Newbie with GSP STOPPED EATING please help

[steveo]

I bought a GSP (donald) at LFS & it is the only fish in a 37 gallon tank with a salinity level of 1.016. I do weekly water changes and try to feed it a variety of food from brine shrimp to clams to live cray fish. My tank is heavily overfiltered with an emperor 400. My ph is roughly 8-8.2 and ammonia levels are zero. In the beginning (first 2.5-3 weeks) it would eat all the food I put into its tank, then it slowly just lost its appetite (I made sure to not overfeed). Sometimes he bites the food n spits it out or just doesn't even bother. I had some plastic decor in the tank, some of it was old (mid to late 90's stuff but never used) but some were brand new. I read some forums online saying that you need to make sure fake decor is good for brackish/salt before putting it in. Thinking that the fish could have possibly had issues due to this I took out all artificial decor and did a 50% water change. (I did see the paint bubbling a little off the old decor n flipped) Its been about 5 days and his appetite is still crappy. His color is more of a yellow/green but his belly is always white. Belly is NOT sunken in but breathing seems alittle rapid (I have an air stone constantly running cannot be lack of oxygen) He also has become more lethargic and stays behind the lip of the filter or by the heater (water at 80 F). Sometimes he just lays at the bottom. Also swims at the far left corner of the tank near the top but not out of the water. I am new to this hobby and would greatly appreciate some help.

[CoCoPuffs]

What do you use to do water changes?

[steveo]

I use API stresscoat+ to make the tap water safe and I use Instant Ocean for the salinity

[CoCoPuffs]

I use API stresscoat+ to make the tap water safe and I use Instant Ocean for the salinity

Do you use a python? A siphon type exchange? Those hoses get loaded with stuff.....

[steveo]

I use an old gravel vacuum that has been used before but has not been used in years. It does seem to have black stuff growing on inside of tube

[CoCoPuffs]

I use an old gravel vacuum that has been used before but has not been used in years. It does seem to have black stuff growing on inside of tube

Eliminate the variable. I had the exact same problems w/brackish puffers. I eventually quit them & went fw...

[LilGreenPuffer]

0 ammonia is good, but have you checked nitrite and nitrate too?

[Pufferpunk]

Eliminate the variable. I had the exact same problems w/brackish puffers. I eventually quit them & went fw...

Discontinuing BW is not the answer. Many of us have successfully kept GSPs for over a decade. Get those other results LGP asked for. Although a single puffer in a 37g should have good parameters, if you are doing regular weekly water changes.

[Dadof4]

Not continuing to try to keep BW fish is not the answer that's needed here. I keep two brackish tanks, one of them a GSP tank, very successfully. I find them easier to keep than FW tanks.

One of the things that stands out in your description is your tank temperature. I would drop that to about 72 degrees, the reason is that the higher the temperature of the water the less dissolved oxygen is available. I keep my GSP tank 72-74 degrees year round with out a problem. I would also ditch the API Stresscoat. It's a good product but I feel it doesn't do as good of a job on chlorimines like Prime or Amquel do.

The next thing is how did you cycle the tank? Did you cycle at 1.016 or did you start FW and jump to 1.016 or was is a gradual increase in SG? You need to get nitrate and nitrite tested like LGP said.

[CoCoPuffs]

Eliminate the variable. I had the exact same problems w/brackish puffers. I eventually quit them & went fw...

Discontinuing BW is not the answer. Many of us have successfully kept GSPs for over a decade. Get those other results LGP asked for. Although a single puffer in a 37g should have good parameters, if you are doing regular weekly water changes.

I wasn't suggesting this to him, just relaying my experience.

[Pufferpunk]

72? That is not a tropical temp. 78 is the recommended temp for tropical fish. I would like to know the results of nitrite & nitrate & the water change schedule.

[Pufferpunk]

72? That is not a tropical temp. 78 is the recommended temp for tropical fish. My fish get sluggish at 72. I would like to know the results of nitrite & nitrate & the water change schedule.

[steveo]

I came home Last night from work and sadly Donald passed away. I am going to test the water tonight to see what the nitrite and nitrates are. I just assumed that with such low ammonia levels and a bioload that was so small I didn't have to worry. I and going to buy a new gravel vac, do a 70% water change and wait a week and try again. I will take all of the advice given and try to give this another shot. I did do an instant fishless cycle to establish my tank but even though it said it instantly makes aquariums safe I still waited 2 weeks for the bacteria to establish itself. I started the tank at a salinity level of about 1.014 because the fish store was actually keeping the GSP's in brackish water.

[Pufferpunk]

Sorry for your loss...
What bacteria did you use for the "instant" cycle? What did you use to keep this bacteria alive for 2 weeks, before you added fish?