Need help, my Puffer jumped out of the tank!

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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.
perek
Green Spotted Puffer
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Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:07 am

Post by perek »

Tihsho wrote:Low brackish, yes. Not the brackish/marine GSPs need.
man, these are FOOD not tank mates. If this fails the guppie gets the hose.
Last edited by perek on Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

perek wrote:I always net my GSPs but I am very quick with the net. My gsps always spit out the air no problem.
Very poor practice. They will not always be so lucky. It's so easy to keep them under water, why be so reckless?
perek
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 281
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:07 am

Post by perek »

lisalisa wrote:
perek wrote:I always net my GSPs but I am very quick with the net. My gsps always spit out the air no problem.
Very poor practice. They will not always be so lucky. It's so easy to keep them under water, why be so reckless?
I never really thought about it before!!! I will from now on I promise :oops:
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

One of the local LFS nets their puffers. I nearly took the guy's head-off when he tried to net my GSP when I bought him. They still do it though, and can't seem to learn. The other day they sold a bunch of frat boys a 29g tank and 5 small gsps. It was sickening. A couple of them puffed with air when he was bagging them. He just held out the net so they could all take a good long look. I was so choked with rage that I didn't know what to do. If I tried to say anything I would have lost it on them.

anyway, story time is over.
Tihsho
Fahaka Puffer
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Post by Tihsho »

It all depends on the process and stress put on the puff that causes puffs to inflate. At work I 'net' the puffs to catch the one someone wants then I lower a specimin container in the tank and nudge the puff from the net into it. Coworkers thought I was crazy when I began doing that, now they all started doing it after a lengthy explanation.
<80 gal> 2 GSPs & a Ceylon!
<75 gal> 3 Figure 8s & 1 Butterlfy Goby
<75 gal> *Empty*
<55 gal> 3 Gymnothorax polyuranodon (FW eel)
<30 long> Pair of Lorteti's & Irrubesco's, 1 DP, Endlers Livebearers, Clown Pleco, Royal Pleco, 2 Bumblebee Cats
<20 long> 4 Flounders
<4 gal> 2 Sparkling Gouramis & 3 ottos heavily planted

Image


~Tihsho~
perek
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 281
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:07 am

Post by perek »

Phaedrus wrote:One of the local LFS nets their puffers. I nearly took the guy's head-off when he tried to net my GSP when I bought him. They still do it though, and can't seem to learn. The other day they sold a bunch of frat boys a 29g tank and 5 small gsps. It was sickening. A couple of them puffed with air when he was bagging them. He just held out the net so they could all take a good long look. I was so choked with rage that I didn't know what to do. If I tried to say anything I would have lost it on them.

anyway, story time is over.
Yikes. Friggin frat guys :mad:
Tihsho
Fahaka Puffer
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Post by Tihsho »

Not the frat guys fault. All they did was buy fish without research (only flaw on their part.) LFS are the ones at fault.
<80 gal> 2 GSPs & a Ceylon!
<75 gal> 3 Figure 8s & 1 Butterlfy Goby
<75 gal> *Empty*
<55 gal> 3 Gymnothorax polyuranodon (FW eel)
<30 long> Pair of Lorteti's & Irrubesco's, 1 DP, Endlers Livebearers, Clown Pleco, Royal Pleco, 2 Bumblebee Cats
<20 long> 4 Flounders
<4 gal> 2 Sparkling Gouramis & 3 ottos heavily planted

Image


~Tihsho~
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

Agreed. The frat boys just wanted some "Aggressive" fish, it should have been the job of the LFS employee to educate them about their purchase choice and not just to sell them the fish. Too bad he didn't have a clue.

My biggest worry was how they were going to cycle this brand new 29g high tank.... I fear 5 dead puffers by now. A real shame too, they were the healthiest batch I'd seen them get in a long time.

It's the only LFS that sells puffers, and they know NOTHING about them. Next time I go there I'm going to bring some print offs and hopefully they listen.
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

Tihsho wrote:It all depends on the process and stress put on the puff that causes puffs to inflate. At work I 'net' the puffs to catch the one someone wants then I lower a specimin container in the tank and nudge the puff from the net into it. Coworkers thought I was crazy when I began doing that, now they all started doing it after a lengthy explanation.
I agree! Netting underwater is very different then exposing them to air. This is how my guy at the lfs does it. None of the puffs I've bought from him ever puffed.
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

Using a net to corale my GSP into a container is the only way I can think of catching him.
Tihsho
Fahaka Puffer
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Post by Tihsho »

IME when I've caught puffs at work its only the diodon (burr fish and porcs) that seem to puff. More or less its due to being captured from the wild at such a young age is what I believe.

I specially ordered a tiny porc which will be held till I can get my other tanks up and running. Hope they little fella comes in healthy (size was listed at 1-3 inches.)
<80 gal> 2 GSPs & a Ceylon!
<75 gal> 3 Figure 8s & 1 Butterlfy Goby
<75 gal> *Empty*
<55 gal> 3 Gymnothorax polyuranodon (FW eel)
<30 long> Pair of Lorteti's & Irrubesco's, 1 DP, Endlers Livebearers, Clown Pleco, Royal Pleco, 2 Bumblebee Cats
<20 long> 4 Flounders
<4 gal> 2 Sparkling Gouramis & 3 ottos heavily planted

Image


~Tihsho~
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