Hey everyone, my GSP has recently shown some unsettling sypmtoms the past week... He usually breathes through one gill, and often his stomach is black/grey and his color faded. What's puzzling though is about everday he has times when he's like this and other times when his belly is pure white, and he's extremely happy looking. Also sometimes he swaps which gill he breaths with, i.e. sometimes he uses the right, then later/tomorrow he'll use the left one mostly... also he is eating fine, accepts all food... even steals some of the flakes I give to the hermit crabs. I went to the LFS to get my water tested today because I don't have a liquid testing kit... and can't afford one atm.. the guy there told me most likely it was the nitrite levels... so I got some stress zyme to add to the water. Anyways, to answer the red questions.
1. ph - ?, assuming basic of around 8, substrate is shells
Ammonia - .25 ppm
nitrite - 5 ppm
nitrate - 5 ppm
S.G. - 1.008-1.009
2. 30G tank with a ghost shrimp, 4 red-legged hermits, java fern.
3. Feed him one sun-dried krill per day, do a 25% water change 2X weekly. Just did one on saturday. Just added a double dose of stress zyme.
4. The tank is fairly new, and I fear it's not cycled correctly...
5. It's not been set up for more then 2 weeks. I used the substrate/decor/old filter cartridge from the old aquarium to cycle the new one.
Unhappy 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.
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G S P Freak
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Unhappy GSP
Last edited by G S P Freak on Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
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"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
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sgtmyers88
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Re: Unhappy GSP
Yep its cycling and the GSP is suffering from ammonia or nitrite poisoning. Get a bottle of Tetra Safe Start and pour the whole bottle in AFTER doing a large water change. Try to put most of the TSS in the filter.
WARNING: Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. You may not be content with having just one.
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G S P Freak
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Dwarf puffers, named "He-Puffer" (male) and She-puffer (female) (10g)
Non-puffer:
1 Red-eared slider, Tortuga (female)(100g)
1 rubber lip pleco - Location (country): USA, Indiana
Re: Unhappy GSP
I was gonna get Tetra safe start from the fish store, but the bottle said for freshwater aqauriums, and the guy agreed it probably wouldn't work for brackish. I'm going to do a 50% WC asap. Will stress zyme do anything?
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
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sgtmyers88
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Re: Unhappy GSP
It can mitigate some of the effects temporarily but doesnt solve the cycling problem. If you lower the salinity to 1.005 during the water change the TSS should be fine as I succesfully cycled tanks with it at that salinity.
WARNING: Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. You may not be content with having just one.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Unhappy GSP
I agree--do a 90% WC & add FW with Prime, then the TSS.
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!"
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G S P Freak
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Dwarf puffers, named "He-Puffer" (male) and She-puffer (female) (10g)
Non-puffer:
1 Red-eared slider, Tortuga (female)(100g)
1 rubber lip pleco - Location (country): USA, Indiana
Re: Unhappy GSP
Ok, I did a 50% water change today (haven't lowered salinity yet), I'm going to pick up some TSS tomorrow, as I'm very busy with college atm. When I get it I will do a 90% WC and add TSS as you suggest... I will separate the inverts and plants, because the freshwater will kill them. Only question I have... won't the sudden drop in salinity stress my puffer out? Also, I don't have prime... but I just picked up some reverse osmosis water from my LFS and plan to use this for the 90% WC. I usually use tetra aqua safe dechlorinator. Also, how long should I wait until I start raising salinity again? How fast should I raise it?
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. I love GSPs and am hoping I can keep mine healthy and long lived =P.
P.S. I've recently had some algae growth, and some online research seems to point to this meaning nitrate levels are up... This is a good thing right? It means my biofilter is starting to build up?
UPDATE: Puffer looking much better after 50% WC, still only using 1 gill though, haven't fed him today and will only feed him every other day until tank is stable. He's happy and buzzing around, going to try to get TSS asap to do massive WC.
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. I love GSPs and am hoping I can keep mine healthy and long lived =P.
P.S. I've recently had some algae growth, and some online research seems to point to this meaning nitrate levels are up... This is a good thing right? It means my biofilter is starting to build up?
UPDATE: Puffer looking much better after 50% WC, still only using 1 gill though, haven't fed him today and will only feed him every other day until tank is stable. He's happy and buzzing around, going to try to get TSS asap to do massive WC.
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
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bertie 83
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Re: Unhappy GSP
Keep doing those 50% waterchanges, you need to do them 2x a day min. An sg drop of 0.002 per week is fine for your bio filter, your fish can handle 0.002 per hour. Algae growth is irrelevant to your cycle, it will grow wherever there is excess nutrients. Lots of waterchanges are needed. What does it test at now?
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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G S P Freak
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Re: Unhappy GSP
Um , as stated above, I dont have my own testing kit yet because Im short on money.... had a few unexpected things to pay for. I've been keeping up with WCs and plan to do a massive one today and add TSS + drip acclimate my puffer to pure FW before I put him in. Ima be busy over the weekend, but I'll update on monday.
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
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bertie 83
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Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: Unhappy GSP
TSS will work at sg of 1.005 I am certain. Keep those waterchanges going until you add the tss then leave it 48 hrs after before another change. Do a huge w/c before adding the TSS straight into your filter.
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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G S P Freak
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 421
- Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:58 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Figure Eight Puffers, Binks (29G)
Dwarf puffers, named "He-Puffer" (male) and She-puffer (female) (10g)
Non-puffer:
1 Red-eared slider, Tortuga (female)(100g)
1 rubber lip pleco - Location (country): USA, Indiana
Re: Unhappy GSP
I did everything I stated I was going to do over the weekend. Cosmo is looking better, I've barely seen any black belly since the massive WC + adding of TSS to the filter. He is still only breathing through one gill the majority of the time though and sometimes rubs the side with the working gill (I think... I can't remeber which side exactly, he does is quickly) violenty against decorations... Salinity is at 1.004. I haven't started raising salinity or done any water changes since I added TSS on saturday evening.
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
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purplecandle
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Re: Unhappy GSP
I think I just said this to someone else lol. Do a little research on gill flukes just to be on the safe side . Flashing gills on decor or gravel can be a sign that something like a fluke infestation is in the gill. I am not a fluke expert but it cant hurt to look into the possibility.