Should I be worried?!
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.
- lilacamy931
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 812
- Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:15 am
- My Puffers: 200 litre - waiting for a schoutedeni
- Location (country): UK
- Location: Bournemouth
Should I be worried?!
Just found Fitzgig my baileyi UPSIDE DOWN resting. As soon as I saw him thought he must be dead. Went in with net and he instantly uprighted and swam a bit and then returned to sit sideways wedged. Should I be worried? He did overeat quite a bit yesterday..Also the lid was slightly not locked in but this is a common problem so couldnt comment if it was from me feeding or him attempting a jump?
- Dadof4
- Tech Team
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:50 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP (Microfiche) RIP, 1 Monotrete Turgidus (Leon) in a 30gal. 1 Monotrete suvattii in a 40 gal FW. 120 gallon BW with 3 juvenile Dragon Gobies (so cool). 55 gal with a 2" GSP named Hank. 180 gallon being set up for a Fahaka in the next few months!
- Location (country): United States
- Location: North Wisconsin
Re: Should I be worried?!
Moving this to the hospital forum. Please answer the usual questions in red....
"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."
- lilacamy931
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 812
- Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:15 am
- My Puffers: 200 litre - waiting for a schoutedeni
- Location (country): UK
- Location: Bournemouth
Re: Should I be worried?!
Ah so not usual then... 
1) PH 8.0 - Ammonia 0 - Nitrites 0 - Nitrates 10
2) Tank is 120 litre just baileyi and bunch of snails.
3) 30-50% water changes at least once a week. Feed on river shrimp, cockle, mussel, earthworms. Last meal whole mussel which didnt chew. Only use prime dechlor ever.
4) Nothing moved around. Last thing to be added was 5 rabbit snails 1 week ago.
5) Cycled by cloning/moving fully cycled filter, set up...ummm 3-4 months honestly cant remember but good while.
He did eat a whole mussel yesterday, just sucked the entire thing off the feeding arm before I could do anything and basically vegged after that..
Edit to add bad pic of current status (still looks like digesting meal from yesterday to me), he was here in this space earlier but yellow belly entirely up

Further pics, me and Alex cant decide if it is trapped air?




1) PH 8.0 - Ammonia 0 - Nitrites 0 - Nitrates 10
2) Tank is 120 litre just baileyi and bunch of snails.
3) 30-50% water changes at least once a week. Feed on river shrimp, cockle, mussel, earthworms. Last meal whole mussel which didnt chew. Only use prime dechlor ever.
4) Nothing moved around. Last thing to be added was 5 rabbit snails 1 week ago.
5) Cycled by cloning/moving fully cycled filter, set up...ummm 3-4 months honestly cant remember but good while.
He did eat a whole mussel yesterday, just sucked the entire thing off the feeding arm before I could do anything and basically vegged after that..
Edit to add bad pic of current status (still looks like digesting meal from yesterday to me), he was here in this space earlier but yellow belly entirely up

Further pics, me and Alex cant decide if it is trapped air?




- purplecandle
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 2019
- Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 2:18 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Currently
2 Adult Green Spotted Puffers
1 Fangs Puffer
1 Baby Green Spotted Puffer - Location (country): USA (NC)
Re: Should I be worried?!
forgive me if I am misunderstanding, but did he eat the mussel with the shell on?
- lilacamy931
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 812
- Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:15 am
- My Puffers: 200 litre - waiting for a schoutedeni
- Location (country): UK
- Location: Bournemouth
Re: Should I be worried?!
Hiya nope just defrosted non shelled. He seems fine today, having a bit of a sulk but fluttering about so I guess I will just have to keep an eye on him for any further odd behaviour...
-
duke
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:36 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 6 Figure 8 puffers
- Location (country): toronto , ont , canada
- Location: toronto
- Contact:
Re: Should I be worried?!
hope all is well , keep us posted