Hey everyone. I’m newer to owning pea puffers and feel I’ve been completely misguided by our local fish store and the worker that owns pea puffers.
Tank is 10gal - 2 puffers, 1 betta, 1 Chinese algae eater, 1 Cory catfish, 5 snails (lay eggs that don’t hatch I’m not sure the name)
Nitrate - 40
Nitrite - 0
pH - 6.5
KH - 40
GH - 120-180
Ammonia - 25 (1.5 weeks ago per fish store. Getting retest today, I haven’t been able to find the parts to our home kit will be repurchasing)
Puffers diet - Mainly frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms/brine shrimp/spirulina mix (they don’t like this and will only eat frozen brine shrimp)
Around Christmas I noticed we had a weird plastic looking algae growing (Cyanobacteria), we fell off our normal cleaning routine for multiple reasons. I also noticed there were gas bubbles stuck in the sand substrate. I ended up taking all the fish out and keeping all the water except for about 15%. I then cleaned the tank and changed the substrate to rocks, removed effected plants and hides. I changed the filter, added Java moss, and the little pine ones (I can’t remember the name right now). I did the old water with 15% new ½ RO ½ Tap with Seachem Prime and did regular water changes over 2 days. We added fishkeeper - recommended by the fish store.
Everyone was doing great except the betta with the water changes. Now our oldest puffer is lethargic, I keep thinking he’s dead because he doesn’t move and I have to push him to see if he’ll swim, he has this weird yellow belly, his color had gotten significantly darker. All these thighs started yesterday. 1.5 weeks ago he had what looked like a prolapse rectum and tissue? Hanging out, he recovered. The whole time he was swimming and very active like he normally is.
We’ve been adding the fishkeeper for stress, Nitromax for good bacteria. This process of the water changes and rebalancing the tank is going on 3 weeks. I don’t know why he would be reacting now and if it’s possible to save him - assuming he’s male from the strip down his stomach.
Here are photos, the first 2 are from the 19th and the other 2 are from today. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jbqqi8ra ... jgc5v&dl=0
Lethargic, refusing food, yellow lump
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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Pufferpunk
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Re: Lethargic, refusing food, yellow lump
Hi, I have never heard of the product, Fishkeeper, nor can I find any info on it. Most "bacteria in a bottle" are just dead bacteria, which will make your ammonia/nitrite even worse. ANY ammonia at all (other than 0) is extremely toxic to your fish. How exactly was your tank cycled?
The puffers appear to be emaciated. Brine shrimp have very little nutrition. I would treat them for internal parasites.
Your betta & snails will become torn up by those puffers.
Lots of reading for you:
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
library/feeding/problems-feeding-your-puffer/
library/puffers-in-focus/dwarfpuffercare/
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... vancoricus
The puffers appear to be emaciated. Brine shrimp have very little nutrition. I would treat them for internal parasites.
Your betta & snails will become torn up by those puffers.
Lots of reading for you:
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
library/feeding/problems-feeding-your-puffer/
library/puffers-in-focus/dwarfpuffercare/
https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... vancoricus
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!"