Lately we have noticed that one of our figure eights has been sitting on the bottom of the tank or in plants to an excessive amount. This puffer has stopped eating in the past few days. We have tried everything to tempt it (which the other puffer loves... he's quite fat). The sick puffer is around 3 inches and the other is around 2 inches.
The puffers are housed in a 25g at a density of 1.004 (salinity we bought them in). We have had this specific puffer for nearly two months. It was never an extremely aggressive eater but it did eat plenty. There do not appear to be any external problems. No ich, no fungus, nothing to give any hints of what might be wrong. The puffers get along just fine. No fighting, not even during feeding time.
Nitrites are zero, nitrates are around 10 (time for weekly change sarurday), Medium hardness, pH around 7.2...
Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong with this figure eight? Why has it suddenly stopped eating?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Figure Eight acting strange
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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.
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.
Has he lost weight? I mean prior to his loss of appetite? Any change in his colouration....belly darker, topside paler?
I'm thinking internal parasites, as F8s seem to get them a lot...was his belly ever sunken?
Have a read of the sticky on Levamisole and internal parasites and see what you think. Only trouble is, though, that if he's totally off his food, it's gonna be hard getting any meds in him, but let some more experienced people get back to you, and we'll see what we can do.
Pami.
I'm thinking internal parasites, as F8s seem to get them a lot...was his belly ever sunken?
Have a read of the sticky on Levamisole and internal parasites and see what you think. Only trouble is, though, that if he's totally off his food, it's gonna be hard getting any meds in him, but let some more experienced people get back to you, and we'll see what we can do.
Pami.
A bit of bad news... I awoke this morning to find my puffer lying still on the bottom of the tank. I think it was a tad too late for her. It's belly was not sunken when we bought it, but over the past few days it has gotten that way. She did have a darker belly than the other puffer, and thats how we bought her so I never thought anything of it.
How contagious are internal parasites? Should I treat my small puffer as a precaution? He's the fattest little thing I've ever seen! I have some Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX for internal parasites... I could mix that in with his food, but I'm not too keen on doing it if I don't have too. And how are my puffers getting these parasites? Are they in the frozen food or in the live snails?
How contagious are internal parasites? Should I treat my small puffer as a precaution? He's the fattest little thing I've ever seen! I have some Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX for internal parasites... I could mix that in with his food, but I'm not too keen on doing it if I don't have too. And how are my puffers getting these parasites? Are they in the frozen food or in the live snails?
Most puffers (apart from dwarf puffers) are wild caught, and like most wild animals, they have worms/IPs.
Personally, I tend to not treat unless there are signs or symptoms. I asked a similar question about preventative worming (commonly done by loach keepers - many loaches are wild caught and come with IPs, too) on the board this past week, but no one answered that part of my question so I'm guessing it's not commonly done.
Eric
Personally, I tend to not treat unless there are signs or symptoms. I asked a similar question about preventative worming (commonly done by loach keepers - many loaches are wild caught and come with IPs, too) on the board this past week, but no one answered that part of my question so I'm guessing it's not commonly done.
Eric
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puffermama
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 126
- Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:18 pm
I'm not sure if we will get another figure eight. This tank is my boyfriends responsibility, and he is the one who is really attached to the fish.
He may not have the heart to replace her for a few months. Although I shuold be worried because there is a 5 inch figure eight at the fish store that he was eye-balling. I think next time he goes shopping for one I will insist that he buys the fatest, not the prettiest, puffer.
He may not have the heart to replace her for a few months. Although I shuold be worried because there is a 5 inch figure eight at the fish store that he was eye-balling. I think next time he goes shopping for one I will insist that he buys the fatest, not the prettiest, puffer.
Another update...
The remaining figure eight was just observed sporatically swimming around the tank kind of jerky like. I think there is something really wrong here. It's not nitrite/ammonia poisoning or anything of the sort... I'm really confused and don't want to lose BOTH of my figure eights...
If anyone has any advice please let me know.
The remaining figure eight was just observed sporatically swimming around the tank kind of jerky like. I think there is something really wrong here. It's not nitrite/ammonia poisoning or anything of the sort... I'm really confused and don't want to lose BOTH of my figure eights...
If anyone has any advice please let me know.
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Jager
ok first get the ph up please. 7.2 is a bit low. alsowhat you describe is what in THEORY not tested nor guarenteed fact is a virus or other disease similar to whirling disease.
please do NOT add any puffers until this one either gets better or dies.
a broad spectrum antibiotic might help, but it is worth a shot.
when it is resolved or the ppuffer has passed. please drain the tank and start over entirely. bleach everything and then treat everything with chlorine removers and let it recycle for a few weeks. then you can add puffers.
alternate way that is less work but not a guarenteed way to kill whatever is going on in your tank is to simply let it sit fishless for a month or 6 weeks, this should kill the offending problem as it cannot usually last without a host that long. be parasite or bacteria.
also kick the heater up to 88 degrees IF THERE IS NO FISH in there to help speed up parasite death by quickening their lifecycle and dyoff.
am very sorry this has happened, but sometimes like other animals, puffers can get sick and pass it to others.
please do NOT add any puffers until this one either gets better or dies.
a broad spectrum antibiotic might help, but it is worth a shot.
when it is resolved or the ppuffer has passed. please drain the tank and start over entirely. bleach everything and then treat everything with chlorine removers and let it recycle for a few weeks. then you can add puffers.
alternate way that is less work but not a guarenteed way to kill whatever is going on in your tank is to simply let it sit fishless for a month or 6 weeks, this should kill the offending problem as it cannot usually last without a host that long. be parasite or bacteria.
also kick the heater up to 88 degrees IF THERE IS NO FISH in there to help speed up parasite death by quickening their lifecycle and dyoff.
am very sorry this has happened, but sometimes like other animals, puffers can get sick and pass it to others.
I've been reading some old posts and I think that this might be a case of gill flukes combined with internal parasites. I'm going to try a gill scrape (seeing as I work in a microbiology lab). Right now I would like to TRY to help the little guy, but if that leads to nothing than I will consider letting little Milton perish and start the tank over. I have some tea tree oil that I could try putting in his tank for the moment. That's not harmful for figure eights is it? I've used it on dwarfs before with no problem.
How would these puffers have caught a virus or whirling disease? They have been in the tank for over a month. Most viruses work WAY faster than a month. Considering all symptoms occured within three days I'm very confused.
How would these puffers have caught a virus or whirling disease? They have been in the tank for over a month. Most viruses work WAY faster than a month. Considering all symptoms occured within three days I'm very confused.