New puffer troubles
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.
New puffer troubles
Ok so since my little ordeal with an algae infestation i have heavily cut back on my light in my tank. Now today I noticed both of my puffers have darkened up a lot and have been acting very sluggish. One was eating a little and the other tried to eat only one worm and seemed to be having trouble even with that (seemed like he was possibly having trouble seeing). My water paramiters seem very good at the moment. Nitrites at 0 Ammonia at 0 and my salinity is at 1.004. would this simply be an effect of the change in light schedule? The only other thing that I can think of is possibly a cave i just put in the tank after the last water change has possibly made them lazy(can that happen?). Anyway any advice would be appreciated I wnat to take care of this while they are still doing ok.
-
YBeNormal
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:19 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Contact:
A darkened tank may cause the puffers to rest more or at different times than you are used to seeing when the tank is well lit. The cave may give them a hiding place but should not make them lazy.
What is your nitrAte reading? Is 1.004 your typical SG for this tank? Water change regimine and last PWC?
Do the puffs brighten up and begin to swim normally after a few minutes when lights in the room/tank are turned up?
What is your nitrAte reading? Is 1.004 your typical SG for this tank? Water change regimine and last PWC?
Do the puffs brighten up and begin to swim normally after a few minutes when lights in the room/tank are turned up?
--Bob
-
YBeNormal
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:19 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Contact:
OK, you really should invest in a nitrate test kit. Once a tank is cycled, nitrates and SG are what need to be monitored mostly. Ammonia and nitrites should remain at zero unless something goes wrong (dead fish/plants in the tank, crash, etc.)
What and how much are you feeding and are the puffs eating OK?
Did you vac the substrate during the last PWC?
I'm guessing that the algae is dieing off and may be causing the nitrates to rise. Hard to say w/o nitrate test results though. Suggest cutting way back on feeding for a few days and do another PWC ASAP. How big is the tank again and how big are the puffs?
Sorry for so many questions, but this could be a non-issue or something serious and details are needed to help diagnose the situation.
What and how much are you feeding and are the puffs eating OK?
Did you vac the substrate during the last PWC?
I'm guessing that the algae is dieing off and may be causing the nitrates to rise. Hard to say w/o nitrate test results though. Suggest cutting way back on feeding for a few days and do another PWC ASAP. How big is the tank again and how big are the puffs?
Sorry for so many questions, but this could be a non-issue or something serious and details are needed to help diagnose the situation.
--Bob
2 puffs in a 20 gallon tank, both are still under 1" but growing. I did vac less than 1 week ago in my last PWC but I will do another tomorrow. Like I mentioned above one puff is eating (not as much as I would like) and the other is eating very very little. They have been eating once a day recently.
-
YBeNormal
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:19 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Contact:
OK. Your puffs may be fine and others may jump in with additional suggestions but lacking nitrate readings, a PWC change is always a good idea when anything doesn't look right in your tank. If you can scrape off some of the algae and vaccuum that out with your PWC, so much the better. Maybe even remove and clean any plastic plants that have algae growing on them.
Do try to get a nitrate test kit soon, keep an eye on the puffers and keep us infomed of any changes.
Do try to get a nitrate test kit soon, keep an eye on the puffers and keep us infomed of any changes.
we cant find any trouble. This is really discouraging for me 
im gonna go do a 50% WC and clean everything out. Im gonna take a break from puffers I guess. I want to keep brackish water so I can come back to puffers later once I have some more experience Any reccomendations of hardier Brackish water fish?
im gonna go do a 50% WC and clean everything out. Im gonna take a break from puffers I guess. I want to keep brackish water so I can come back to puffers later once I have some more experience Any reccomendations of hardier Brackish water fish?no they did not give me any numbers. But my own test kit shows 0 Ammonia and Nitrite so the only other thing could be nitrate that I coud think of. but i did a PWC less than a week ago so that would be surprising. The only thing i could think of killing them is bad worms or shrimp that I have fed them recently. Im gonna go get a nitrate test kit right now.