library/puffers-in-focus/sexing-carinot ... rf-puffer/
My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
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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greenspottedlover
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): Vermont
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
I don't know their sex.
I checked the website for the store I got the tank, it is 5 gallon.
I was told by three fish places now that if I had enough plants and caves 5 gallon would be enough for 3. I also was told they should be kept in groups hence three, otherwise I would have only bought one.
I can't afford a larger tank. They are so tiny I really don't see that the tank size is an issue at this time. They are the size of my thumbnail. I will get them a bigger tank soon, I look often, but for now this is what I have.
I checked the website for the store I got the tank, it is 5 gallon.
I was told by three fish places now that if I had enough plants and caves 5 gallon would be enough for 3. I also was told they should be kept in groups hence three, otherwise I would have only bought one.
I can't afford a larger tank. They are so tiny I really don't see that the tank size is an issue at this time. They are the size of my thumbnail. I will get them a bigger tank soon, I look often, but for now this is what I have.
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Blaine
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Alot of the time,...'fish places' are more interested in selling stuff than giving correct info. We are right in this instance ...they are not. We are not trying to sell you anything. You came looking for advice and we have told you the truth. If you choose not to listen, for whatever reason, then why bother asking.
A 5 gal is only large enough to keep 1 DP healthy over a long period...regardless of how many plants or caves you put in. It is a matter of the amount of waste produced by the fish, regardless of their size, puffers put alot of waste into the water and a 5 gal tank does not contain enough water to safely dilute the toxins while they are handled by the filter.
In essence you will be slowly poisoning your fish, little by little, day by day,..until they get sick and die.
You ask for advice on a subject that you admitedly know little about....then dismiss our information.
You are willing to take the advice from a LFS person who maybe has 6 months direct experience working with and keeping puffers.
You get mad when we ask you necessary questions and give you the benefit of decades of direct experience keeping puffers...then dismiss our advice in favor of the people that sold you the puffers into a bad situation in the first place.
You have no right to get mad at us for being honest with you...our only concern was/is with helping the puffers stay healthy.
You can choose to listen and do what's right by your fish....or you can choose to get your advice from the store and watch them slowly die.
If you have no intention of listening to those who know better than you (not conceit, just fact) then don't bother responding again. Just listen to the three fish stores and you will soon be able to get another betta for that tank.
A 5 gal is only large enough to keep 1 DP healthy over a long period...regardless of how many plants or caves you put in. It is a matter of the amount of waste produced by the fish, regardless of their size, puffers put alot of waste into the water and a 5 gal tank does not contain enough water to safely dilute the toxins while they are handled by the filter.
In essence you will be slowly poisoning your fish, little by little, day by day,..until they get sick and die.
You ask for advice on a subject that you admitedly know little about....then dismiss our information.
You are willing to take the advice from a LFS person who maybe has 6 months direct experience working with and keeping puffers.
You get mad when we ask you necessary questions and give you the benefit of decades of direct experience keeping puffers...then dismiss our advice in favor of the people that sold you the puffers into a bad situation in the first place.
You have no right to get mad at us for being honest with you...our only concern was/is with helping the puffers stay healthy.
You can choose to listen and do what's right by your fish....or you can choose to get your advice from the store and watch them slowly die.
If you have no intention of listening to those who know better than you (not conceit, just fact) then don't bother responding again. Just listen to the three fish stores and you will soon be able to get another betta for that tank.
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greenspottedlover
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): Vermont
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Well calm down ever one. 
Yah as long as there is no aggression you should be able to use the 5g. as a temporary home till you can get a bigger tank. I would only suggest you do very large, maybe 60%+ weekly water changes during the time there in there, or use a large plastic tub as a temporary home.
Also for a new filter on the larger tank you plan to get, get a Aquaclear filter for a tank larger than the one you get. An oversized filter on a puffer tank is a good idea because it helps keep up with there waste load, though no filter should replace water changes a large filter also gives some room for error in case maybe you forget to do a water change and do it a few days off schedule.
Yah as long as there is no aggression you should be able to use the 5g. as a temporary home till you can get a bigger tank. I would only suggest you do very large, maybe 60%+ weekly water changes during the time there in there, or use a large plastic tub as a temporary home.
Also for a new filter on the larger tank you plan to get, get a Aquaclear filter for a tank larger than the one you get. An oversized filter on a puffer tank is a good idea because it helps keep up with there waste load, though no filter should replace water changes a large filter also gives some room for error in case maybe you forget to do a water change and do it a few days off schedule.
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Wow you people are SUCH cuties. I said what I was told because I am trying to understand. Forget it. I'll go elsewhere.
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greenspottedlover
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): Vermont
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
greenspottedlover wrote:Well calm down ever one.
Yah as long as there is no aggression you should be able to use the 5g. as a temporary home till you can get a bigger tank. I would only suggest you do very large, maybe 60%+ weekly water changes during the time there in there, or use a large plastic tub as a temporary home.
Also for a new filter on the larger tank you plan to get, get a Aquaclear filter for a tank larger than the one you get. An oversized filter on a puffer tank is a good idea because it helps keep up with there waste load, though no filter should replace water changes a large filter also gives some room for error in case maybe you forget to do a water change and do it a few days off schedule.
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Thanks for your response greenspotted, it is greatly appreciated!
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greenspottedlover
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): Vermont
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Its no big deal I'm in the same situation, sort of. I have a GSP in a 20g. tank and it needs at least 30g. full grown, but I'm saving for a new setup.
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
No need to quote yourself, check the timestamp, we posted at the same time. I do very much appreciate your actual help as opposed to arrogance!
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Thanks. It's aggravating because I explained what I was told so people would understand that I bought the fish for thetank because I was told it'd work. I didn't come here to be judged, yanno?
Anyway I'm looking online at a 35 gallon so hopefully I can get that soon
Anyway I'm looking online at a 35 gallon so hopefully I can get that soon
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greenspottedlover
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): Vermont
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Well to be fair some of the people on this site have been keeping puffers for as much as 32 years. Not membnoelle wrote:No need to quote yourself, check the timestamp, we posted at the same time. I do very much appreciate your actual help as opposed to arrogance!
, but still these are the experts, I owe my puffer's life to most of these people.Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
greenspotted is there anything else I should do besides the water changes before I can get a bigger tank??
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Right I understand that and that's why I came here but they treated me with arrogance instead of trying to help. It was rude and I just think they should try and be less judgmental to new fish owners. Everyone starts somewhere and I DOUBT that none of them ever screwed up along the way..greenspottedlover wrote:Well to be fair some of the people on this site have been keeping puffers for as much as 32 years. Not membnoelle wrote:No need to quote yourself, check the timestamp, we posted at the same time. I do very much appreciate your actual help as opposed to arrogance!
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greenspottedlover
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): Vermont
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
I remember my first aquarium. Bought the tank and fish same day. People at the store told me that was fine. Next day the water was cloudy and the fish were dead. I learned about cycling a tank after that. 
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greenspottedlover
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): Vermont
Re: My peas are hangin' out around the bottom
Well not really, you could buy a large plastic tub and put a filter in it that way you could divide your fish into 2 setups. make sure you either buy some sort of instant cycle product or do a fishless cycle on the tub before adding puffs.mbnoelle wrote:greenspotted is there anything else I should do besides the water changes before I can get a bigger tank??