Hi, my Congo puffer arrived on Friday 24th feb and I just wondered if his heavy breathing was normal? http://s1069.photobucket.com/albums/u47 ... G_0218.mp4
Hope I've done this right, I took a short video for everyone to see. If not please tell me how I can get the video viewable.
Thanks
Donna
New Congo puffer, heavy 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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Arny
- Mbu Puffer
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Re: New Congo puffer, heavy breathing???
He looks ok to me, his eyes are moving round and he looks happy enough. Have you got enough air pumping into his tank as that maybe why he's breathing hard? Puffers can take upto a week to settle in BTW
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suvattii2012
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: New Congo puffer, heavy breathing???
Had he just eaten or is it when you film? My arrowhead will do this for a few seconds after eating.
Arrowhead
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Terrance
- Fahaka Puffer
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Re: New Congo puffer, heavy breathing???
When I first got my congo, he was breathing really hard for the first few hours. 2-3 weeks later, I put sand in his tank and he breathed really hard again. Its a sign of stress IMO.
Kind regards,
Terrance
Terrance
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El Scorpio
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Re: New Congo puffer, heavy breathing???
Make sure you have surface agitation, too. That water on the surface has to keep moving, otherwise it goes stagnant and doesn't let other gasses escape the tank.
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Pufferpunk
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burrfish
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Re: New Congo puffer, heavy breathing???
That's a pretty good video! How long have you had him? How did you cycle his tank?
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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Donna_G
- Figure 8 Puffer
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Re: New Congo puffer, heavy breathing???
I've had him since Friday. He's in a completely new tank, which was set up a couple of days before. I run a fluval u3 in my 125l tank downstairs, so got the same for his tank and swapped a cartridge and biomax when he arrived. I also have a Marina slim s20 running, both filters provide surface agitation and the fluval produces air bubbles as well.
I am testing the tank daily at the moment just in case, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5.
I have also come upon a problem with him eating!!! I have tried him 3 separate times with an earthworm, but he looks as though to say EEWWWW.... Get it AWAY!!!!! Now, if I put a river shrimp in he is like BAMMM..... Gone, where's the next one( they're as gut loaded as I can, housed in a bowl bottom shelf of my fridge
) I thought earthworms were a sure thing for puffers and would sustain him while I tried weaning him on to dead stuff.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and help
Donna
I am testing the tank daily at the moment just in case, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5.
I have also come upon a problem with him eating!!! I have tried him 3 separate times with an earthworm, but he looks as though to say EEWWWW.... Get it AWAY!!!!! Now, if I put a river shrimp in he is like BAMMM..... Gone, where's the next one( they're as gut loaded as I can, housed in a bowl bottom shelf of my fridge
) I thought earthworms were a sure thing for puffers and would sustain him while I tried weaning him on to dead stuff.Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and help
Donna
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Terrance
- Fahaka Puffer
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- Location: Seattle
Re: New Congo puffer, heavy breathing???
Try to get him to associate feeding tongs with feeding. When he eats next time, put in the tongs in the water when he is eating live food. He will eventually eat the worm. Wait for it. He will definitely eat the worms if hungry enough. Once he eat the worms, then hold the worms with the tongs. Once he eat worms, then try to put dead raw shrimp in front of him.
Take your time. No need to rush.
Take your time. No need to rush.
Kind regards,
Terrance
Terrance