tail curled green spotted not eating :(

[puffysr]

Now I have 3 puffers in a 10g temporary hospital tank, before I had put them in there one of the puffers had gotten sick, and one of the other puffers was attacking him and may have bit his tail - there's no visible wounds but the tail is kinda nipped.

I got a 15g tank as a temporary hospital tank right now while I'm still on the hunt for a larger tank for them, the tank came with an Odessa Barb, I read they should be ok in brackish water, I added in a little aquarium salt (maybe less than a tablespoon). When I put the puffer in there last night, he just sank to the bottom and wouldn't move, he looked a lot worse than when he was in the pet carrier so I took him out and put him back in a gallon container overnight with 2-3 drops of prazipro in the water. He refused to eat last night and this morning still, bloodworms soaked in prazipro solution or even regular blood worms. I tried to use a fork to drop some in front of him he just stares at it but doesn't eat it, and sometimes swims away from it. Meanwhile the other 3 puffers in the other hospital tank 10g go crazy for bloodworms even soaked in prazipro solution. This morning, I just put him back in the 15 tank (only him and the odessa barb) and he's swimming around at least.

I checked the parameters in the tank - they are all at the lowest readings, and it was the same in the gallon container too.
Nitrite NO2 0 ppm
Nitrate (0-20) ppm
Ammonia - lowest reading (0-.25 ppm)
The water was a bit hard and ph 7.5.


I'm not sure what I should do with the aquariums, I'm still in the process of trying to find a home for them so now these are just "hospital tanks". If I try to convert a freshwater auqarium to a brackish aquarium will the bacteria in it die? I'm trying to find a saltwater aquarium because when I buy a setup freshwater tank then I don't know what to do with the fish that's in there. But saltwater ones are expensive to manage. I made a post on craigslist that I would give them free to a good home but I'm not really expecting to find someone, because I don't think there's many people that knows how to take care of them.
So I don't really know what to do


After swimming a few minutes he stopped swimming and just sits there in a corner of the tank. I am not sure if I should take him out or leave him there :/ When he was in the container this morning he was moving his fins but now in the big tank he is barely moving and is turning darker colors. Does he have a parasite or is he recovering from the wound? I am not even sure what medication I should be giving him or if he even has parasites.

sick.png

[eieio]

there's really only one thing you can do
you'll just have to pony up & buy some tanks, get them cycled right away (Tetra Safe Start)
otherwise, the problems will continue
overcrowding causes stunting, stress, fighting, pollution (ammonia), and the likelihood of disease
they need to be in clean water, with sufficient space
all that moving from tank to tank, tank to container, salt/no salt, etc, is causing more stress
otherwise..........
there's really no way around it
BTW: there are methods of converting to brackish or salt that the bacteria can adjust to

[eieio]

also, there are many puffer care related articles in The Puffer Library ("learn" tab at top of page)
have you read them carefully?

[eieio]

also, Petco has their "dollar per gallon" sale going on right now

[puffysr]

Thanks for your reply, yes I've been reading through the articles, I browse through other posts and go back to the articles regularly
I'm going to stop by petco and get some Tetra Safe Start (and also pick up a salt gauge).
I saw that deal that Petco was doing, I'm wondering if I should try to find someone selling it on craigslist used (comes with a stand, etc.) or just get a larger tank from petco
I don't have a surface to put a 75 gallon tank now so I would need to get a stand too unless I keep it on the floor.
Thanks!

[eieio]

I'd not bother with the salt/guage right now
they can do fine for now in lots of fresh water with lots of space
what have you got, 3 GSPs? how big?

[eieio]

Thanks for your reply, yes I've been reading through the articles, I browse through other posts and go back to the articles regularly
I'm going to stop by petco and get some Tetra Safe Start (and also pick up a salt gauge).
I saw that deal that Petco was doing, I'm wondering if I should try to find someone selling it on craigslist used (comes with a stand, etc.) or just get a larger tank from petco
I don't have a surface to put a 75 gallon tank now so I would need to get a stand too unless I keep it on the floor.
Thanks!

I'm thinking you need to do something RIGHT AWAY
hence the Petco tank recommendation (and then there's no issue with having to buy a tank with fish in it)

[puffysr]

Do you think I should get 55 gallon, or 75 gallon? And is it for the sick puffer or the other 3?
Should I keep it freshwater or brackish water (or saltwater)?

If I get a 75 gallon it would cost:
$75 - tank
$40 - heater + filter
$40 - salt I'd have to get the 46 pound one for $160 gallon

So $155 + tax for the setup
+ other stuff like air pump, thermometer, etc.

For 55 gallon maybe
$55 - tank
$30 - heater and filter
$40 - salt
$125


thanks!

[eieio]

Do you think I should get 55 gallon, or 75 gallon? And is it for the sick puffer or the other 3?
Should I keep it freshwater or brackish water (or saltwater)?

If I get a 75 gallon it would cost:
$75 - tank
$40 - heater + filter
$40 - salt I'd have to get the 46 pound one for $160 gallon

So $155 + tax for the setup
+ other stuff like air pump, thermometer, etc.

For 55 gallon maybe
$55 - tank
$30 - heater and filter
$40 - salt
$125


thanks!

for now, I'd get a 55, put the 3 OK fish in it, keep the sick fish in the 15 until well
if I remember correctly, you can go with 2 GSPs in a 55 (anyone else with thoughts on that, please)
so ultimately, if you have 4 GSPs, you'll need 2 55g tanks
you've bitten off quite a bite to chew on
at this point, you should be treating all 4 fish for parasites
don't worry about salt/brackish for now, but be sure that whatever you are buying will be salt/brackish appropriate for later conversion
the big deal is lots of clean water & space (NOW!)
BTW: how big are the fish?

[eieio]

oh, and the 55g is the largest tank in the $/gallon sale

[puffysr]

Right now they are about a cm.

I found someone on craigslist selling a 20g saltwater tank
it has some extra salt for about 70 gallons of water (maybe worth $15 or so), live sand, salt water testers (not sure what that means exactly, hydrometer maybe), which im not sure what to do, filter, 15 pounds of live rock
disadvantages: no heater, no stand, led light the wires need to be put back together (im not sure what it means but i wouldnt know how to fix it), and it would be $100 less that i have to spend on a bigger tank, its not in the best condition or the prettiest display, i think it has a lid but not 100% sure i didnt ask yet until im more surei would buy it
but the advantage is that i could start using it right away for 1 puffer for now

do you think i should get this or try to find a bigger one?

20g saltwater.png

Basically lately I've gotten smaller tanks instead of a single larger one and I'm wondering if separate smaller tanks are better or a single larger one?
But larger ones are difficult to manage and for me to move around, I have some difficulty even lifting a 3 gallon bucket of water and I can't pick up the bucket then so I have to use a food container (less than a gallon) to scoop the water from the bucket so it takes me a very long time to fill up the water, even in a 15 g aquarium.

[puffysr]

Another option is:
55 g
has a lionfish about 3'' - but I told him he can keep it so I won't be taking the fish
no sand
a basic tank
there's no stand but I think he was willing to give me the dresser that it's on now at no extra cost (unless i misunderstood him)
and including an extra bag of salt
aquaclear 70 filter, some live rock, lights, lid, and he can help me to move it
all for $150

i'm thinking of going with this one for the other 3 puffers - so its about 18g per puffy which isnt "ideal" but its probably the best i can do now in the least time and they are still small 2 cm

I didn't know what I was buying into when I took them home I had paid $25 for the fish and a $5 container, and I thought with $5 food and an upgraded 10g tank at $20 that'd be it about $50 total

55g.png

[eieio]

Another option is:
55 g
has a lionfish about 3'' - but I told him he can keep it so I won't be taking the fish
no sand
a basic tank
there's no stand but I think he was willing to give me the dresser that it's on now, i think no charge
and including an extra bag of sand
aquaclear 70 filter, some live rock, lights, lid, and he can help me to move it
all for $150

i'm thinking of going with this one for the other 3 puffers - so its about 18g per puffy which isnt "ideal" but its probably the best i can do now in the least time and they are still small 2 cm

I didn't know what I was buying into when I took them home I had paid $25 for the fish and a $5 container, and I thought with $5 food and an upgraded 10g tank at $20 that'd be it about $50 total

for now, I'd get a 55, put the 3 OK fish in it, keep the sick fish in the 15 until well
ultimately, if you have 4 GSPs, you'll need 2 55g tanks

[Welch4]

I'd get the 75 get them healthy and then find a home for two of them. (There are 4 total right?) 4 gsp will require a significant amount of space and subsequently money for the equipment. They are adorable but we can't save/provide a good life for every one we come across.

[eieio]

I'd get the 75 get them healthy and then find a home for two of them. (There are 4 total right?) 4 gsp will require a significant amount of space and subsequently money for the equipment. They are adorable but we can't save/provide a good life for every one we come across.

he is thinking of a 75g @ the $/gal @ Petco, but they don't have a 75g for $/gal
55g is the largest at $/gal
that's why I mentioned 2 55s (2 fish per tank), but for now, he can get by with 1 55g as his fish are small and 1 of them is in the 15g hospital tank