T. suvatti Breathing VERY hard - Gasping!
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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cunniculus
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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Bred
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 364
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 10:42 am
- Location: Toronto, Canada
- Contact:
It's extremely pungent, like rotten eggs. Humans are capable of detecting its smell at even very small concentrations in freshwater, so I'd be looking to a different cause of death.
The twitching is peculiar and makes me think there may have been some kind of parasitic infestation of the gills. Ich and gill flukes are most common.
There are so many possibilities in this case... I'm not sure the best explanation is even possible to determine without more information.
It might be wise to tear down the tank and disinfect (a prolonged soak in a 25% bleach solution will kill anything) all that you can before adding more fish, including the filter. It can be fishless cycled again later.
The twitching is peculiar and makes me think there may have been some kind of parasitic infestation of the gills. Ich and gill flukes are most common.
There are so many possibilities in this case... I'm not sure the best explanation is even possible to determine without more information.
It might be wise to tear down the tank and disinfect (a prolonged soak in a 25% bleach solution will kill anything) all that you can before adding more fish, including the filter. It can be fishless cycled again later.
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cunniculus
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Thanks for the advice, and information Bred. You've given the most solid and wothwhile info so far.
I didn't see any flukes on his gills when I necropsied him though they may have been long gone without a host.
I'll take your advice and tear down the tank before placing new fish in it, regardless of the cause.
Thanks
I didn't see any flukes on his gills when I necropsied him though they may have been long gone without a host.
I'll take your advice and tear down the tank before placing new fish in it, regardless of the cause.
Thanks
Sorry I still can't see where you confirmed that the substrate was sand.cunniculus wrote:Yes......Again, why does that matter?
Anyways the reason I was asking is because I lost a T.miurus in exactly the same way.I believe it to be poisoning by anerobic pockets.You don't have to get any smell. The gas is dissolved in the water and a very small amount(not detectable by smell) can cause havoc in atank.
Some call it a product of a mis-spent youth, I call it Rock n Roll ! 
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lisalisa
I'm not 100% sure what happened to this particular tank. The puffer showed all signs as described.Instead of lying flat on the sand his tail end would rise above his head end and he just looked awkward. That later developed into him flipping 'head over heels' when he was swimming. I did a large water change and he seemed to get better for about two months.Then again the same things happened. I would find him wedge in plants to prevent him from rising in the water.when he swam he would wobble from side to side.Then one day he was gone.
I tried a goldfish in after a 50% water change-he died
I tried another goldfish straight away he died.
I tried a third after almost a full change and stir of the sand, got some polyfilter(excellent stuff) and he lasted long enough for me to declare the tank safe and I returned him to my store. the T. abei went in for a while until I got my T. baileyi.He now has the tank.I don't have the answer but I am sure that it was some form of poisoning probably gaseous.
I tried a goldfish in after a 50% water change-he died
I tried another goldfish straight away he died.
I tried a third after almost a full change and stir of the sand, got some polyfilter(excellent stuff) and he lasted long enough for me to declare the tank safe and I returned him to my store. the T. abei went in for a while until I got my T. baileyi.He now has the tank.I don't have the answer but I am sure that it was some form of poisoning probably gaseous.
Some call it a product of a mis-spent youth, I call it Rock n Roll ! 
One thing to add as to why I think my problem was poisoning.With so many tanks I tend to keep a very brief diary and looking back prior to the events the only thing that was out of the 'norm' was i removed a very large plant with many large roots.Now no matter how hard i tried to stir the sand it was impossible to be sure that around this particular plant there were no toxic pockets. As I removed the plant several bubbles did surface.No smell though.
Some call it a product of a mis-spent youth, I call it Rock n Roll ! 
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cunniculus
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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cunniculus
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Yeah I was just wondering over the choice of fish. I've tetras and platys in the tank which my SA died, to check if the water is clear. I'm wondering if the choice of goldfish is because goldfish are more sensitive to water conditions, just like puffers are?
I'd rather be a puffer than a snail. Yes I would, if I could, I surely would...
Proud owner of: Beetroot: Fahaka, Hammie: Hairy Puffer, Fishball: Congo Puffer
RIP: Wasabi: Male irrubesco, Hamachi: Female irrubesco, Popcorn: SA puffer
Proud owner of: Beetroot: Fahaka, Hammie: Hairy Puffer, Fishball: Congo Puffer
RIP: Wasabi: Male irrubesco, Hamachi: Female irrubesco, Popcorn: SA puffer
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cunniculus
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Aha.. I see the free part. yeah I agree that they're pigs. The amount of sh*t they produce... oh my goodness.
I'd rather be a puffer than a snail. Yes I would, if I could, I surely would...
Proud owner of: Beetroot: Fahaka, Hammie: Hairy Puffer, Fishball: Congo Puffer
RIP: Wasabi: Male irrubesco, Hamachi: Female irrubesco, Popcorn: SA puffer
Proud owner of: Beetroot: Fahaka, Hammie: Hairy Puffer, Fishball: Congo Puffer
RIP: Wasabi: Male irrubesco, Hamachi: Female irrubesco, Popcorn: SA puffer
cunniculus wrote:Did your miurus have a swollen abdomen?
He was swollen towards the rear end which lifted his tail. At first I thought he was constipated.
Last edited by Rocker on Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Some call it a product of a mis-spent youth, I call it Rock n Roll ! 