SICK FAHAKA !!!!
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.
-
YBeNormal
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:19 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Contact:
I once had an Oscar that I had raised in a 20gallon tank. He grew quite large (or so I thought at the time), reaching about 8" and he had a voracious appetite. I fed him a diet of goldfish, beefheart and pellets. Long story short, he lived for about three years before he finally quit eating one day, followed by a series of diseases and death. I'm older and wiser now and know that he would have easily lived another 5-10 years if I had provided proper food and housing for him.
The advice you've received here is that the tank is too small and the food is not appropriate for this type of fish. While you obviously have lots of experience with fish, the folks answering your questions have also had lots of experience with fish--especially puffers--and the advice they've given is on the mark. A larger tank and pristine water parameters should be your first steps. Modifying his diet is something you should seriously consider if he pulls through the current crisis. In the meantime, have you tried using garlic to entice him to eat?
P.S. If the LFS' in your area consider 11" to be huge for a fahaka, they obviously don't know what they are talking about and I would not consider them to be good sources for advice about their care and feeding.
The advice you've received here is that the tank is too small and the food is not appropriate for this type of fish. While you obviously have lots of experience with fish, the folks answering your questions have also had lots of experience with fish--especially puffers--and the advice they've given is on the mark. A larger tank and pristine water parameters should be your first steps. Modifying his diet is something you should seriously consider if he pulls through the current crisis. In the meantime, have you tried using garlic to entice him to eat?
P.S. If the LFS' in your area consider 11" to be huge for a fahaka, they obviously don't know what they are talking about and I would not consider them to be good sources for advice about their care and feeding.
--Bob
He's bigger then that but it's hard to tell,he wont sit still even now,
never tried garlic-this is the kind of help I am looking for-
What am I supposed to do exactly?
Yes I lot of people more experience then me, but certain things I cannot do,bigger tank right now,diet? I ve tried to give him things I normally would and the only thing he is eating is beefheart mix,passed on shrimp,crayfish etc.
never tried garlic-this is the kind of help I am looking for-
What am I supposed to do exactly?
Yes I lot of people more experience then me, but certain things I cannot do,bigger tank right now,diet? I ve tried to give him things I normally would and the only thing he is eating is beefheart mix,passed on shrimp,crayfish etc.
-
YBeNormal
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:19 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Contact:
This:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW ... mdy00.aspx
Some people have also reported success crushing garlic and adding some of the juice into the fish food.
Oh yeah, about the food recommendations. Beefheart is very fatty and beef is not on the list of natural foods for most fish and definitely not for a fahaka.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW ... mdy00.aspx
Some people have also reported success crushing garlic and adding some of the juice into the fish food.
Oh yeah, about the food recommendations. Beefheart is very fatty and beef is not on the list of natural foods for most fish and definitely not for a fahaka.
--Bob
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- 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:
Fish stop eating for many reasons. #1 would be because of poor water conditions. There is absolutely no way to keep that tank pristine, with a fish that size, w/o HUGE water changes often! He may also have also stopped eating to slow down his own growth, as there isn't enough room for more growth in there. Nature works that way.
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!"
-
lisalisa
Agreed. My fahaka was much (17") larger than yours at a much younger age.YBeNormal wrote:P.S. If the LFS' in your area consider 11" to be huge for a fahaka, they obviously don't know what they are talking about and I would not consider them to be good sources for advice about their care and feeding.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- 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:
Eventuslly, a fish just has to give up. Let's take a human for example. Let's say I was kept in a closet for 9 years, living in my own waste (since it's recommended fot a normally stocked puffertank to do 50% weekly water changes, I azsume the fish has much undesolved metabolites in it's water). I think I might get so depressed at that time, I could just give up & stop eating.
I actually do 70% weekly partials on my FW tanks, 50% on my BW/SW tanks & 30% on my reef tank.
I actually do 70% weekly partials on my FW tanks, 50% on my BW/SW tanks & 30% on my reef tank.
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!"
-
lisalisa
I don't think you are understanding how severely stunted your puffer is. If you have had him for 9 years, and the previous owner for 2, making him at least 11, he should be 18". 2X the size he is right now. One of the worst cases of stunting I've ever seen; I'm shocked that a) he's still alive and b)you are surprised things are not going well.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- 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: