I got 2 puffers from the LFS and one of them look super healthy.. the other one slowly turned black. The other day his whole belly was black except his belly. I just moved them out of the 5g quarantine tank, i wonder if its because of the small space. I just checked the water. ammonia - 0 nitrite - 0 and nitrate - ~10ppm. However when I throw in a mealworm, he lights up.. as soon as hes done eating.. he turns black again after an hour.
The healthy looking GSP does not bother the other one... and I havent seen them fight and there are no signs of nipped fins.
Any idea on whats going on? They are still babies.. about 1.5 inches. Also.. when I first got them, they ate frozen bloodworms (thawed in tank water) with no problems. Then I decided to feed them live mealworms, and now they wont eat the bloodworms picky buggers.
So I looked closer.. in my 5g I have argonite as the substrate.. and when the black puffer lays on the substrate some of the argonite would attach to his belly. Now when I look at him.. it miiiiiight be ich. It looks like tiny spots of fuzz.. like his skin is peeling.. is this ich?
How do I treat it? I just turned the heat up to 82F until my lunch break.. so I can run to the LFS and pick up some ich treatment.
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept: T lineatus T miurus A modestus T biocellatus C valentini C coranata C papuan C lorteti DPs suvattii burrfish T niphobles
That tank is way too small for 2 GSPs. How was it cycled? What test kits are you using? Even as juvies, I'd give them 15g ea & then upgrade them to a minimum of a 55g tank (larger is better). Read the GSP article in our Library.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
Pufferpunk wrote:That tank is way too small for 2 GSPs. How was it cycled? What test kits are you using? Even as juvies, I'd give them 15g ea & then upgrade them to a minimum of a 55g tank (larger is better). Read the GSP article in our Library.
I know.. they were in a quarantine tank for a week before I add them to the bigger tank.
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept: T lineatus T miurus A modestus T biocellatus C valentini C coranata C papuan C lorteti DPs suvattii burrfish T niphobles
Pufferpunk wrote:Even QT needs to be large enough not to poison them with their wastes. Sounds like you're trying your best with them--I'd do daily WC in the QT.
I was changing the water every other day.
Is the stuff on him ich? just looks like his skin is peeling. I moved him into the 20g I have at work to see how they fair. Then I will have to add them to a bigger tank.
I was at a sushi restaurant on the weekend. They had 5 GSPs all of them were about 2.5 to 3.5 inches.. all of them looked super healthy in a 30 or 33g tank. As soon as I saw that, I for sure thought there would be some unhappy puffers.. all of them looked really good.
wonger wrote:So I looked closer.. in my 5g I have argonite as the substrate.. and when the black puffer lays on the substrate some of the argonite would attach to his belly. Now when I look at him.. it miiiiiight be ich. It looks like tiny spots of fuzz.. like his skin is peeling.. is this ich?
How do I treat it? I just turned the heat up to 82F until my lunch break.. so I can run to the LFS and pick up some ich treatment.
Can you post a picture? There is treatments listed in the puffer library for both fw and marine ich. Check here: library/category/hospital/
I hope your puff gets better soon.
Added:
Pufferpunk wrote:Even QT needs to be large enough not to poison them with their wastes. Sounds like you're trying your best with them--I'd do daily WC in the QT.
PP what size QT do you recommend for a puff up to 6 inches? I asked this in my QT topic but no one responeded about tank size.
55g-2 green spotted puffers 1 year old Nov 08!
20g-5 leopard danio,4 whiteskirt tetras, amanos, nerita snails, 2 neon tetras
wonger wrote:So I looked closer.. in my 5g I have argonite as the substrate.. and when the black puffer lays on the substrate some of the argonite would attach to his belly. Now when I look at him.. it miiiiiight be ich. It looks like tiny spots of fuzz.. like his skin is peeling.. is this ich?
How do I treat it? I just turned the heat up to 82F until my lunch break.. so I can run to the LFS and pick up some ich treatment.
Can you post a picture? There is treatments listed in the puffer library for both fw and marine ich. Check here: library/category/hospital/
I hope your puff gets better soon.
Added:
Pufferpunk wrote:Even QT needs to be large enough not to poison them with their wastes. Sounds like you're trying your best with them--I'd do daily WC in the QT.
PP what size QT do you recommend for a puff up to 6 inches? I asked this in my QT topic but no one responeded about tank size.
I will try to take a pic with my cell phone. (im at work and tank is at work) I just read the article.. thanks for the link.
I read the part of using aquarium salt. I actually have some instant ocean here at work, since I was going to make the tank brackish this week. Can I use the instant ocean to help treat his problem? or would aquarium salt be better?
If you look at him/her.. there are tiny white spots. I think its ich.. poor guy. I need to treat the tank, I think the other puffer will get ich soon.
Can I use instant ocean? or would aquarium salt be better?
Thanks
EDIT: Ok.. i called my buddy at the LFS and he said I might have to put him out. Just now.. he got stuck on the intake of the aquaclear.. and getting thrown around by the current. he went from good.. to horrible just over the weekend. I want to try saving this guy, or do you think I should euthanize him? I have my clove oil at home.. he suggested throwing him in the freezer. I dont know if I can do it .. I havent even used clove oil on a fish yet either... sigh
There is a saying we have here...where there is life there is hope. Treat both fish asap. I'm going to guess use marine salt but I don't know for sure. Dang, that treatment in the library should be updated w/ that info. Someone here who knows hopefully will see this post soon.
The photo is not good enough to see the spots. It looks like rings from what I saw but you said he has tiny spots. It does sound like ich. You can compare it to pics of ich if you do a search online. I hope he makes it.
55g-2 green spotted puffers 1 year old Nov 08!
20g-5 leopard danio,4 whiteskirt tetras, amanos, nerita snails, 2 neon tetras
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept: T lineatus T miurus A modestus T biocellatus C valentini C coranata C papuan C lorteti DPs suvattii burrfish T niphobles
Well.. he didnt last too long after i posted. after i had to move him from the intake.. he wedged himself in between the fake plants. 15 min later he was laying on the bottom. I looked closer and saw that he stopped breathing.
The other GSP seems to be doing well. I still it might be ich. Right now the SG is at 1.002.. ill do a 20% water change tomorrow and see how it goes.
picky buggers.
