GSP Lethargic and weak

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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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Walla2GSP
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GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Walla2GSP »

Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:<20ppm
SG: 1.022

80 Gallon with various snails, 2 Tomato Clownfish, 2 4-stripe Damselfish (10 days), and 2 GSP. Major aquascape overhaul and filter maintenance 2 weeks ago.

Suddenly this afternoon my smaller GSP looks lethargic and belly is staying black. Of the 2 he is always the active one patrolling the whole tank, and bullying any and everyone. He seems to be covering the whole tank now, but definitely preferring the top of the tank and dark corners away from the other fish. When I first noticed him, he was on his side in the top front left corner of the tank, and barely moving, enough that I could reach in and touch him. He may be okay, but I haven't seen this type of behavior from him in 3 years and I'm hoping someone has some insight as to possible causes or things to double check. I just don't want to not take action if I should be worried.
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Re: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Pufferpunk »

The only change you made was the "major overhaul". What exactly does that mean?
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!"
Walla2GSP
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Re: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Walla2GSP »

It had been a while since I rinsed filters and removed green hair algae. So I removed 90% of the aquascape, scrubbed algae, and rearranged aquascaping upon placing back in the tank. I also cleaned both filters and the protein skimmer, and replaced 50% of the poly filter as it was starting to lose it's effectiveness. I didn't realize till I had the filter apart that I'm out of bio pellets. So, they are on order. Adding the Damselfish is also a recent change. I typically quarantine, but adding fish was the wife's idea and I was sick. So, I kind of just acclimated and added them without thinking through my process. I also shut down my quarantine tank about a year ago. So, it wouldnt have been cycled in time to use if I wanted to go that route.
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Pufferpunk
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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
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Re: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Pufferpunk »

What filter are you using polyfill for? Usually not necessary for a SW system. How much live rock?
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!"
Walla2GSP
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Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:00 pm
My Puffers: "Tank" - Dogface Puffer
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'Bob" - GSP "Rescue"
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Re: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Walla2GSP »

Aquaclear 110 and Fluval 404, as the water polishing media. And I haven't weighed live rock, but about 80lbs.
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Pufferpunk
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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: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Pufferpunk »

Protein skimmer? You'\ve got this SW filtration all wrong.
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!"
Walla2GSP
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Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:00 pm
My Puffers: "Tank" - Dogface Puffer
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'Bob" - GSP "Rescue"
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Re: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Walla2GSP »

I thought a protein skimmer was beneficial? How would you set up a sumpless filtration system?
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Pufferpunk
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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: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Pufferpunk »

Yes, it is but you shouldn't be using FW filtration for a marine system unless you want to continue doing 50% weekly WC, which will cost you a ton in $alt. Live rock (1 1/2-2lbs per gal) with powerheads & a skimmer should be all you need. Good thing your tank isn't overstocked. Totally up to you, if you want to add a sump but I'd suggest a drilled tank for that.
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!"
Walla2GSP
Puffer Fry
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:00 pm
My Puffers: "Tank" - Dogface Puffer
"Mule" - GSP
'Bob" - GSP "Rescue"
Location (country): USA

Re: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Walla2GSP »

I don't have any real FW filtration. Just poly pad to remove detritus and bioballs for beneficial bacteria, same as you use on a sumpless reef/FOWLR tank. There are 2 powerheads and a Reef Octopus 150 EXT. The only thing I have to watch is food getting trapped in the canister filter occasionally and spiking phosphates, but for the most part the polypads in the Aquaclear remove large particles before they can go anywhere, and that gets rinsed/swapped at a minimum every other day.
Walla2GSP
Puffer Fry
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:00 pm
My Puffers: "Tank" - Dogface Puffer
"Mule" - GSP
'Bob" - GSP "Rescue"
Location (country): USA

Re: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Walla2GSP »

I haven't really wanted to deal with it, but he finally passed on Friday. Still clueless as to what caused it. I did a make shift necropsy, and all I could fish was extreme bruising on his left side. Not sure if he got blown around by the powerhead or got in a fight with my female clown, or ? I hate losing fish, but its even worse when you have no idea what happened to prevent it next time... RIP Bob...
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Pufferpunk
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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: GSP Lethargic and weak

Post by Pufferpunk »

So sorry... :rip:
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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