I have a sick burr puffer please 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.
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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puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
I have a sick burr puffer please help :(
My boyfriend and I have started a saltwater tank about 3 months ago...before that we had a freshwater then moved onto brackish water...anyway..we tried to get as much experience a possible before going saltwater....now my situation is...We bought a burr puffer and he is absolutely amazing. His eating habits were great. He fed on freeze dried shirmp and loves them..but about 3-4 days ago he started turning pale and lost his color along with his appetite. Then Sunday we were going to take him to the local fish store so they could cure him back to health. By the time we got home he was perfect again and ate a few shrimp. Then this morning I went to turn on his white light..( i use the blue light at night...and then turn them both on during the day) and he was laying there on the sand. Now he is trying to swim then just falls back down...he goes belly up and then swims again. We just did a 5 gallon water change so it wouldn't be TOO much for him. we treated the water and the salinity is perfect. I just don't know what else i could do. I really don't want to lose him he is very hard to find and acts just like a dog towards us..PLEASE HELP
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puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
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YBeNormal
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:19 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Contact:
We will need more information. Here are a few questions to get things started. Answer what you can and we'll go from there.
Please provide measurements for:
SG
Ammonia
Nitrites
Nitrates
Temperature
Describe:
Filtration
Live rock?
Type of substrate
Water change schedule
Any medications or other additives?
Tank mates?
Any recent changes to the tank?
Painting or other chemicals used in the area recently (don't forget yard spraying)?
How long have you had the fish?
Please provide measurements for:
SG
Ammonia
Nitrites
Nitrates
Temperature
Describe:
Filtration
Live rock?
Type of substrate
Water change schedule
Any medications or other additives?
Tank mates?
Any recent changes to the tank?
Painting or other chemicals used in the area recently (don't forget yard spraying)?
How long have you had the fish?
--Bob
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puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
Please provide measurements for:
SG
Ammonia
Nitrites
Nitrates
Temperature
Ok as for those...we just went to the local fish store and did every test possible said that our water is clean and maybe a little too clean. the only thing that i can think of that would make him sick was that my boyfriend put in 2 algon pads. He found these algea/fats/protein remover and used 2 pads instead of 1. As for the temperature is 78. I'm sorry i don't know the exact amount for the nitrates and ammonia level. But the lady said that everything looked good.
Describe:
Filtration: I have an AR-620 tank that came with a built in filter we do change the pads. and i have an internal filter. and some bubbles.
Live rock?10 lbs
Type of substrate: living sand on top of regular sand.
Water change schedule: this was the first one we have done.
Any medications or other additives? nitromax
Tank mates? 2 damsels.
Any recent changes to the tank? 2 featherdusters about 2-3 weeks ago
Painting or other chemicals used in the area recently (don't forget yard spraying)? no
How long have you had the fish? about 3 months
SG
Ammonia
Nitrites
Nitrates
Temperature
Ok as for those...we just went to the local fish store and did every test possible said that our water is clean and maybe a little too clean. the only thing that i can think of that would make him sick was that my boyfriend put in 2 algon pads. He found these algea/fats/protein remover and used 2 pads instead of 1. As for the temperature is 78. I'm sorry i don't know the exact amount for the nitrates and ammonia level. But the lady said that everything looked good.
Describe:
Filtration: I have an AR-620 tank that came with a built in filter we do change the pads. and i have an internal filter. and some bubbles.
Live rock?10 lbs
Type of substrate: living sand on top of regular sand.
Water change schedule: this was the first one we have done.
Any medications or other additives? nitromax
Tank mates? 2 damsels.
Any recent changes to the tank? 2 featherdusters about 2-3 weeks ago
Painting or other chemicals used in the area recently (don't forget yard spraying)? no
How long have you had the fish? about 3 months
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puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
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puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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C coranata
C papuan
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
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How many gallons is that & how big is the puffer? Start by doing 25% daily water changes in the tank. Do you have a protein skimmer running on the tank? If not, get one.
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!"
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puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
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puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Start w/Melafix & Pimafix. Anything else will disturb your biological filtration. I'd prepare to be purchasing a larger tank, if he makes it.
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!"
-
puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
-
puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
-
puffmctuff
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:32 pm
- Location: california
today Pluto ( my spiny box puffer ) has his color back.Althought he is still lying on the floor i hope that is a sign that he is getting better. I did another 5 gallon change. I tried to put a frozen shrimp in his mouth but he didn't take it. He started wagging his back fin when it was put in front of his mouth. I bought the pimafix as suggested and put it in the water right now. I just don't know how to feed him and i don't want him to starve. any comments please? 