Fading F8?

[Puffer_holic]

I haven't gotten my water tested lately so I don't know my exact water parameters but I know that I have 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and around 10ish nitrates
I have a 10 gallon tank (yes I know I NEED to get a bigger one) that holds my (about) 1 inch F8 puffer and my (about) 1 and a quarter inch GSP. I usually do a 10 percent water change once every week. Lately I've been noticing that my f8's skin pattern/color is fading a bit. Is this a problem? If so what could be causing it? Please help
Thanks

[edmlfc1]

You really need to get the water tested. It may be because the nitrates are much higher than you think they are. By only doing 10% water change a week in an overstocked tank, I'm guessing they are more like 40 nitrates. I would do a 50% water change right away and see if he starts to look better. Then I would get test kits.

[marksrush]

I haven't gotten my water tested lately so I don't know my exact water parameters but I know that I have 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and around 10ish nitrates...

Well actually since you haven't gotten your water tested lately, you *don't* know that you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and around 10ish nitrates. Take some to a LFS (most will test it for you for free) or like edmlfc1 says get test kits. If you can't afford the whole kit, they also sell the tests individually so you could get the ammonia one, the nitrite one, and the nitrate one and get the others later. I think a lot of people would say that you cannot keep a puffer without water testing chemicals.

...I usually do a 10 percent water change once every week...

One thing you will see very quickly if you spend time reading this site is that 50% water changes per week is pretty much what we aim for. If you're keeping that size fish in that size tank, it's really important that you take that not as a suggestion, but as a requirement. Do like edmlfc1 says and do a 50% water change and I bet you'll see a major improvement in your puffer's color.

[Puffer_holic]

thank you and sorry i didn't mean that i "knew" exactly the water parameters even though that's what I typed. Those are just from the last tests I got, and thanks for the advice

[marksrush]

thank you and sorry i didn't mean that i "knew" exactly the water parameters even though that's what I typed. Those are just from the last tests I got, and thanks for the advice

Oh, OK, well good then. Good luck! I'm sure you can get him perked up nicely with a little effort.

[Nick]

Don't go anyplace that uses test strips, either. And if they use liquid test kits, watch them do the nitrate test - the second bottle needs to be shaken HARD for over half a minute to read accurately, and most people just seem to give it a little toss or two - if they do this, the test will only ever show "Trace"(1-10) or low(10-20) nitrates until the bottle is nearly empty, then read off the chart every test after that until empty, even if only trace nitrates are present.

[Puffer_holic]

Don't go anyplace that uses test strips, either. And if they use liquid test kits, watch them do the nitrate test - the second bottle needs to be shaken HARD for over half a minute to read accurately, and most people just seem to give it a little toss or two - if they do this, the test will only ever show "Trace"(1-10) or low(10-20) nitrates until the bottle is nearly empty, then read off the chart every test after that until empty, even if only trace nitrates are present.

Thank you. I really do have a great LFS. They know what they are talking about (unlike most fish stores I've been to) so yes they do all that.

[Nick]

Amazing. Typically, even at the store where I work, new employees may ruin a nitrate test kit by doing a good number of tests with it before being told how important shaking it is

[Dakota789]

Don't go anyplace that uses test strips, either. And if they use liquid test kits, watch them do the nitrate test - the second bottle needs to be shaken HARD for over half a minute to read accurately, and most people just seem to give it a little toss or two - if they do this, the test will only ever show "Trace"(1-10) or low(10-20) nitrates until the bottle is nearly empty, then read off the chart every test after that until empty, even if only trace nitrates are present.

I totally agree with you! I am still in the process of cycling my tank and I kept bringing the water to my LPS and they used strips and half the time didn't even compare it to the chart, they would just say "Yea, it's perfect"... I wasn't confident in their results so I bought the API master test kit (it's a liquid one) and started testing myself, the levels were NO WHERE near perfect...Thank goodness I didn't put any fishies in!!! So be careful, like Nick said... even the BEST and most reputible pet stores don't know everything and afterall every makes mistakes.

[Puffer_holic]

Yeah. I got anything but perfect for about a month with the liquid test, and the test results were right. I know it shouldn't take that long but sadly, and mistakenly, I had it cycled for majority of the time with a molly in it. Once that poor molly got better my water started showing improvement. Oh and I did a big water change and my F8 looks perfectly healthy. Thanks for all the help