Puffer Jerking
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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dannygee31
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:45 pm
- Location (country): USA
Puffer Jerking
hey guys I tried getting help from other forums, but not much help. I have a 110 FOWLR with a dog face puffer, lion fish, grouper, angelfish, and humu trigger. The last three fish were added friday. The puffer started acting up sunday night, jerking around, ramming himself into the tank, and skin is very black. None of the fish are eating, they are all hiding, but I'm rally worried about the puffer because of his behavior. Would u consider this due to insufficient bacteria to make up for the waste of the fish, or a parasite? I was treating for parasites for the past 2 days, but i had my skimmer off. I turned it on last night to see if i can get rid of all that waste, and it buildup quickly, and the puffer is now just swimming around, being flung randomly, but still dark; still spending much time hiding on the substrate
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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: Puffer Jerking
Stung by lionfish. No doubt about it. Seen it many times before. Really bad combo. 
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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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
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C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Puffer Jerking
Also, please answer ALL the Qs above, in red.
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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suvattii2012
- Green Spotted Puffer
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- Location (country): UK
Re: Puffer Jerking
DAmn will it be fatal?Pufferpunk wrote:Stung by lionfish. No doubt about it. Seen it many times before. Really bad combo.
Arrowhead
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bertie 83
- Moderator
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Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
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sgtmyers88
- Moderator
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- Contact:
Re: Puffer Jerking
Oh man
WARNING: Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. You may not be content with having just one.
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bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: Puffer Jerking
Keep your water quality super high. Separate the lionfish right away to prevent farther stinging.
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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dannygee31
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:45 pm
- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer Jerking
1- ph 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, salinity 1.022
2- 100 gallon with dogface puffer, lion fish, grouper, angelfish, and trigger
3- waters been changed every friday 15% weekly, and i feed them all formula one frozen food every morning.
4- added the angelfish, trigger, and grouper on friday.
5- tank has been running for 3 months.
I don't think it is because the lion fish stung him, why would that affect all the other fish, and why would that stop[ the lion fish from eating? i only had the lion fish and puffer by themselves for 2 months and they never had a problem
2- 100 gallon with dogface puffer, lion fish, grouper, angelfish, and trigger
3- waters been changed every friday 15% weekly, and i feed them all formula one frozen food every morning.
4- added the angelfish, trigger, and grouper on friday.
5- tank has been running for 3 months.
I don't think it is because the lion fish stung him, why would that affect all the other fish, and why would that stop[ the lion fish from eating? i only had the lion fish and puffer by themselves for 2 months and they never had a problem
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puffykid
- Former Staff Member
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- Location (country): Madison, WI
Re: Puffer Jerking
I don't think your tank is cycled because you should be showing some Nitrates. How did you cycle it? If possible can you
"get Dr Tim's or Bio-Spira, place it directly into the filter & do not do a WC for 2 days. " those two products will instant cycle your tank.
"get Dr Tim's or Bio-Spira, place it directly into the filter & do not do a WC for 2 days. " those two products will instant cycle your tank.
1 M. Turgidus - 29 gallon
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bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: Puffer Jerking
The puffer freaking out will make the other fish hide. S/w melafix may be a good idea also, you need to get that lionfish out!
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
Re: Puffer Jerking
Given that several new fish were added suddenly, the tank is too small, and all of the fish are acting weird the tank could also be highly polluted.
What are you using to test your water? Is it expired? Can you try retesting and follow the directions exactly?
What are you using to test your water? Is it expired? Can you try retesting and follow the directions exactly?
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
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dannygee31
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:45 pm
- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer Jerking
my mistake nitrates are at 40, i actually used dr. time to cycle, i guess I'm going to have to take him out when i get home, but what is the reason as to why the lion fish isn't eating either?
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dannygee31
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:45 pm
- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer Jerking
I've retested the water numerous times because i was surprised at how the nitrites dropped to 0 (guess dr tim really works), I've been using herbtana but it instructed me to turn the skimmer off. do you think the skimmers affected water quality?
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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: Puffer Jerking
It's possible. With all that bioload, you really need to run the skimmer. How much LR is in there? Can you return all the new fish you bought? That tank is good for the puffer as a centerpiece & then smaller, dither fish in there.
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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dannygee31
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:45 pm
- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer Jerking
I might have to call and ask tomorrow... I did a water change today, noticed the fish have cloudy eyes and most of them r laying on their side, i have them in a bucket with the old water but im dripping them now to get used to the new water