Nitrate problems

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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.
Pandora114
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 397
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi
Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
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Re: Nitrate problems

Post by Pandora114 »

Not very if I could get him laying on the side and some tweezers. It'll be a 2 person job, and I don't have any clove oil either.

I'm giving him a bit of a breather because I had to net him to bring him close to the glass so I could get a good look at it.
Pandora114
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 397
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi
Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: Nitrate problems

Post by Pandora114 »

He's really not doing too good. Right now he's just laying on his side not doing much of anything...like I can nudge him...and his fins go but that's it, it's almost like he's paralized from the "neck" down, because all I can get to move is the pectoral fins

Amm: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
SG: 1.005
Temp: 75
Last feed: Two days ago, bloodworms

He LOOKS dead, but he's not. It's so strange
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Nitrate problems

Post by Pufferpunk »

I'm at a total loss. Any chance something toxic was sprayed near his tank? You fed those same worms to your other fish, right? Maybe try adding fresh carbon to his filter.
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!"
Pandora114
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 397
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi
Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: Nitrate problems

Post by Pandora114 »

yup fed the same worms to my other fishies. Dwarf puffers ate them up n got fat as pigs and were begging for more, Tetras ate them up with no ill effects.

I use viniger and water on a paper towel to clean my tank fronts...

COULD be the husband spraying lysol on the table. If he makes it tomorrow I'll pick up some epsom salts and a fresh carbon cartridge.
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edmlfc1
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Re: Nitrate problems

Post by edmlfc1 »

What about perfume, glade plug ins, lotion on your hands, washing powder residue (after doing laundry), bouce reisdue anything you can think of?
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/
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Re: Nitrate problems

Post by crazedpuffer »

Do you wash your hands before doing anything with the tank? Soap residue could be doing it as well.
Pandora114
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 397
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi
Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: Nitrate problems

Post by Pandora114 »

I wash my hands before doing anything with the tank with just ivory bar soap...especially if I've just done a stinky diaper change before hand. Same thing with my DP tank...and they're just fine and have been for almost 2 years now.

Well the fishie is dead. Gonna take him and a water sample (in separate containers of course) to the store I got him from since we didn't even have him for a week.

No glade plug ins no Febreeze (we don't use that in the house due to my allergies) no washing detergent residue, nothing, I make sure my hands are pretty well rinsed after using that stuff because I get contact dermatitis if I leave it on too long.

We'll probably pick up another carbon cartridge for the filter today, along with some dimmer lights and more natural looking decor (and IP medicine) and order another GSP (and keep it cycled with flake food)

He really didn't settle in well at first....I think I'll chalk it up to "It happens" And keep plugging. There's a GSP out there for me somewhere....
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edmlfc1
Mbu Puffer
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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: Nitrate problems

Post by edmlfc1 »

:( So sorry, I know you tried really hard. And your right there's another one out there that needs that kind of attention.
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/
User avatar
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: Nitrate problems

Post by Pufferpunk »

:( You certainly tried...
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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