Porc. Puffer hasn't eaten in almost 2 months
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.
-
Lildirty77
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2006 9:10 am
Porc. Puffer hasn't eaten in almost 2 months
The subject line says it all... he won't eat. A few months ago he got this weird white spot next to one of his gills and it still hasn't left yet. He is lethargic, won't eat... usually clamped fins, eyes move all crazy like. Cause is probably from the nitrates being so high for so long. He acts like he is blind now. Very skittish when touched by anything and getting thin. Did a water change (bout 60-70%) two weeks ago, added Am Quel+ to help with nitrates. No idea what is wrong or why he won't eat. He is definity starving to death and I hate to see him suffer. His name is Blueberry by the way...
-
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:
Nitrates can only be removes by constant, large water changes, while cleaning the substrate. How big is he & how big is the tank? Tank mates? Does he have trouble opening his mouth?
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!"
-
Lildirty77
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2006 9:10 am
I do water changes every week and still the nitrates are still high. Right now he is in the hosptial tank which is 30g. He is about 4 inches long, maybe a little smaller. No tank mates. Last time I checked he doesn't have a problem opening his mouth. Its usually always open ajar. Any advice on the weird white spot? I don't know what to do...
-
Phaedrus
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1402
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:34 pm
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Contact:
If the nitrates are still high, you'll have to change more water, and more frequently until you get them under control. It's also a sign that there is decomposing waste in the tank, either in the filter media that needs to be cleaned or replaced, or in th substrate, which needs to be vacuumed.
It can be hard work, but you'll have to get the water quality under control.
The spot could be a sore or some sort.
What foods have you been trying to feed? What foods were you feeding before?
Try getting some Seachem Garlicguard to try to entice him to eat. Or try to get some live foods like black worms that might be irresistable.
You can try using melafix and pimafix in the meantime until we can figure something more specific out.
It can be hard work, but you'll have to get the water quality under control.
The spot could be a sore or some sort.
What foods have you been trying to feed? What foods were you feeding before?
Try getting some Seachem Garlicguard to try to entice him to eat. Or try to get some live foods like black worms that might be irresistable.
You can try using melafix and pimafix in the meantime until we can figure something more specific out.
-
Lildirty77
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2006 9:10 am
I have been doing water changes every 4 days and the nitrates are still the same. I vacuum the substrate everytime and there shouldn't be anything in the gravel since he never eats. The filters are new too. There are two protein skimmers on the tank and the nitrates are still high. Not as high as they were though. They are stuck at like 80ppm or a little higher. I have used melafix and pimafix with no results and tried feeding him new things, nothing happened.
-
Phaedrus
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1402
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:34 pm
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Contact:
Are you sure your test kits are accurate? Maybe get your water double checked at the LFS.
If it is that high, try doing daily 70% water changes for a while. Or even twice a day for a couple days. Getting that water quality under control might be enough to entice him to eat.
Try the garlic trick too.
If it is that high, try doing daily 70% water changes for a while. Or even twice a day for a couple days. Getting that water quality under control might be enough to entice him to eat.
Try the garlic trick too.
Have you tested your make-up water? Does the water you are putting into the tank test out perfect? Some water supplies have contaminants in them, even nitrates.
Otherwise, keep changing the water aggressively.
Have you tried live food to stimulate his feeding response? His sense of smell might be destroyed, too, so maybe he needs something strong like garlic or moving and quivering like live crustaceans.
Otherwise, keep changing the water aggressively.
Have you tried live food to stimulate his feeding response? His sense of smell might be destroyed, too, so maybe he needs something strong like garlic or moving and quivering like live crustaceans.