Hi-
My first time on this site- hoping you can help. I have 3 GSPs and 1 algae eater in a 55 gal. tank. I know it is a little small- but as the GSPs are all less than 2 inches big and I am moving soon I have not gotten more tanks yet. I have had them all in this tank for about 8 months, and everybody was happy and healthy until about 3 weeks ago. I do 50% water changes weekly.
Ammonia- 0
Nitrate- 20
Nitrite-0
Alkalinity- 160
PH- about 8.2
Salinity- 1.
3 weeks ago I did about a 80% water change. Everybody was fine- no illness, no bad #s, but I wanted to scrub it well- so I removed the fish to an interim tank- herded them into a cup and then into the tank. When they were in the interim tank I noticed that one of them looked a bit rounder than usual. I have never seen them puff, so I don't know if that is what he did or not, but he sure looked different. By the time I was done cleaning he was back to normal size but not acting right. I got them all back into the main tank. The other 2 seemed fine, and ate some shrimp, but he did not. He has not eaten since. He has been just lethargically floating around the tank, hiding in corners. I started to notice within about 2 days that the stress line was getting very dark and he had developed dark spots on the corner of his mouth and around his eyes. It has gotten worse since- his whole belly has turned dark and has started to concave, and his fins are clamped (the other 2 are perfectly happy- great color- eat like piggies). Yesterday he started jumping around the edge of the tank, leaping out of the water and almost hitting the lid. When I got home today, his belly was swollen and he was floating on his bank, being pushed around by the current. I thought for sure he was dead, but when I pulled him out of the tank he started thrashing and gasping. I quickly put him back and set up a QT. He is in it now, floating on his back, swollen belly. Not perceptibly breathing, but reacting when removed from the water.
I know this is long- I didn't want to miss anything. Let me know if you have any thoughts, please and thank you.
Sick GSP
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.
-
Pufferpunk
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Sick GSP
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
I'm thinking there is a possibility he swallowed some air? See the article on burping them, in our Library. Also, if that tank has been set up for 8 months, you should be shoeing nitrate. What test kit are you using? What is your normal WC schedule? If weekly partials are not done (suggested minimum is 50%), then 80% can be quite shocking to their system.
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!"
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- 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: Sick GSP
I'm thinking there is a possibility he swallowed some air? See the article on burping them, in our Library. Also, if that tank has been set up for 8 months, you should be shoeing nitrate. What test kit are you using? What is your normal WC schedule? If weekly partials are not done (suggested minimum is 50%), then 80% can be quite shocking to their system.
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!"
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- 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: Sick GSP
I'm thinking there is a possibility he swallowed some air? See the article on burping them, in our Library. Also, if that tank has been set up for 8 months, you should be shoeing nitrate. What test kit are you using? What is your normal WC schedule? If weekly partials are not done (suggested minimum is 50%), then 80% can be quite shocking to their system.
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: Sick GSP
Will check the article on burping- thank you! He was floating upright this morning (instead of belly up like last night) but still not showing much motor control.
Am at work and so I don't know the name of the test kit off hand. Nitrates usually show between 20-40 when I do the tank change. Were at 20 last night. Water changes every Saturday- at lease 50% at a time.
Am at work and so I don't know the name of the test kit off hand. Nitrates usually show between 20-40 when I do the tank change. Were at 20 last night. Water changes every Saturday- at lease 50% at a time.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- 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: Sick GSP
Sounds like possibly air then. You must take care of this ASAP.
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!"