how long does epsom salts take to work???

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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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matt willis
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:59 pm
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Location (country): england
Location: march cambs

how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by matt willis »

GETTING WORRIED ABOUT MY MBU KNOW HE HAS NOT GONE TO TOILET SINCE THURSDAY AND HE HAS A HUGE LUMP IN HIS BELLY AND DIDNT EAT YESTERDAY!
DOSED WITH EPSOM SALTS YESTERDAY , HOW LONG DOES THIS TAKE TO WORK?? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO FOR HIM
PLEASE HELP
SammyDee
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1073
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My Puffers: 55g (2) GSP, (2) Maroon Clownfish, (1) blue damsel, And some soft corals and 1 Nem
45g FW community
20g snail and shrimp breeding tank for puffers
Location (country): USA USA USA USA
Location: Detroit, Michigan

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by SammyDee »

You can try raising the temp btw 81-85 and it should soften the stool and increase their metabolism. Unless it an IP or and undigested shell causing blockage.
"DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU'L DIE TODAY' -JAMES DEAN
SammyDee
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1073
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:50 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 55g (2) GSP, (2) Maroon Clownfish, (1) blue damsel, And some soft corals and 1 Nem
45g FW community
20g snail and shrimp breeding tank for puffers
Location (country): USA USA USA USA
Location: Detroit, Michigan

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by SammyDee »

Has he/she been treated b4 for IP's you should always do this with any wild caught species such as puffers. And its a cheap preventative measure. Also it will help other higher up's if you answer the ?s above in red.... and how long he's been in there and maybe a pic and how long the tanks been up and running(thats probably one of the ?s in red anyways)
"DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU'L DIE TODAY' -JAMES DEAN
matt willis
Puffer Fry
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:59 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: mbu puffer snr, mbu puffer jnr
giant gourami ,flowerhorn, giraffe catfish
Location (country): england
Location: march cambs

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by matt willis »

800LTS HOLDING TANK TILL NEW ONE ARRIVES
BEEN RUNNING FOR 18 MONTHS
PH7.5 AMM 0 NITRI O NITRA 0-0.5
TEMP 80
20% WEEKLY WATER CHANGES
USE PRIME
FEED ON COCKLES IN SHELS MUSSELL IN AND OUT OF SHELLS PRAWNS LANCE FISH
HE CAN BE GREEDY AND ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS HE HAS SWALLOWED MUSSELLS IN THE SHELL WHOLE!!
SammyDee
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1073
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:50 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 55g (2) GSP, (2) Maroon Clownfish, (1) blue damsel, And some soft corals and 1 Nem
45g FW community
20g snail and shrimp breeding tank for puffers
Location (country): USA USA USA USA
Location: Detroit, Michigan

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by SammyDee »

Id try not to feed him any shelled food like snails and such that are bigger than its eyes. Its easy for them to swallow chunks of shell and it may be causing the constipation. Hopefully he passes something soon and its over. Has he been treated for IP's ever?
Last edited by SammyDee on Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
"DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU'L DIE TODAY' -JAMES DEAN
SammyDee
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1073
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:50 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 55g (2) GSP, (2) Maroon Clownfish, (1) blue damsel, And some soft corals and 1 Nem
45g FW community
20g snail and shrimp breeding tank for puffers
Location (country): USA USA USA USA
Location: Detroit, Michigan

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by SammyDee »

Also are you freezing any fresh seafoods b4 feeding? this way it helps kill any possible hitchhiking parasites.
"DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU'L DIE TODAY' -JAMES DEAN
SammyDee
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 1073
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:50 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: 55g (2) GSP, (2) Maroon Clownfish, (1) blue damsel, And some soft corals and 1 Nem
45g FW community
20g snail and shrimp breeding tank for puffers
Location (country): USA USA USA USA
Location: Detroit, Michigan

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by SammyDee »

Now Im not sure about MBU's but I kno most puffer owners of GSP dont feed Guppies (lance fish). Its very bad for their digestive track and they hardly have good nutrition. Im pretty sure ppl say it just make your puffer fat too. Try to stop feeding the lance fish. Maybe the small spines are causing the constipation.
"DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU'L DIE TODAY' -JAMES DEAN
matt willis
Puffer Fry
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:59 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: mbu puffer snr, mbu puffer jnr
giant gourami ,flowerhorn, giraffe catfish
Location (country): england
Location: march cambs

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by matt willis »

I DONT KNOW IF LANCEFISH ARE THE SAME THING IN ENGLAND AS THEY ARE IN THE USA(3INCH LONG SILVER IN PREPACKED FROZEN BAGS) I ONLY GIVE ONE OR TWO ONCE A MONTH FOR A CHANGE HIS MAIN DIET IS MUSSELLS IN SHELL OR COCKLES WITH SHELL LESS MUSSELLS. HE HAS NOT HAD LANCEFISH FOR 3WKS .
I ALWAYS FREEZE BEFORE FEEDING MY SHELL FISH
HE HAS NOT LATELY BEEN TREATED FOR IP WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMEND
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Dadof4
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Location: North Wisconsin

Re: how long does epsom salts take to work???

Post by Dadof4 »

I'm going to lock this thread due to it being a double post, it will save on confusion (people answering in different posts don't always get all the info).
Please don't post in all caps, it's considered shouting by all and very rude by most.
"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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