New Porkies are so lathargic

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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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jlanders
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2014 5:57 pm
Location (country): Columbia SC

New Porkies are so lathargic

Post by jlanders »

Hello everyone. I'm Jason and I've been in the hobby for 22 years. I run an aquarium maintenance business here in Columbia SC that I created and have ran for the past 17 years.

On to the question....

I recently set up a saltwater predator tank for one of my clients. I put a porcupine puffer in there and he was doing great until I overfed him one day. He started acting very lethargic and would not eat, then developed Crypto from whatever stress he was under. I took him out and quarantined him as normal. After a long treatment period he eventually passed as did some other tank mates who he spread the Crypto to before removal.

After about a month I got 2 more porkies which are now in 2 separate quarantine tanks with a bunch of live rock. The real problem now is that these new ones act very lethargic as well right out of the gate. They look healthy enough but have a much more pale base color than the first one. Maybe just a color variation. Only one will eat with any regularity. The other one might eat 25% of what the other one eats. They both lay around almost totally motionless all day long until I come to feed. Then they lazily seem half interested in what I'm doing and will eat something if they feel like it.

What could be causing this extreme lethargy in these guys? Of course water quality is immaculate (As I said I've been doing it for 22 years).

Any ideas?
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Pufferpunk
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My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
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Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
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Also kept:
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Re: New Porkies are so lathargic

Post by Pufferpunk »

Can you post a pic of the "pale" base color? There is a horrible flesh-eating disease called, Vibro, that I've been seeing a lot lately in pokies. Are you familiar with it?

Can these guys open their mouths? I have to wonder if being the easiest to toss into a tank to feed, they may have been mostly fed krill, which is a huge cause of lockjaw in these fish.
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!"
jlanders
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2014 5:57 pm
Location (country): Columbia SC

Re: New Porkies are so lathargic

Post by jlanders »

They can open their mouths and they do eat, but its never with gusto or excitement. They are always just BLAH acting.

Image
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: New Porkies are so lathargic

Post by Pufferpunk »

I'm not sure that's what he's got. Let's hope not!
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33656&p=349615&hilit=vibro#p349615

What foods are you offering? Soaking in any vitamins/Selcon?
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!"
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casc
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~Non puff tank:
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Re: New Porkies are so lathargic

Post by casc »

That's the weirdest looking porc I've ever seen
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Tripp
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Re: New Porkies are so lathargic

Post by Tripp »

Cant tell from the picture but I have also seen the Brookanella be a huge issue at a bunch of stores in the Dallas area.

I have ran into this disease on two different occasions
Thank God for QT tanks
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: New Porkies are so lathargic

Post by Pufferpunk »

I assume these fish are both from the same supplier? Although I only saw a photo of one of them & it doesn't look thin to me, maybe they have some sort of IP that is sucking their energy. Try treating for that, since they are at least still eating. I'd be sure to soak all their foods in a good vitamin & Selcon, too.
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!"
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