Hello,
My water parameter:
PH: 8.0
Ammonia : 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrates: 5.0
Salinity: 1.004
Tank size :29
Temp: 79
I use to have a dwarf puffer which recently passed away after 3 years. So wife and I looked around for a new puffer and finnaly settled on a GSP. We had him in the old dwarf puffer tank (a 10 gal) for 4 weeks while we setup a new 29 gal tank for him. He was originally in fresh water. He had started turning dark, and seemed a little stressed in the 10 gal tank, so I decided to move him over to the new tank a little over a week ago.
He seemed to stress out imediately. I gave him a little over an hour to accumulate to the new tank before introducing him. The tank salinity at that time was 1.002. He seems to go back and forth. Some times he's got a little color back and is swiming around, other times he's dark and either sitting at the bottom or hanging at the top. While on the bottom he breaths heavily with his mouth open.
Yesterday I noticed him not really using a side fin. He'll use it occasionaly but most of the time he keeps it tucked next to his body. Also seems that he's barely using the gill on this side. The gill on the other side still is moving rapidly.
Not really sure whats going on. I've tried to deal with parisites before in Dwarf puffers, but most of the time I think it was to late, and they never reacted well to the medicine. I do still have some PraxilPro. Any advice would be appreciated.
GSP acting funny
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.
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billysgirl4e
- Figure 8 Puffer
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Re: GSP acting funny
I'm still moderately new to all of this, myself, so I hope that someone will either second me or correct me, but in my experience GSPs - as far as puffers go - have been pretty tolerant of medicine, so I'd probably get some Maracide and Maracyn II (half dose only of each), and raise the temp for a little while to maybe 85 or so. See if he's doing well after that, and then if there's any other noticeable problems, (ie internal parasites), treat those as they come. They seem to do okay with Melafix, as well, if you'd rather use that...but I'd probably stick with the first two. BTW, what are you feeding him?
Re: GSP acting funny
Hey all
Yes the GPS's acts good with medicune but you must half the dose what the label says due to the fact that they dont have gills its directly afecting their breathing. Also while ading medicine ad an oxygin tablet because the medicine lowers the oxygin levels in one stank. I recently had to doctor my GSP's to health and they are happy.
The other reason may not be ilness but stress due to the saly level that was entreduced to fast do a rince sicle till about half of your tank is emty and put fresh water in for now and then weekly dose the water with brackish salt say a teaspoon per leater till you reach the aquered salt gravity wich is 1.0001g a good enviroment for you puffer! You get the gravity meter at any pet store!)
Well I hope your GSP's are doing good!!!! and soon doing great!!!
Enjoy!
T
Yes the GPS's acts good with medicune but you must half the dose what the label says due to the fact that they dont have gills its directly afecting their breathing. Also while ading medicine ad an oxygin tablet because the medicine lowers the oxygin levels in one stank. I recently had to doctor my GSP's to health and they are happy.
The other reason may not be ilness but stress due to the saly level that was entreduced to fast do a rince sicle till about half of your tank is emty and put fresh water in for now and then weekly dose the water with brackish salt say a teaspoon per leater till you reach the aquered salt gravity wich is 1.0001g a good enviroment for you puffer! You get the gravity meter at any pet store!)
Well I hope your GSP's are doing good!!!! and soon doing great!!!
Enjoy!
T
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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Re: GSP acting funny
Why would you treat a fish with an antibiotic, when it shows no sign of a bacterial infection? Also, treating with 1/2 doses of an antibiotic, could cause a bacteria to become immune to it.
Keep an eye on the puffeer & give it time to adjust. Is there plenty of decor/cover in there? Is the puffer eating?
See if you can look into his gill with a flashlight.
Keep an eye on the puffeer & give it time to adjust. Is there plenty of decor/cover in there? Is the puffer eating?
See if you can look into his gill with a flashlight.
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!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: GSP acting funny
He is still eating very well, bloodworms, brine shrimp, and snails. I try ghost shrimp, but he just chases them around and eventual gives up trying to catch one. He is also almost 2" long, which is why I was starting to get him into brackish conditions.
Late last night I did notice a thin red thread like object coming out of the gill he's using. It was no longer there 15mins later. Today when I came home I noticed a thin white thread like object (about 2cm long) out of the same gill. The red one was solid the whole length while the white one was kind of stringy.
The gill that he's not using looks closed. a little white around it. The other gill looks red inside (this is the gill I've seen the thread like objects).
Right now he's laying on the currled in a ball. He does need more decore but he has a few hiding spots right now. He will still become active for a little bit if I turn the light on, then he hides. So I've been keeping it off trying not to stress him anymore.
Late last night I did notice a thin red thread like object coming out of the gill he's using. It was no longer there 15mins later. Today when I came home I noticed a thin white thread like object (about 2cm long) out of the same gill. The red one was solid the whole length while the white one was kind of stringy.
The gill that he's not using looks closed. a little white around it. The other gill looks red inside (this is the gill I've seen the thread like objects).
Right now he's laying on the currled in a ball. He does need more decore but he has a few hiding spots right now. He will still become active for a little bit if I turn the light on, then he hides. So I've been keeping it off trying not to stress him anymore.
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Myaj
- Tech Team
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Re: GSP acting funny
It sounds like he could have gill flukes or some similar parasite then.
Since he's having trouble breathing, I'd probably keep the temp a little lower (warmer water holds less oxygen) and consider adding an airstone.
I'll go search the forum quick for info on how to treat gill flukes, puffers can be very touchy with meds so if there's a simple way to treat such as a salt bath, that's usually a lot safer. I'll be back in a minute hopefully!
Since he's having trouble breathing, I'd probably keep the temp a little lower (warmer water holds less oxygen) and consider adding an airstone.
I'll go search the forum quick for info on how to treat gill flukes, puffers can be very touchy with meds so if there's a simple way to treat such as a salt bath, that's usually a lot safer. I'll be back in a minute hopefully!
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Myaj
- Tech Team
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- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
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Paris, lined burrfish - Location: SE Wisconsin
- Contact:
Re: GSP acting funny
Okay, it looks like the two common treatments for gill flukes are salt baths or PraziPro. Since you have the PraziPro, I'd probably go ahead and use that. I'm not sure if that med can crash your biofilter or not, but keep an eye on ammonia, just in case, if you use it in the main tank.
Re: GSP acting funny
Thanks for the response. I have started to treat him using the PraziPro in a bath at 32mg/gal as suggested in the Library.
Should I instead treat the whole tank? I started suspecting gill flukes a day ago and started the treatment yesterday for a 3 hr bath. Today he seems to be using his other fin a bit more, and is using that gill more. I still see a little worm or something like a worm hanging out of the other gill.
He's also starting to thin. Is still eating well. But gets thin rather quickly after eating (this started today). Should I try soaking his food in the PraziPro? Or just do baths, or treat the whole tank?
Should I instead treat the whole tank? I started suspecting gill flukes a day ago and started the treatment yesterday for a 3 hr bath. Today he seems to be using his other fin a bit more, and is using that gill more. I still see a little worm or something like a worm hanging out of the other gill.
He's also starting to thin. Is still eating well. But gets thin rather quickly after eating (this started today). Should I try soaking his food in the PraziPro? Or just do baths, or treat the whole tank?
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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- 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 - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: GSP acting funny
Anti-paracitic drugs will not hurt your biological filtration.
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!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: GSP acting funny
Well his first bath went great. The next day he was using both gills, and starting to perk up. After the second bath, he still had a worm out of his on gill. His stomach quickly shrunk after he ate though. And he started going down hill. The third day I decided to treat the whole tank at the dosage listed on the bottle (about 2.5ml/liter). He was doing ok, he still was eating, just wasn't coming out much to swim. Sadly about 24 hrs later he stopped breathing. He had 1 visble worm on both gills, and his stomach was about half the size it was just 3 days earlier.
So, how do I treat this tank, to rid it of parasites? There are no other fish in the tank, and I just want to make sure that my next GSP doesn't get these things. And how would I go about treating a GSP when I first get him for possible parasites?
So, how do I treat this tank, to rid it of parasites? There are no other fish in the tank, and I just want to make sure that my next GSP doesn't get these things. And how would I go about treating a GSP when I first get him for possible parasites?