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Hi Folks. I need some serious help... I have a porc puffer who got his head stuck (even tho iNtake is covered in fiberglass screen!!!) Unfortunately this all took place yesterday while I was out of town. I had a friend stop by just to feed and make sure all was OK. He called me and said puffers head was stuck in intake tube of my Aquaclear 110....I told him to turn the filter off and the puffer was able to free himself.. I thought maybe my buddy just thought he was stuck because puffer likes to lay on rocks sometimes and just lounge. I just walked in the door and he looks terrible I feel so stupid like this was such a stupid rookie mistake...One of his blue eyes is completely whit he just has a circle about the size of a quarter where his color is somewhat normal..His spikes are also standing up in this area...He is stil moving around but I tried to entice him with some Krill which he usually cannot resist and he shows no interest....Is there anything I can do or is my favorite fish doomed due to my incomprehensible stupidity....PLEASE ADVISE!!!!!!!
Help 911
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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SaltyGerman
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:20 am
- My Puffers: Porcupine Puffer
- Location: Central Indiana
Help 911
Thanks Mike AKA The SaltyGerman
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edmlfc1
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 2011
- Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:03 pm
- My Puffers: Elvis (Stars & Stripes) R.I.P. 9/11/11
125G:Fahaka (Annabelle) - Location (country): U.S.A.
- Location: Texas
Re: Help 911
Is there anything else in the tank? Do you have a spare tank to move him to so that you can treat him with melafix? Or does the tank just have lr in that case I believe you can use melafix in the main tank. Not sure if you can use it if you have corals.
Need to know what kind of puffer you have? Click on Puffer ID.....Puffer ID: ug.php/v/PufferPedia/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
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SaltyGerman
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:20 am
- My Puffers: Porcupine Puffer
- Location: Central Indiana
Re: Help 911
edmlfc1 wrote:Is there anything else in the tank? Do you have a spare tank to move him to so that you can treat him with melafix? Or does the tank just have lr in that case I believe you can use melafix in the main tank. Not sure if you can use it if you have corals.
No unfortunately I don't have a spare tank to isolate him. The tank also contains other fish and corals.
Thanks Mike AKA The SaltyGerman
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Myaj
- Tech Team
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish - Location: SE Wisconsin
- Contact:
Re: Help 911
Agreed, the best things at the moment are clean, clean water and Melafix, but I don't know for sure if Melafix is safe for corals or live rock. I do know it will foam up big time so if you have a skimmer you'd need to turn it off.
If he's not improving in a few days, you'll probably want to try some antibiotics, but that can be bad for your biofilter as well, so best done in a hospital tank.
Don't beat yourself up over this, it happens. You even tried to cover the intake. Just keep that water very very clean (lots of water changes) so he can heal up with a low risk of infection.
If he's not improving in a few days, you'll probably want to try some antibiotics, but that can be bad for your biofilter as well, so best done in a hospital tank.
Don't beat yourself up over this, it happens. You even tried to cover the intake. Just keep that water very very clean (lots of water changes) so he can heal up with a low risk of infection.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Help 911
I believe Melafix is safe for corals but I can't guarantee that. You definately should turn off your skimmer. Why are you using an Aquaclear? Why isn't the intake screen on it? What other foods are you feeding him? Puffers are prety resiliant & he should recover.
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!"
-
Myaj
- Tech Team
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish - Location: SE Wisconsin
- Contact:
Re: Help 911
Also, if you haven't had your water tested, you might want to do so.
Puffers are very strong swimmers and really, should be able to avoid getting their head stuck in a filter intake. When this happens, its usually because they are feeling weak and/or sick.. so make sure your water is clean, they don't handle water with high nitrates well at all.
Puffers are very strong swimmers and really, should be able to avoid getting their head stuck in a filter intake. When this happens, its usually because they are feeling weak and/or sick.. so make sure your water is clean, they don't handle water with high nitrates well at all.
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SaltyGerman
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:20 am
- My Puffers: Porcupine Puffer
- Location: Central Indiana
Re: Help 911
Pufferpunk wrote:I believe Melafix is safe for corals but I can't guarantee that. You definately should turn off your skimmer. Why are you using an Aquaclear? Why isn't the intake screen on it? What other foods are you feeding him? Puffers are prety resiliant & he should recover.
I run a Pro Clear 150 wet dry with Bio Balls and also have a 10 gal Refugium with Miracle Mud LR and Calupera. On one of the other boards someone swears by the aquaclears..I have the foam insert and nitrate package, no Carbon...I also run a protein skimmer. The down tube end is covered by fiberglass sreen which I thought would be sufficent...Apparently not! He eats a wide variety of foods My homemade food consists of Raw shrimp, Clams,Mysis,Brine,and Vita chem. For a trea he gets Dried krill soaked in Vita chem, Which he goes nuts over...He is spoiled rotten and he is my favorite fish. Even though he bites my fingers every chance he gets.He hasn't eaten since Tuesday...How long can the little guys go without food??
Thanks Mike AKA The SaltyGerman
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SaltyGerman
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:20 am
- My Puffers: Porcupine Puffer
- Location: Central Indiana
Re: Help 911
Myaj wrote:Also, if you haven't had your water tested, you might want to do so.
Puffers are very strong swimmers and really, should be able to avoid getting their head stuck in a filter intake. When this happens, its usually because they are feeling weak and/or sick.. so make sure your water is clean, they don't handle water with high nitrates well at all.
He seemed fine before this happened. My parameters are Sal 1.024, Calc 380, kh 8.4,phos 0, nitrates 20 ppm,, I do 20 % water changes weekly to keep nitrates down I just can't get to 0 no matter what I do.
Thanks Mike AKA The SaltyGerman
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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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: Help 911
See the Vitamin C thread for reducing nitrate. How often do you rinse that sponge? they can hold nitrate in them.
If there is a screen covering the intake, I don't understand how he got damaged. I also use AC filters as a fuge for 2 of my smaller tanks.
If there is a screen covering the intake, I don't understand how he got damaged. I also use AC filters as a fuge for 2 of my smaller tanks.
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!"
-
SaltyGerman
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:20 am
- My Puffers: Porcupine Puffer
- Location: Central Indiana
Re: Help 911
Pufferpunk wrote:See the Vitamin C thread for reducing nitrate. How often do you rinse that sponge? they can hold nitrate in them.
If there is a screen covering the intake, I don't understand how he got damaged. I also use AC filters as a fuge for 2 of my smaller tanks.
I rinse my sponge weekly with RO DI water and replace every 4-6 weeks.
I know alot of my nitrate issue is bioload problem...I started off too fast without doing enough research.
1 Porc puffer
2 Damsels
2 False perc clowns
1 Foxface
1 Sand sifting gobie
1 sailfin tang
Thanks Mike AKA The SaltyGerman
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- 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: Help 911
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!"