Beak Issues?
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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bertie 83
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Re: Beak Issues?
I am new to the forms, and........I work for walmart and decided i wanted to take home a GSP and had no idea what i was getting my self into. now that i know i need to step up my game. i love my fish. i own all highly aggressive fish, 2 beta, 1 African chiclid, and a GSP. none of them are tanked together. the beta's both have 1 gallon tanks to them selves and the african chiclid has a 3 gallon tank and my GSP has a 10 gallon tank. now i shall take all i have learned back to work with me and see what i can do about caring for our poor overcrowded GSP at work! i cant give them more room (sad puppy dog face) but i will def try to make sure to watch their beaks and informing people about them! now i just need to get about 15 more gallon tank for my GSP!
Re: Beak Issues?
Hi Minahara and welcome to The Puffer Forum. That is 20 or more gallon upgrade your looking at. Here is a great link to get your started.Minahara! now i just need to get about 15 more gallon tank for my GSP
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
Great that you are in the position to educate Walmart customers on the proper care. So many people come to the puffer forum after purchasing puffers from Walmart and are so unprepared for them.
P.S. Not to sound harsh but your other fish are also in to small of tanks.
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sevenyearnight
Re: Beak Issues?
Eek @ an african cichlid in a 3 gallon.
Add a 0, and you'd be at bare minimum, best is a 55, same as the GSP.
I hope he hasn't been in only 3 gallons for too long.
Add a 0, and you'd be at bare minimum, best is a 55, same as the GSP.
I hope he hasn't been in only 3 gallons for too long.
Re: Beak Issues?
no he hasnt. hes only about 2 1/2 inches right now. and has only been in the 3 gallon tank for about a month.
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sevenyearnight
Re: Beak Issues?
Depending on the species, an african cichlid's adult size is at least 4-5" or could be >7".
You don't want to complicate his development/cause health problems/shorten his life by keeping him in a 3 gallon. I don't personally like the term stunting, because it just implies that the organism is merely smaller than it should be, but it's much more complicated, and sometimes life threatening. And truthfully, he probably won't survive very long in that small amount of water and space. 1 and 3 gallon tanks should not be sold IMO, they are death traps.
You sound like you care a lot about your fish, I hope the information here on this site helps you!
You don't want to complicate his development/cause health problems/shorten his life by keeping him in a 3 gallon. I don't personally like the term stunting, because it just implies that the organism is merely smaller than it should be, but it's much more complicated, and sometimes life threatening. And truthfully, he probably won't survive very long in that small amount of water and space. 1 and 3 gallon tanks should not be sold IMO, they are death traps.
You sound like you care a lot about your fish, I hope the information here on this site helps you!
Re: Beak Issues?
Thanks fer the info i will pass it on! and i will get him a bigger tank as well as get my GSP a bigger tank!
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sevenyearnight
Re: Beak Issues?
Pilot, you went above and beyond for that puffer, you are a hero! 
Re: Beak Issues?
That was very kind of you Pilot 
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Beak Issues?
Be sure to read the cycling articles & even the Water Chemistry & Filtration articles, (heck--read ALL the library articles on water & tank maintenance), to help better understand the biological process of keeping a healthy tank with long-lived, happy fish.
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!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"