My GSP is a little funky
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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Salmon
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:54 pm
- My Puffers: Albie (F8) soon to be rehomed
Milo and Millie (DPs) - Location (country): United States of America
- Location: Ohio
Re: My GSP is a little funky
I will see if any LFS around me has frozen or live worms. I fed Alf some medicated baby shrimp tonight, he didn't gobble them up like he usually does but at least he ate some! for the next couple of days I'll feed him only medicated food, I'll try adding some garlic powder to the mix see if likes it more, when all is well and he "fattens" up I'll definitely post some pics.
Those who say money can't buy happiness don't know where to find puffers.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
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Re: My GSP is a little funky
As long as he swallows some of it.
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!"
Re: My GSP is a little funky
Nice coverage, all! The porker will perk up soon! : )
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Salmon
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:54 pm
- My Puffers: Albie (F8) soon to be rehomed
Milo and Millie (DPs) - Location (country): United States of America
- Location: Ohio
Re: My GSP is a little funky
I actually witnessed him poo today and it was more solid than usual, so I'm assuming he is either eating more or something is working. Also there were white spots in it and I was wondering if those were parasites or maybe pieces of shell. I also just noticed one of his eyes is slightly cloudy and I was wondering if that's a whole other issue. I feel I didn't get the healthiest puffer, but he seems to be happy since everytime i see him he is bright green
Those who say money can't buy happiness don't know where to find puffers.
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Salmon
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:54 pm
- My Puffers: Albie (F8) soon to be rehomed
Milo and Millie (DPs) - Location (country): United States of America
- Location: Ohio
Re: My GSP is a little funky
Alf is not doing so well this morning. He was pretty much black this morning and I did a 60% water change this morning and rearranged all his scenery (I usually do this thursday, but my class schedule for the summer did not permit me to do so). I did a water test after the water settled down and found my ammonia was .25 ppm which scares me a little seeing as how I just performed a water change. He is still in my 10 gallon with a South American bumblebee catfish and 2 kuhli loaches. I am going to buy a 20 long this week just for him and finally make his water brackish, but if he doesn't make it I don't know what I'm going to do. He just lays at the bottom of the tank all black which is unusual while I'm in the room. I used Jack's water conditioner last night when I prepared his buckets of water. My aquarium has been set up for about 6 months or a little more and I did a cycle by taking water from a 5 gallon I had set up for a while before that with mollies in it. I'm wondering if possibly he is reacting to the parasite treatment I gave him. Yesterday was his 3rd and final treatment, or should I continue treatments? He wouldn't even react to snails I dropped directly in front of his face. Please help.
Those who say money can't buy happiness don't know where to find puffers.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32975
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: My GSP is a little funky
Water from an established system does nothing to cycle a tank, as the bacteria you need lives on surfaces, like filter media, substrate, decor, glass, etc. See if you can get some Tetra's Safestart (no other product!) to add to the filter & when you move the puffer to the 20g, use the filter from that tank for it. If I were you, I'd work on getting a 30g (minimally), as you'll just be upgrading again. Better sooner, than later! I'd also up those WC up to 80% (2x/day, if necessary). Use Prime to condition 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!"
-
Salmon
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:54 pm
- My Puffers: Albie (F8) soon to be rehomed
Milo and Millie (DPs) - Location (country): United States of America
- Location: Ohio
Re: My GSP is a little funky
I have that 38 gallon but I can't set it up, it is apparently too big. The 20 gallon long is just gonna be temporary until I move out. I plan on buying a new filter and running it with my current filter to build up some bacteria before I set up the 20 gallon and using the new one on the 20 gallon to see if that helps cycle it faster. And I'm gonna move half the decorations to the 20 as well, but anyway my puffer is laying on the ground by the filter breathing heavy and very very dark. Also I saw my heater was putting off heat waves in the water it looked like I'm assuming that is not good
Those who say money can't buy happiness don't know where to find puffers.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32975
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: My GSP is a little funky
You don't have time for this. it'll take 6-8 weeks to seed another filter. Use Tetra's Safestart & add it directly to the filter.
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!"
-
Salmon
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:54 pm
- My Puffers: Albie (F8) soon to be rehomed
Milo and Millie (DPs) - Location (country): United States of America
- Location: Ohio
Re: My GSP is a little funky
Alf has died. I'm not entirely sure what happened over the course of last night but he was happy as ever when I put him to bed. He must have ate a bad snail
Those who say money can't buy happiness don't know where to find puffers.
-
Salmon
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:54 pm
- My Puffers: Albie (F8) soon to be rehomed
Milo and Millie (DPs) - Location (country): United States of America
- Location: Ohio
Re: My GSP is a little funky
Well I guess its what I get for buying a sickly looking one hoping I can make it better... It was quite sad though...
Those who say money can't buy happiness don't know where to find puffers.
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sevenyearnight
Re: My GSP is a little funky
Aww.. Yeah, he didn't seem healthy. Bringing fish back to life from very poor conditions should only be attempted by advanced hobbyists. Don't feel guilty for buying a healthy fish over a sickly one, get the healthiest one possible. It's very difficult and stressful to nurse sick fish.
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katfemme89
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:09 am
- Location (country): Kentucky, USA
Re: My GSP is a little funky
You can certainly say that again. Boy, is it ever. And it only has about a 10% success rate (at least for me) lol.sevenyearnight wrote:It's very difficult and stressful to nurse sick fish.
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Purifire
- Figure 8 Puffer
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- My Puffers: 2 Dwarf Puffers (C. Travancoricus) , 1 male 1 female.
Saddled Toby (C. Vallintini)
Have kept GSPs - Location (country): United States, Lompoc CA
Re: My GSP is a little funky
Live redworms. You buy them wherever ppl sell fishing supplies. Sold as bait.
29 Gallon Marine tank, with refugium, skimmer. Base rock, coral skeletons. Stock: Baby Ocellaurus Clown, young Saddled Toby, 3 Hermit crabs,one 2 inch Bristle Worm, hitch hiking starfish.
10g Biotope. 3 C. Travancoricus (Dwarf Puffer) Some Ghost shrimp, gravel/sand substrate, heavily planted with Swords and Java Moss.
10g LR Culture Tank. 10+ pounds fiji LR / base rock. Assorted hitch hiking inverts
Some FW tanks.
In My Experience, Fishkeeping is like Cooking. Five or ten basics will keep anyone from getting sick. But to be truly magnificent... You have to know the right Recipies.
10g Biotope. 3 C. Travancoricus (Dwarf Puffer) Some Ghost shrimp, gravel/sand substrate, heavily planted with Swords and Java Moss.
10g LR Culture Tank. 10+ pounds fiji LR / base rock. Assorted hitch hiking inverts
Some FW tanks.
In My Experience, Fishkeeping is like Cooking. Five or ten basics will keep anyone from getting sick. But to be truly magnificent... You have to know the right Recipies.
-
LilGreenPuffer
- Former Staff Member
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RIP Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizinni.
RIP James Bond. - Location (country): United States
- Location: Kentucky
Re: My GSP is a little funky
I think it was the overstocked tank. The ammonia and/or nitrite probably skyrocketed. Even a little ammonia/nitrite can be deadly, though.Salmon wrote:Alf has died. I'm not entirely sure what happened over the course of last night but he was happy as ever when I put him to bed. He must have ate a bad snail
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
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I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!