Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
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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LilGreenPuffer
- Former Staff Member
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- Location: Kentucky
Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
I used StressZyme to "cycle" my first puffer tank. Three GSPs died that week.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
It's been awhile since I posted, so I just wanted to let everyone know that Alex is doing great, ich has been cured successfully with aquarium salt, and his tank is fully cycled (ammonia 0ppm, nitrites 0ppm, nitrates 5ppm). Thank you everyone for your help! Now my problem is just in my original tank... my tetras have not taken well to treatment, ich is still present, and bacterial infections are developing. I've also been using aquarium salt. My once healthy community tank is now pale and dwindling away. 
Pufferluv09 -is- Zyash
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Dadof4
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- Location (country): United States
- Location: North Wisconsin
Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
Keep trying with the aquarium salt and heat. In your community tank do you have any scaleless fish?
"Darwin swings...annnnnnd a miss. Boy Jim, Chuck's suffered at the plate tonight. He's 0 for 3 and I'm not sure he's recovered from that shoulder pull a few weeks ago. I'll bet the front office is re-thinking that contract."
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
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dlowis
- Puffer Fry
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
I would not advise you to keep using aquarium salt. Medicinal salt is still Salt and you are treating non saltwater fish and are saying they are showing signs of stress. I would get out all the salt you can, over time it damages the kidneys of freshwater fish, puffers can take the salt treatment because they are salt tolerant fish. I have never had a problem with quick cure its cheap and it works, just follow the instructions. if you need more info type in http://www.fishyfarmacy.com they will have more info on this on thier home page (its actually a whole article). I know the idea of using chemicals sucks but sometimes it is a must, which sounds like your case.
Last edited by dlowis on Mon Nov 30, 2009 2:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:58 pm
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
I initially used Ick Clear, followed the instructions, but it did not clear the ich. It was then that I switched to aquarium salt which says it is for use with freshwater fish... though I didn't plan on using it long term, just to help kick the ich. But still it has not cleared up. Are there any good ich/bacterial treatments that you recommend?
Pufferluv09 -is- Zyash
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dlowis
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 4:10 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Lorteti X5,Irrubesco X4,Travancoricus X6,Biocellatus X2,Erythrotaenia X3,Nigroviridis X2,Modestus and or Silus X2
Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
aquarisol (copper sulfate) or quick cure (formalin and malachite green)Use as directed. Raising the temp speeds up the life cycle so that the ick is vulnurable to treatment,in a word faster.Treatment can still take some time. Did you click on the Link it will give you a good idea of whats going on with your fish now and pay attention to the point that salt is toxic to true freshwater fish.It has to be removed after being put into their environment if you are just adding salt without doing water changes you are still making it brackish without the buffering elements that marine salt has. If you add it, it will show up with a hydrometer.another note I dont really know all the fish you have but it seems to me uncommon or odd and scaleless fish seem to be more sensitive to things so if they meet this criteria research them first.
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
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- Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:58 pm
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
Okay, thanks. I will check my LFS for those products. I have been raising the temp to speed up the cycle. Also, I do not add more salt except to replace what was removed in a water change. There is a tablespoon per 5 gallons. I find it hard to believe that this would be sold and recommended for the health of freshwater fish when it actually harms them..? btw, I have a hydrometer (lowest reading 1.00), and it still reads it as freshwater.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
1tbsp/10g is what you need to help clear the ich. I would continue. I would never use the recommended meds above for a puffer, unless it is totally infested & no other methods are working & never in a main tank.
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!"
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:58 pm
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
Oh, okay. I was doing 1T/5gal because that is what it said on the box. I will do a water change to get some of it out.
The recommended meds were for my community tank, not my puffer.
The recommended meds were for my community tank, not my puffer.
Pufferluv09 -is- Zyash
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Pufferpunk
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DPs
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burrfish
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
Actually, for a GSP, I suggest getting a hydrometer & start making that tank brackish with marine salt. How big is the tank?
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!"
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
Yes, I plan to do that asap. The thing that prevented me from doing that right away was the fact that apparently my tank wasn't cycled yet... so i did massive water changes frequently, added some bacterial supplement, continued to do water changes, and now my tank is cycled. I got a master test kit. So now I'm going to gradually acclimate it to BW. I have a hydrometer. Oh and the tank is only 10 gallons right now.... I know that is small, but it's all I have the room for at the moment, and he is just an inch long. I plan to get him a 30 gallon once he's a bit bigger and I have the money and space for it. Obviously, I didn't know a lot about these little puffers before I bought him, but at least he's in a better place now than he was in Wal-mart.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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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 my Green Spotted Puffer!
Since the tank is cycled & you need to add salt anyway for the ich, go ahead & start making it BW by adding a little <1 cup of dissolved salt to that tank. That should get you a SG of ~1.002. Check with a hydrometer to be sure.
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!"
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Pufferluv09
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:58 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Porcupine puffer
- Location (country): USA, Oregon
Re: Help my Green Spotted Puffer!
Yeah, I was actually wondering how much I should put in to equal about 1.002. Thanks for your help. I think I'll start with a half cup and see what that reads, and maybe add another half cup. Then I should wait a week before adding more, right? Oh and another question- The freshwater master test kit will still work with brackish water, right?
Pufferluv09 -is- Zyash