Labored Breathing
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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Pufferpunk
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Labored Breathing
Yes, you can discontinue the Epsom. What test kit are you using?
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!"
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sevenyearnight
Re: Labored Breathing
*Sorry for the double post, my phone be actin a fool again...
Last edited by sevenyearnight on Wed May 25, 2011 1:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sevenyearnight
Re: Labored Breathing
I'd say at this point just focus on keeping the water changes going. I'd add nothing but clean water and prime.
I'm not sure how to word this properly, so forgive me if it sounds off. Since aquarium salt is basically just rock salt that the pet store industry has falsely betrothed magical properties upon, it doesn't matter if he was used to it, it's still basically worthless, especially without a break down of its composition.
I am also fairly certain that whatever amount they added, would be trivial.
Just keep his water clean, and add prime. I'm pretty sure you can take more than 25% out at a time considering your ammonia level hasn't changed.
I'm not sure how to word this properly, so forgive me if it sounds off. Since aquarium salt is basically just rock salt that the pet store industry has falsely betrothed magical properties upon, it doesn't matter if he was used to it, it's still basically worthless, especially without a break down of its composition.
I am also fairly certain that whatever amount they added, would be trivial.
Just keep his water clean, and add prime. I'm pretty sure you can take more than 25% out at a time considering your ammonia level hasn't changed.
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signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing
Pufferpunk, the kit I am using is made by API Ammoia NH3/NH4+ Test Kit it's for Fresh Water and Salt Water
Is this the wrong kind? I put sme snails in the tank and now my other Puffer isn't eating them. He has been eating all along. God this is just killing me.
Is this the wrong kind? I put sme snails in the tank and now my other Puffer isn't eating them. He has been eating all along. God this is just killing me.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Labored Breathing
Are you using Prime to dechlorinate the water?
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!"
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signnet
- Figure 8 Puffer
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Re: Labored Breathing
Yes I put Prime in everytime I take the water out
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J-P
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Re: Labored Breathing
sorry for your loss. The test kits will read ammonia in the tank but the Prime renders it harmless.
Is #2 still hanging in there?
Is #2 still hanging in there?
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
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signnet
- Figure 8 Puffer
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1 Orange Saddleback Fucca - Location (country): USA
- Location: Coral Springs, FL
Re: Labored Breathing
Yes, Puffer #2 is still hanging in. I put some snails in today and he wasn't interested. Now I just looked and I still see a few in there. He had to have eaten some. Usually he gobbles them up right away. He was putting his nose close to the glass and going up and down....would swim away and then come back and do it again. Is that normal? Now he is just sitting in the sand. I find that since I put the sand in, they like to sit on the bottom.
I am about to do another water change, but I was going to check the ammonia level first.
I am about to do another water change, but I was going to check the ammonia level first.
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xrayjeeper83
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Re: Labored Breathing
He could be sad from the lose of his friend, give him a few days to get over it.
RTR wrote:Fahakas do not have tank mates, they may have swimming food reserves.
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signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing
PufferPunk, I am 4 days changing the water 50% twice a day. The ammonia level does not change, Why? It seems to stay at .25 no matter if I take 50% or 75% of the water out. Even with putting only "Prime" in today, it's still at .25
One would think with as much water as I have changed it would be at 0
One would think with as much water as I have changed it would be at 0
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Pufferpunk
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Labored Breathing
Can you post a pic of your test?
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!"
-
sevenyearnight
Re: Labored Breathing
Have you tested the tap water? They add ammonia to our city water and depending on the time of year it will test .25 and even as high as 1.0, maybe they do that there too.
Re: Labored Breathing
While it's a reassuring gauge of how well the puff is doing, feeding more than the smallest amount will keep popping up your ammonia levels during this time while the bacteria are establishing. If you're worried that the puff is suffering from elevated ammonia/nitrite, then I would only feed one snail every two days (for example). Also, it helps to vacuum out the poop as soon as you see it. Along with the (intensely frequent, i know!) water changes you've been doing, I think that's pretty much all you can do until the levels stabilize. Dosing Prime in large amounts (I think you can get away with 5x the suggested amount) might help neutralize the toxins, but from what I could gather from reading some tidbits from the Prime people, the binding/neutralizing effect wears off in 48 hours, so you would need to keep up the extra dosing until you're sure the water is balanced.
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signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing
Ok upon a suggestion, I tested the tap Water. It came out to .0 fr the ammonia. At 7:30 tonight I retested the tank again. Still at .25 level. My little guy is just sitting in the sand on the bottom of the tank.
I have included pictures: Tap Water Test to see where the ammonia leels are in my tap water
I have included the most recent Tank Tests (Tank Test1 and TankTest2)
I have included pictures: Tap Water Test to see where the ammonia leels are in my tap water
I have included the most recent Tank Tests (Tank Test1 and TankTest2)
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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signnet
- Figure 8 Puffer
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- Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 11:35 pm
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1 Orange Saddleback Fucca - Location (country): USA
- Location: Coral Springs, FL
Re: Labored Breathing
Now the unerside of his belly is turning grey