySkiez
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:00 am
- My Puffers: 55G 2- 1 3/4 inch GSP's ~Bud AKA Jaws and Puff~
- Location: USA~TN
Re: 3 Dead Puffers
Oh wow! Sorry to hear this...I just posted in your other topic about the 2 scared puffs.
First off you need to really research these fish I'm sorry to say. Water parameters are detrimental to most fish. You need to have the tank water tested even if you have it done at the fish store. GSP's do require 30 g of tank water each. You can get by with less when they are babies but it could still put a strain on them. Another thing...fish are always put through a lot of stress when being sold and going from new home to new home. That is why your water parameters need to be correct. I would never feed snails from a pond, I hate to feed anything from my LFS as you are adding to your tank every possible thing that is in their tank or the pond.
The white spot could be a lot of things. A picture would help determine.
Look here: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/
Check the tabs at the top as well. You will learn a lot from reading. Keeping fish can be very complicated to say the least. I wish you well.
First off you need to really research these fish I'm sorry to say. Water parameters are detrimental to most fish. You need to have the tank water tested even if you have it done at the fish store. GSP's do require 30 g of tank water each. You can get by with less when they are babies but it could still put a strain on them. Another thing...fish are always put through a lot of stress when being sold and going from new home to new home. That is why your water parameters need to be correct. I would never feed snails from a pond, I hate to feed anything from my LFS as you are adding to your tank every possible thing that is in their tank or the pond.
The white spot could be a lot of things. A picture would help determine.
Look here: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/
Check the tabs at the top as well. You will learn a lot from reading. Keeping fish can be very complicated to say the least. I wish you well.
55g-2 green spotted puffers 1 year old Nov 08!
20g-5 leopard danio,4 whiteskirt tetras, amanos, nerita snails, 2 neon tetras
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Mareva
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 174
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:14 pm
- My Puffers: 3 DPs: Borneo, Palua and Fidji!
- Location: Québec, Canada
Re: 3 Dead Puffers
Sorry for you loss...
I agree with stormyskiez. If you had GSPs, 4 of them in a 20G was too much. Even if small, they produce a lot of waste. Having the tank cycled first is mandatory. If it's not cycled, the bacteria necessary to transform the amonia and nitrite into nitrates are not present and the amonia and nitrites will build up in the tank. Amonia and nitrite build up is also more likely to happen in an overcrowded tank. With amonia and ntirite in the water, your fish will poison themselves. It will also impair their immune system, making them more susceptible to catch diseases. So I'm sorry to say that most likely all of the above happened to your fish.
As I understand it, you still have 1 fis left. Get yourself a test kit ASAP so you can see what are your water parameters. Doing a daily 50% water change until you get the test kit will help your surviving fish. When you get the tests, if there are still amonia and nitrite in the water keep up with the daily WC until your biofilter is established. Lots of great articles in the library to read about it!
I agree with stormyskiez. If you had GSPs, 4 of them in a 20G was too much. Even if small, they produce a lot of waste. Having the tank cycled first is mandatory. If it's not cycled, the bacteria necessary to transform the amonia and nitrite into nitrates are not present and the amonia and nitrites will build up in the tank. Amonia and nitrite build up is also more likely to happen in an overcrowded tank. With amonia and ntirite in the water, your fish will poison themselves. It will also impair their immune system, making them more susceptible to catch diseases. So I'm sorry to say that most likely all of the above happened to your fish.
As I understand it, you still have 1 fis left. Get yourself a test kit ASAP so you can see what are your water parameters. Doing a daily 50% water change until you get the test kit will help your surviving fish. When you get the tests, if there are still amonia and nitrite in the water keep up with the daily WC until your biofilter is established. Lots of great articles in the library to read about it!
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crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1755
- Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:57 pm
- My Puffers: 1x Porcupine Puffer
1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: 3 Dead Puffers
It sounds like an uncycled tank. Bring your water to a fish store and have them test it.
Also you cannot house 1 gsp in a 20 gallon let alone 4. What sg were they in at the pet store?
Also you cannot house 1 gsp in a 20 gallon let alone 4. What sg were they in at the pet store?