Hi All! It has been a while since I have been here. I hope you can help...again.
We have had our gsp for 4 or 5 years now, has been fine. Lately he isn't eating much, not much interest.
1) pH=8.2, Ammonia=<.25 ppm, Nitrite=0 ppm, Nitrate=2.5 ppm,Salinity=1.022sg
2) 35 gallon tank, only lives with about 3 nerite snails. He is only about 2 1/2 inches long, is that small?
3) we feed him 6 days a week with thawed frozen sea food, muscles, clams, shrimp, squid and his favorite, octopus. We do a 25% water change each month, have 2 hob filters and live rock. Vac tank 2x a month, have cleaned yearly.
4) have done nothing new at all!
5) has been in this tank for at least 3 years....
Anyway, any ideas would be great! Thank you!
Puffer not interested in food
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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carolinasculpture
- Puffer Fry
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Re: Puffer not interested in food
That bit of ammonia could be stressing him out. Maybe that's the reason?
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eieio
- Mbu Puffer
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RIP cream puff :-( - Location (country): U.S.A.
- Location: Prescott, Arizona
Re: Puffer not interested in food
there may or may not be other reasons, but get the ammonia dealt with right away
that in itself, as fishguy12 wrote, may be the reason
that in itself, as fishguy12 wrote, may be the reason
"I plan ahead. That way, I don't have to do anything right now!"
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carolinasculpture
- Puffer Fry
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Re: Puffer not interested in food
Ok, I did a slightly early water change and now the ammonia is 0 ppm or really close. It is just that there isn't much of a color change from 0 ppm to .25 ppm, but I wanted to say that it might not be 0, but it was definitely less than .25.
Any way, if you were trying to intice your gsp to eat, what food would you use? Thanks again! Maybe he is bored, would live food be a good thing to try? If so, what should I get first? The only live stuff he has had are snails.
Any way, if you were trying to intice your gsp to eat, what food would you use? Thanks again! Maybe he is bored, would live food be a good thing to try? If so, what should I get first? The only live stuff he has had are snails.
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Pufferpunk
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Puffer not interested in food
I'm not sure why but he's definitely stunted. What's the SG in there? I have never done <50% weekly WC but you say you have live rock? Try live foods, especially earthworms.
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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carolinasculpture
- Puffer Fry
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Re: Puffer not interested in food
Hi! SG is 1.022. I have done small weekly water changes because the parameters seemed to stay fine. Should I do bigger changes anyway? Not sure why he is small, saw he should be around 6" which he definitely is not.
We have a worm farm, will give him one now! Thank you!
We have a worm farm, will give him one now! Thank you!
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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Re: Puffer not interested in food
Not sure how much LR you have but might I suggest adding a protein skimmer & removing the FW filtration you are using?
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!"
-
carolinasculpture
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:19 am
- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer not interested in food
Hi! I have three smallish LR, not much, but thought I should mention it as a tank inhabitant. Anyway, he loved the worm, and is much brighter and happier...but I think I may have found the problem! He had trouble getting a hold of the worm. Maybe his teeth need a trim?! I am sure there is an article on what to look for and how to do it, on here somewhere. Going to look right now. Let me know if this sounds like a good diagnosis. He may not be disinterested in food, just not able to get much of it? Thanks!
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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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:
Re: Puffer not interested in food
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!"
-
carolinasculpture
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:19 am
- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer not interested in food
Thanks! I did find a bunch of good info in old posts as well, just can't see his teeth well enough to tell. My plan is to get everything necessary to trim his teeth, then sedate him and look and see. Do any of you have a good pic of gsp that needs its teeth trimmed and one that doesn't? I am inclined to think it is the teeth, but would like to be sure. Thank you again! So grateful to have help from those more experienced!
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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:
Re: Puffer not interested in food
I only have pics of a fahaka & SAP with teeth issues. Maybe do a net search?
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!"
-
TOPuffers
- Dwarf Puffer
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29 G community tank with plecos, bamboo shrimp, khuli loaches, swordtails, neon tetras and apple snails - Location (country): Toronto, Canada
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: Puffer not interested in food
I recommend watching some quick YouTube videos of folks trimming puffers' teeth. The best one I found was this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_3dQwf9kaY
called Trimming Green Spotted Puffer's Teeth. The video is clear and shows the whole process, along with narration that is easy to follow. I like the close up of the before and after of Buckey's teeth.
The bird singing in the background is cute too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_3dQwf9kaY
called Trimming Green Spotted Puffer's Teeth. The video is clear and shows the whole process, along with narration that is easy to follow. I like the close up of the before and after of Buckey's teeth.
The bird singing in the background is cute too
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water - Loren Eiseley
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carolinasculpture
- Puffer Fry
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- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer not interested in food
Great! Thank you for the link to the video. I did a search and they seemed to vary enough that I was not sure what was good and what was bad! I think I am now ready to at least look him an the mouth and see what is going on in there. For now, he is enjoying live mealworms! 
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carolinasculpture
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:19 am
- Location (country): USA
Re: Puffer not interested in food
Ok, for the clove oil, is that a cooking item or an essential oil?
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
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TOPuffers
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:12 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 3 pea puffers/dwarf puffers in a 20 G freshwater planted tank
29 G community tank with plecos, bamboo shrimp, khuli loaches, swordtails, neon tetras and apple snails - Location (country): Toronto, Canada
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: Puffer not interested in food
I have never had to look for clove oil for this purpose, but this article:
http://thegab.org/Articles/SedateFinquelCloveOil.html
describing how to dilute clove oil to sedate fish says you can find suitable oil in the toothache section of your pharmacy. Worth a try
http://thegab.org/Articles/SedateFinquelCloveOil.html
describing how to dilute clove oil to sedate fish says you can find suitable oil in the toothache section of your pharmacy. Worth a try
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water - Loren Eiseley