Ok.....so I have 2 puffers...Odo and Cassie. Odo is a green spotted puffer and Cassie is a figure eight. Odo is usually an enthusiastic eater and loves raw (frozen and then thawed in tank water) shrimp cut up into bite size pieces. He will need a bigger tank..I know. But when?? Is he needing one now??? He doesn't even look at his food while Cassie vibrantly eats. He just traces the wall of the tank ALL DAY. Does he need a bigger tank or is something worse wrong with him??? Oh and besides that he shows no signs of sickness. Please Help!!
1. water parameters are unknown at the moment-I haven't had it tested recently..salinity is around 1.012
2. 10 gallon tank...Odo, Cassie
3. Feeding, once every other day, water change, once, quarter-half change every week-2 weeks, have previously added cycle and safe start.
4.No changes
5.Aquarium has been set up since Nov. 2008 had puffers in it since Feb. 2009 cycled with fish (1 Mollie) for awhile fish died, tank water cleared up while cycling had water test once a week until good. Added Cycle and finally Safe Start and then tank was ready for puffers according to LFS. Had it cycled for 3 months until water was ready.
Uhhh....loss of appetite??!!??
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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Puffer_holic
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:29 pm
- My Puffers: Odo (GSP) and Cassie (F8)
Uhhh....loss of appetite??!!??
The only thing you should eat that smiles are goldfish crackers.
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LilGreenPuffer
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Re: Uhhh....loss of appetite??!!??
You need to get your own liquid test kit and check parameters. I imagine that it's high time to separate these two into larger tanks. Nitrates are probably getting very high, considering that the tank is probably overstocked (how big are they?) and that you're not doing at least 50%/week water changes. They're probably also quite stunted.
The SG is pretty darned high for a F8...
Are there enough decorations in there?
Go do an 80% water change now and see if anything improves.
The SG is pretty darned high for a F8...
Are there enough decorations in there?
Go do an 80% water change now and see if anything improves.
"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."
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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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kilofey
- Fahaka Puffer
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Re: Uhhh....loss of appetite??!!??
everything LGP sounds like awesome advice..... but btw, i heard when puffers (mainly GSPs) trace the tank walls or pick one wall to swim up and down on all day long, it means their really bored, which means their tank is probably too small and they dont have enough decorations to explore..... it sounds like its time for their "big kid tank" consider looking for one soon.... thre are lots of local ebay-type websites out there where you can find dirt cheap tanks locally..... well, good luck! and if you have a LFS that carries garlic gaurd, that stuff is an appetite stimulant, just soak their food in it, and they should gobble it right up.... it also helps boost their immune system because it has vitamin C in it
"everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid"
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pufferpuggirl
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Re: Uhhh....loss of appetite??!!??
I would say the tank is definitely too small for both puffers. The F8 could remain in the tank they are in now, but the GSP should have a bigger tank on his own. I also think that what kilofey has said is probably right, the GSP is most likely bored of it's surroundings and things aren't interesting enough for it, hence the pacing. When you do set up another tank for the GSP, make sure you make it interesting, placing rocks and/or ornaments so the puffer has to swim over and under things, places to explore, plants, even if plastic, are a good option too. Keep in mind that the tank you put your GSP in is his home and he can't leave it and go some place else if he's bored. You need to make it interesting enough, afterall, you wouldn't want to live out your life in a 10' x 10' empty cell, and that's a good way of thinking about how your puffer feels. 
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Uhhh....loss of appetite??!!??
I'm a little confused here.Added Cycle and finally Safe Start and then tank was ready for puffers according to LFS. Had it cycled for 3 months until water was ready.
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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Puffer_holic
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:29 pm
- My Puffers: Odo (GSP) and Cassie (F8)
Re: Uhhh....loss of appetite??!!??
Thank you for all of your advice. We are searching for a bigger tank for Odo. Last I checked, btw, he was about 2-3in and Cassie 1-2in (long) and we do know that the water parameters are a little too high for Cassie, my lfs said it would be ok up until about where I'm at because it's hard to cope with a brackish fish and a soon-to-be saltwater fish (: I guess I should've thought of posting sooner but i'm glad I did now...the store I bought them from sold odo to me as a f8 because he has wide, interlining spots and we just thought he was brightly colored...when I got Cassie we knew it was a different story. Anyways thanks for all of your help, and pufferpunk, I mean those are the products that were put in during cycling. 
The only thing you should eat that smiles are goldfish crackers.