ID needed - sick puffer - new to forum

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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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Pufferpunk
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Post by Pufferpunk »

I highly suggest getting this puffer into high-end BW, as soon as pposible. I'd stick w/the 1.002 add FW B-S & in a few days the SG to 1.005, by raising it .002/week. Be sure to do a 90% water change before adding the B-S & add it directly to your filter.
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!"
puffer_puff
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 1:37 pm
My Puffers: Monotrete Cochinchinensis | Tetraodon Sabahensis | Takifugu ocellatus | Tetraodon abei | Carinotetraodon irrubesco x2 (m&f) | Tetraodon turgidus | Tetraodon baileyi (co-owned with KugelKat) | Tetraodon palembangensis | Tetraodon lineatus | Tetraodon miurus | Auriglobus modestus | Carinotetraodon travancoricus x3 (2m,1f) ||| deceased: C. asellus, T. nigroviridis, T. Sabahensis, T. leiurus, C. lorteti
Location: Toronto
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Post by puffer_puff »

Phaedrus wrote:a ceylon would have larger bands accross the top, where as the GSP is more leopard spotted.
Please see my last post. I guess it was my thinking that a Green Puffer can also be spotted, and we then have a GSP (note the order of the letters), while the other one is a SGP.
What else is in your community tank?
Tetras, rasboras, a danio, fanning shrimp, Amano shrimp, an elephant-nose fish, a dragon goby, a pleco, breeding feeder guppies, etc.
Moving over a filter or filter media, and doing water changes should be enough to get the levels under control, that way you don't have to risk the community tank at all.
This final paragraph is the most helpful, as it tells me what should be a sufficient amount of compensation for my mistake.
puffer_puff
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My Puffers: Monotrete Cochinchinensis | Tetraodon Sabahensis | Takifugu ocellatus | Tetraodon abei | Carinotetraodon irrubesco x2 (m&f) | Tetraodon turgidus | Tetraodon baileyi (co-owned with KugelKat) | Tetraodon palembangensis | Tetraodon lineatus | Tetraodon miurus | Auriglobus modestus | Carinotetraodon travancoricus x3 (2m,1f) ||| deceased: C. asellus, T. nigroviridis, T. Sabahensis, T. leiurus, C. lorteti
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Post by puffer_puff »

I now see that my confusion was based on the GSP vs. SGP distinction--I see now that they are one and the same.
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Post by perek »

I hate to sound rude, but that certainly doesnt appear to be a GSP. I have never seen that color/pattern on any common species. There are no spots for one, and its body shape is incorrect for a GSP. Unless its really really sick.
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Post by Phaedrus »

I think the confusion comes from the fact it's a very mature GSP. If you look at the pics in the article PP linked you can see the patern is very close.

I wish the pufferlist had a wider sampling of pictures for each type of puffer. A single picture doesn't accurately capture the wide range of patern and color variations.
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32979
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:

Post by Pufferpunk »

Your dragon goby belongs in BW, although I definately wouldn't keep w/a mature GSP. Say good-by to all your shrimp & probably smaller tetras & slower-moving fish like the elephant nose, if you were to move your puffer in w/them!

Perek, Body shape & shape or number of spots are different in many GSPs. Heck, look at all the body shapes & colors we come in!
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!"
puffer_puff
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 1:37 pm
My Puffers: Monotrete Cochinchinensis | Tetraodon Sabahensis | Takifugu ocellatus | Tetraodon abei | Carinotetraodon irrubesco x2 (m&f) | Tetraodon turgidus | Tetraodon baileyi (co-owned with KugelKat) | Tetraodon palembangensis | Tetraodon lineatus | Tetraodon miurus | Auriglobus modestus | Carinotetraodon travancoricus x3 (2m,1f) ||| deceased: C. asellus, T. nigroviridis, T. Sabahensis, T. leiurus, C. lorteti
Location: Toronto
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Post by puffer_puff »

Thank you all, especially Phaedrus and Pufferpunk (listed alphabetically, as you were both very helpful, and I do not want to choose an order).

My Green Spotted Puffer seems to be doing well (for 19 hours now).

I was not able to find any Bio-spira; however, I did three 75%-90% water changes yesterday to get the SG down, and then hung filters from my other tanks on this tank, for a total filtering power of over 20 times the water volume per hour!

Thanks again.
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Post by Phaedrus »

20x turnover is decent. A lot of people use and recommend twice that or more.

Oh yes, I completely forgot to mention earlier that you can use Seachem Prime to help neutralize and detoxify the ammonia and nitrite.

Prime + water changes + your added filtration should help a lot.

Also, think about a tank upgrade. Such a large fish needs at LEAST 30g and would be most happy in 50-60g (or more :) ).
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

I agree, I like my puffs in big tanks.
puffer_puff
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 73
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My Puffers: Monotrete Cochinchinensis | Tetraodon Sabahensis | Takifugu ocellatus | Tetraodon abei | Carinotetraodon irrubesco x2 (m&f) | Tetraodon turgidus | Tetraodon baileyi (co-owned with KugelKat) | Tetraodon palembangensis | Tetraodon lineatus | Tetraodon miurus | Auriglobus modestus | Carinotetraodon travancoricus x3 (2m,1f) ||| deceased: C. asellus, T. nigroviridis, T. Sabahensis, T. leiurus, C. lorteti
Location: Toronto
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Post by puffer_puff »

I made a mistake in the math—it's an over 40x turnover rate that I have.

I had used Seachem Prime, but thought that it was actually a bad thing to use it because I would want some ammonia to be present to help with colonizing the filters. However, I then realised that once the water was freshwater again, detoxifying the ammonia, etc. was a good thing as the other filters would already have been seeded.

I wasn't just saying that it's in its current tank temporarily (I had said that it's for two weeks). I'm going to pick up a 38-gallon I won on eBay in less than two weeks.
puffer_puff
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 1:37 pm
My Puffers: Monotrete Cochinchinensis | Tetraodon Sabahensis | Takifugu ocellatus | Tetraodon abei | Carinotetraodon irrubesco x2 (m&f) | Tetraodon turgidus | Tetraodon baileyi (co-owned with KugelKat) | Tetraodon palembangensis | Tetraodon lineatus | Tetraodon miurus | Auriglobus modestus | Carinotetraodon travancoricus x3 (2m,1f) ||| deceased: C. asellus, T. nigroviridis, T. Sabahensis, T. leiurus, C. lorteti
Location: Toronto
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Post by puffer_puff »

My puffer is doing very well.
It's eating shell-on shrimp and crayfish and ghost shrimp and snails, and is very responsive and active in general.

Thank you both once again, Phaedrus and Pufferpunk!
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Post by Phaedrus »

P)0
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32979
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:

Post by Pufferpunk »

Glad to hear! Another puffer saved!
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!"
puffer_puff
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 1:37 pm
My Puffers: Monotrete Cochinchinensis | Tetraodon Sabahensis | Takifugu ocellatus | Tetraodon abei | Carinotetraodon irrubesco x2 (m&f) | Tetraodon turgidus | Tetraodon baileyi (co-owned with KugelKat) | Tetraodon palembangensis | Tetraodon lineatus | Tetraodon miurus | Auriglobus modestus | Carinotetraodon travancoricus x3 (2m,1f) ||| deceased: C. asellus, T. nigroviridis, T. Sabahensis, T. leiurus, C. lorteti
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Post by puffer_puff »

A puffer saved is a puffer earned.
puffer_puff
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 1:37 pm
My Puffers: Monotrete Cochinchinensis | Tetraodon Sabahensis | Takifugu ocellatus | Tetraodon abei | Carinotetraodon irrubesco x2 (m&f) | Tetraodon turgidus | Tetraodon baileyi (co-owned with KugelKat) | Tetraodon palembangensis | Tetraodon lineatus | Tetraodon miurus | Auriglobus modestus | Carinotetraodon travancoricus x3 (2m,1f) ||| deceased: C. asellus, T. nigroviridis, T. Sabahensis, T. leiurus, C. lorteti
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Post by puffer_puff »

Pufferpunk wrote:Yours is a green spotted puffer, T nigroviridis.
Pufferpunk, you had me convinced for a while, but I now strongly believe that you were incorrect when you identified my (now deceased) puffer as a green-spotted puffer.

Please go to the page http://coralbbs.twbbs.org/cgi-bin/forums.cgi?forum=51 and look at the images at the "Tetraodon nigroviridis" link. That's a green-spotted puffer. Then compare those to both my specimen (found at the top of this thread) and to the images on the same page (the one I just directed you to, above) in the listing immediately after the T. nigroviridis link—the only one without a Latin/scientific name. The first picture on this page is the one most similar to the pictures of my puffer. You should see immediately that my puffer is the same puffer as the one at the link that doesn't have a Latin name. (If you need more pictures of my deceased puffer for comparison, please see my photos uploaded the second time the fish was sick at http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... php?t=3931).

I am convinced my puffer was one of these—it was not the standard green-spotted puffer. I wouldn't have bought it in the first place had I thought it was a green-spotted puffer. The store at which I bought him imports all sorts of oddballs. Weird fish. Large fish. New fish (to the trade). My fish.

That said, it may not have been a good thing to have this fish in low-end brackish water—especially when it was sick—as it may have been a freshwater fish. And that said, I still am grateful for the help I received when the fish was sick.

Now, can anyone read the foreign-language text at the URL given above? How would you translate this species's name into English?
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