My GSP is Sick

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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.
kb1100
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Re: My GSP is Sick

Post by kb1100 »

I really don't know for sure. It is definitely a fine white powder that is attached everywhere including his gills, and in spots its clumped up into bigger amounts like salt I suppose.

I don't really know what velvet is I just read about it quickly:
# Symptoms: Scratchs against hard objects
# Fish is lethargic
# Loss of appetite and weight loss
# Rapid, labored breathing
# Fins clamped against body
# Fine yellow or rusty colored film on skin
# In advanced stages skin peeks off
Initially the fish rub against hard objects trying to dislodge the parasites. As the disease progresses the fish becomes lethargic, fins are held close to the body, appetite is reduced and the fish loses weight. A key symptom is difficult breathing, resulting in rapid gilling.

He is very weak and tired, breathing heavy, and it does kind of look as if he has a film on his skin, and he is also not eating or moving. In the picture you can kind of see a spot on top of him that is kind of yellow film.
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Re: My GSP is Sick

Post by Pufferpunk »

So do you think it looks more like a yellow/rusty dusting or salt?
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!"
kb1100
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Re: My GSP is Sick

Post by kb1100 »

I am not sure what else to say. He has very fine pure white specs on the central portions of his body. There are a few areas that have white specs that seem large, which looks like they are clumped up together. He also has this deep brownish color all over him now and the front of his nose seems to be like a solid brownish color which is fading into the spots on his top. The spots which use to be black are now also looking brownish in color.
kb1100
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Re: My GSP is Sick

Post by kb1100 »

I just did an image search and found a picture of a clown loach that looks just like my puffer. If you look at it you can see the tiny white spots. So I guess it is velvet.

http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/oodinium_velvet/
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Re: My GSP is Sick

Post by Agnate »

Yes, I agree that it's velvet. If it was ich, we would actually be able to see the white spots from the picture you submitted (as ich is generally large enough to be clearly seen from that distance).

Unfortunately I can't help you with SW velvet, as I have neither the experience nor the knowledge. :(
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Re: My GSP is Sick

Post by Pufferpunk »

Velvet needs to be treated with copper in QT, while the main tank remains fallow for 8 weeks.
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!"
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