Abei acting weird...

[shooterKD]

OK, it's been 3 days now and I figure it's about time to see if anyone on here can help me. My Abei puffer is a very active little devil, always swimming around, feeding on frozen shrimp, mussels, snails. The past 2 or 3 days, he's been really sluggish and hides most of the time. Comes out for feeding and that's about it. He still looks healthy, no noticeable problems or changes in his appearance, other than the colour changing, as he's been paler lately.

Water Parameters are:

Ammonia: 0-.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.6
Temp.: about 78 F

It's a 29 gallon tank, with all live plants and driftwood. Nothing added to the tank recently. Rena XP1 and BioWheel 200 for filtration. He's been in the tank about 6 months and never had a problem 'till now. He's about 4"...

Just did a 50% water change 2 days ago when I first noticed his sluggish behaviour. Always do weekly 50% water changes and only add Prime. Also dosing with Excel and Flourish. It's almost like he can't or won't swim anymore. He basically drags himself along the substrate and struggles to get over and around objects. He eats every other day, and came out yesterday for his mussel(frozen/thawed in tank water), but only ate about half what he normally would. He didn't even come out for his snails today like he always does...

Just looking for any ideas as to what the problem could be? If you need anymore info, just ask me...

THANX

[Nick]

ammonia .25 is the most likely problem. More water changes till it levels at zero.

[Agnate]

I agree that an ammonia reading is odd (unless you just mean the colour is kind of close to both the 0 and 0.25), as there should be an ammonia reading of 0, especially if he's been in the tank for 6 months. I also find it odd that your Nitrate reading is 0, but I suppose that's possible with frequent water changes and a planted tank.

My Abei has sat around in the back a couple times for the day (I just assumed he wasn't feeling well or whatever), but I haven't had him not eat his normal foods. Does he look abnormally large/bloated or anything like that?

I'm not really sure what else to say.

[cuteyiddlepuff]

See if you can find live bacteria like Bio Spira or Dr. Tim's to metabolize the ammonia and cycle your tank.

[Agnate]

I can't imagine the tank would need to be cycled, though, as it's had an occupant for 6 months. Did you change out the substrate or a bunch of the decorations recently?

[shooterKD]

My tank is more than fully cycled and can't imagine that would be the problem. It's been running for about 8 months and the Abei has been in there for 6, with no problems.

Regarding the Ammonia... The colouring is not quite a perfect match with the zero, that's the only reason I said 0-.25... It could be just the colour on the plastic card, but I figured I'd be as specific as possible. The colour has read the same for the entire 6 months he's been in the tank. The Nitrate is the same test results, not a perfect reading of 0, but much closer to 0 than 5. For the record, I'm using the API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

Absolutely nothing has been changed inside the tank. Last changes were an upgrade to Coralife Aqualight lighting about 2 months ago, and the addition of a few more plants about a month ago(Java Fern, Anubias, and a few others). Nothing different than was already in the tank. These plants came from an established tank and were still quarantined.

As for the actual puffer... I spent some time in front of the tank this evening and he does appear to be somewhat bloated. Would Melafix be a possibility? Would it harm him if he's not "sick"? I did another water change as well this evening and all tests are still the same. I forgot to mention, about 8 or 9 days ago, he puffed up a little at feeding time. I hand feed him the mussel, basically just hold the open mussel under the water surface and let him rip it apart. He was ripping a piece off, and puffed just a little bit, but I could tell he was puffed, not just a full belly. He swam to the bottom, but within half an hour, was back to normal, buzzing around the tank... I have seen him puff on two other occasions, according to the previous owner, he liked to puff in the morning, shortly after his lights come on, but only if he thinks nobody is around. The previous owner caught him a few times, and so have I...

Anyways, sorry for rambling on, I think I've given all info I can... Just looking for suggestions on what to try now...

[Agnate]

No need to use Melafix. If he looks a bit bloated, it might be some kind of constipation (which would be causing him some trouble). If that's the case, using Epsom salt should alleviate this problem. I'm not sure if the salt will affect your plants at all, though.

You can get Epsom salt at a local store (it's used for foot baths), and is dosed at about 1 tbsp per 10 gallons of water, so you'd need around 3 tablespoons. I can't imagine that would cause too many problems with your plants.

[t1gerbee]

or live daphnia... supposed to very good at loosening things up...!

[Agnate]

Oooh, I didn't know about the Daphnia one!