Greetings From "Sunny" South Florida

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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.
Post Reply
SIGNTEACH
Puffer Fry
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2013 10:01 pm
Location (country): USA

Greetings From "Sunny" South Florida

Post by SIGNTEACH »

I am new to the forum and am happy to know there are so many others out there who love these little buggers as I do. I am so sick of people saying "Oh, you think they're 'cute'--they are ferocious!" Newsflash: lions and tigers are also "beautiful" or "cute," and by FAR some of the most ferocious animals on the planet! Oh, and by the way, how was it you came to be in possession of that hamburger you're eating? Hmmm? (Ok, I'm stepping off of my soapbox, now.) :)

My figure 8 was a birthday gift 3 years ago (after hubby noticed me stalling around the puffer tank at the aquarium shop and asking lots of questions--he's so good to me!) Since then, we have had quite the roller coaster ride with the little guy's health. We do frequent water changes in his 8 gallon half-moon tank where he is the sole inhabitant (informed he would make food of any tank mates--am open to suggestions here--maybe he's lonely?). We maintain a good salinity level, knowing they prefer brackish water to fresh; and provide an interesting variety in his(her?) diet. We have had issues with his eyes clouding up and then alternately building up such growth over them that it looked as though a new appendage had sprung from his eye socket. (I have photos, but they're disturbing, and he's entirely healed now, thanks to a combination of Melafix and Pimafix.)

After figuring how to maintain his visual health, we are suddenly having issues with his diet. He has a faint milky white coating all over his body, and he refuses to eat--even his most favorite of foods. He sits on the bottom and is breathing rapidly. He still responds when I come over to the tank. He follows my fingers with his eyes all the time, and sometimes he will still follow with his whole body, but he is doing that less and less often. I am very concerned.

We have a 55 gal., (breeding ciclids) a 29 gal., (variety) a 5 gal., (breeding live bearers) and a tiny 1 gal (betta)--so lots of other "children" are vying for Mom's attention, and I know a "mother" is not supposed to have favorites, but this little guy IS my favorite. Any light someone might be able to shed on the subject would be most appreciated.

Happy to be here with others who understand!


-Worried "Mom"-
Top
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32984
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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Re: Greetings From "Sunny" South Florida

Post by Pufferpunk »

[welcome]
Moved this to Hospital, so you can answer all the Questions above, in red.
Read this, too: library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/
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!"
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Hospital”