More problems.... (HELP!)

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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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Archaeopath
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:17 pm
Location: Birmingham, UK

More problems.... (HELP!)

Post by Archaeopath »

Sorry for doing this, copying from another thread, I just think this might be missed as a reply in my fungus thread and I'm extremely concerned about the little fella.....

Update: The fungus may have disappeared, but now he's bumping into things, swimming around in a stupor. I've read a few threads on here, asking if their puffer's gone blind. He's swimming almost as if stoned, crashing into the plants, thermometer etc then carrying on as if nothing's happened.

ETA: he's definitely not seeing well, not responding to me or my hand near the tank. Is blindness common? A result of the fungus?

ETA #2: out of the blue, he's just puffed. First time I've ever seen him do that. I've followed the articles on de-puffing and he seems to have deflated now, but he really must be stressed. I was just sat here watching him in the dark with just my desk lamp on and whoomph, he puffed.
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The Fisherman
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Post by The Fisherman »

I dont know about the blindess, but ive read that crashing into things while swimming is a sign of stress.

I really dont know anymore, but im sure someone else will.


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Pufferpunk
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Post by Pufferpunk »

Also a sign of high nitrItes. Please test the water for ammonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes & pH. Get back to us.
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!"
Archaeopath
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:17 pm
Location: Birmingham, UK

Post by Archaeopath »

thank you, I will do. Though if it's nitrItes, I've no idea what's happened. The tank's been stable for many weeks now, more than regular water changes and no real change to contents other than fungus meds.
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32976
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
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:

Post by Pufferpunk »

When that has happened, I sometimes find a piece of fungused food in the leaves or base of a plant or 2.
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!"
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