Puffers are dead... need input!!!

[Ti_CLaD]

Ok, first of all, I'm a little ticked off because both my GSPs died within a month... Now I want to know, is it something I'm doing wrong or were they just "maybe" internally ill since both came from the same place... At least to keep my hopes up...

One died during ick treatment on saturday... the other one was still full of life and nice colors... Did a 50% water change on monday.... This morning, gave it an unthawed shrimp, was fighting for it with the crayfish, seemed full of health, Came back at the end of afternoon, it's stuck in the sucker tube upside down...dead... No signs of foulplay by the crayfish... It was the same size as it...

So now I got an 26 gallon tank with one crayfish and a 5gallon snail breeding tank, with no more puffers...

I loved those little fishes... So now my question is, Should I reset the tank ( re-cycle it) and get an other GSP or is the F8 easier (though rather the GSP) or do I sound like a Puffer killer and should give up... I know you can't actually answer this but I'm a bit upset right now...

Oh, just tested water conditions and they seemed within normal FW specs...

[bertie 83]

Unthawed shrimp? You mean frozen? That could be bad. Keep the craw dad in the tank until you purchase a new puffer then remove the cray before adding the puffer, it will hold the cycle. Prey and predator should not be co-housed, 2 predatory life forms should not be co-housed under any circumstances. Consider it a learning curve. Puffers should be kept alone full stop IMO. As a side note a 26g is not big enough long term for a gsp. Are you a puffer killer? No. Many people are Misinformed and this is the biggest killer of puffers, you know the sort of info given by misinformed (or ignorant fish stores after a quick bit of dish in the till). Don't be so harsh on yourself, you now have the best puffer info at your fingertips. All puffers are not easy fish to keep, I think they are some of the hardest pets to keep. Everything needs to be tip top, if you are ready for that then we are there to help

[sgtmyers88]

Sounds to me like the filter tube had no strainer. Get a new filter or build a strainer around the tube.

I like these. http://www.amazon.com/Pre-Filter-Sponge ... be+sponges

[Ti_CLaD]

Thanks for the quick replies, The crayfish was suppose to be supper, but they did not seem to know how to attack,they wanted too but sorta couldn't, so after a whole night they seem to not car no more about it...

Yes the shrimp was frozen and I put it under water so that way it would unthaw and be raw, I thought that was the way...

For the strainer I don't think that's what killed him since it was upside down in it, they used to go and grab some stuck food in it and never stayed stuck before, that why I didn't put none of those strainers...

On a side note, are the F8s less complicated to take care of???

[Puffalot]

Is your tank brackish water or full salt? Just curious... I have 2 GPS and would be upset if that happened to mine.
You should also consider a bigger tank if u want to keep more than one..

[Ti_CLaD]

It's was still at freshwater... I had 2 at first, the LPS told me I could have up to 5 in a 26gallon tank... so decided on 2, guess it was too much anyways, now I'd probably go with one and see how it goes, and go with that... will gradually had salt to get it to marine slowly...

[Pufferpunk]

I've had fairly large puffers get stuck without a strainer & die from that. Also, what did you treat the ich with?

[Iliveinazoo]

Weren't you recording nitrite readings above 0? The damage could already have been done.

As for which species is easier to keep - they will both die if ammonia and nitrite are present. The decision must be what type of tank you want to keep either low brackish or high brackish-marine. Low end = Figure 8, high end = GSP.

[bertie 83]

A 26g is too small for 1 adult gsp. If you wish to keep that tank consider a f8.

[Ti_CLaD]

Pufferpunk said: Also, what did you treat the ich with?

Again I went with what the LPS told me and went with an API liquid super ick cure, ½ dose since they are scaleless... Should of tried RTR's technique...

Iliveinazoo said: Weren't you recording nitrite readings above 0? The damage could already have been done.

Yes, when I tried putting my well water, which tested good at the tap, after 2 days in the tank the nitrate and nitrite went sky high, 50% water change 2 days in a row didn't help, so went back to city water and it cured it... that was almost 3 weeks before they died.

I'm off to go check out a big petstore an hour away from me... they are bigger and better specialized, will see what they offer and also what I want... But I'm feeling I might go with a GSP again, and try hard to make it live a year or two then I'll invest in a bigger tank...

[Pufferpunk]

#1 rule of fishkeeping: NEVER listen to anything a LFS employee tells you!!!

[sgtmyers88]

Make sure to do something about that filter! They shouldn't be getting sucked into the tube! Even a perfectly healthy puffer cannot survive that level of stress.

[Ti_CLaD]

Ok I'm back with a new friend, the choice was easier since they didn't have no more green spotted, I took back one F8 puffer... Now I have to learn more about these... I knew you guys told me 1 F8 for every 15g, so I took one for my 26g (LFS told me I could have 3)...

I went with what pufferpunk told me in an other post, I bought some Prime...

The crayfish is now out of the tank, I hope this little fish likes snails because there is a snail breeding tank right next to his...

They didn't have no strainers available for purchase unless I bought a hole new pump, so I'm still looking for one quick...

On an other note, just to let you know how much the LFS knew about these, they told me they feed them bloodworms and should just feed them that and maybe brine shrimp, no use trying to feed them snails... I'm the one that told them about there overgrowing teeth...

Well, wish me luck with this one...

[Pufferpunk]

Put a stocking over the end.

[Ti_CLaD]

Thanks, will do!!!