Flicking Topaz

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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Gary
Puffer Fry
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:17 am

Flicking Topaz

Post by Gary »

Hi,

George is from time to time flicking himself on the wood and rock.
He has given himself sort of dark scratch marks just behind his gills slightly higher.
Would i be correct to assume this to be ich and treat with copper.

Please tell me if i am incorrect.

Many thanks

Gary

salt 17ppm
no traces ammonia, rite, rate,
pH and temp normal
Lives alone
eats Snails, blood w, prawn.cockles.
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

NO!!!!! Never ever treat a puffer with copper. If it is ich, there are instructions in a sticky at the top of the Hospital section.
Gary
Puffer Fry
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:17 am

Post by Gary »

Thanks for the swift and advise
Guess by your reaction that should have been something i should have known.

Thanks again.

Gary
perek
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 281
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:07 am

Post by perek »

Gary wrote:Thanks for the swift and advise
Guess by your reaction that should have been something i should have known.

Thanks again.

Gary
Yea its pretty simple.
-Raise Salinity
-Raise temp real high
-Lower Water level so more oxygen will get forced into the water.
-Wait
Gary
Puffer Fry
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:17 am

Post by Gary »

Hi

Temp normally 80
Salt normally 16

What do you suggest i take them too.
And over how long.

Thanks

Gary
perek
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 281
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:07 am

Post by perek »

Gary wrote:Hi

Temp normally 80
Salt normally 16

What do you suggest i take them too.
And over how long.

Thanks

Gary
take the temp to ~86F if you can. If you already have some salt then you prob dont need to do anything with that.
Gary
Puffer Fry
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:17 am

Post by Gary »

Thanks

May start that tomorrow when i get back from work.
Sleep time now

Will check this thread tomorrow

Thanks again.

Gary
perek
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 281
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:07 am

Post by perek »

Gary wrote:Thanks

May start that tomorrow when i get back from work.
Sleep time now

Will check this thread tomorrow

Thanks again.

Gary
Dont forget to lower the water level or add a air block to dissolve more air. Raising the temp will stress the oxygen levels.
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Post by Pufferpunk »

What puffer exactally is your "topaz"? Check on http://www.pufferlist.com & 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!"
wonkadog
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My

Post by wonkadog »

small GSP (2 inches) is also doing this "flicking" behavior, however I can see no indication of ich on its skin. Could this be something else? He seems to be hanging out at the top of the water more than usual also. My nitrites & ammonia are 0, however I always have a hard time keeping my nitrates under 20...they're probably around 25-30 right now. My salinity is around 1.012.
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