Bad Luck
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.
-
sigepoutdoor
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:09 am
- Location: Texas
Bad Luck
Well, I have been looking after an Ocellated saddle back puffer for over a year now and all I've been reading about is how they only make it a few months and then take a turn for the worst. He's been in freshwater this whole time and there haven't been any problems til now. Me and some friends were hanging out and I just saw 'Charlie' run full speed in the side of the tank when someone walked by. ever since then, it's like his equilibrium is gone and he can't seem to right himself. I've been helping him swim and holding him for about an hour and things aren't looking like they are going to get any better. I would ask for suggestions but it seems as though, at this point, it would be futile. I just fell like crap and angry as hell because I don't know exactly what is wrong.
-
OraLacerta
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 573
- Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:51 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Tetraodon biocellatus.
RIP: C. travancoricus, Chilomycterus schoepfi. Canthigaster jactator. - Location (country): USA
- Location: USA
-
OraLacerta
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 573
- Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:51 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Tetraodon biocellatus.
RIP: C. travancoricus, Chilomycterus schoepfi. Canthigaster jactator. - Location (country): USA
- Location: USA
-
sigepoutdoor
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:09 am
- Location: Texas
yeah, it's an especially a hard pill to swallow because out of everything that I was on the look out for as far as things people were saying, (i.e. short lifespan, water parameters, and so forth) this was not one of them. This could have happened to any fish. He was just not like any other fish I have owned. He definitely fit into the "more like a dog" category. Not many other fish exhibit such amicable personalities. some fish are friendly, but that typically because they want you to feed them. Charlie could be full with other feeders and food around him and he would still follow me around the tank.
I appreciate the response.
I appreciate the response.
-
OraLacerta
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 573
- Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:51 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Tetraodon biocellatus.
RIP: C. travancoricus, Chilomycterus schoepfi. Canthigaster jactator. - Location (country): USA
- Location: USA
I see you're now speaking in the past tense, did he pass?
It's really hard to lose a fish as friendly as our puffs can be; it's not like losing a molly or a goldfish. I hope you keep your spirits up and try another puff out; what hapened to Charlie was a freak accident so don't let it discourage you!
It's really hard to lose a fish as friendly as our puffs can be; it's not like losing a molly or a goldfish. I hope you keep your spirits up and try another puff out; what hapened to Charlie was a freak accident so don't let it discourage you!
-
sigepoutdoor
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:09 am
- Location: Texas
Well, I thought I was gonna has to put him to sleep, but I decided to wait and just put him in a breeding separator and submerge it so that he could not take in anymore air. I had spent hours trying to get him to release the air in his belly but to no avail. So I tried this and he seemed ok when I woke up this morning. Next hurdle is that I have two of them and the smaller one does everything that Charlie does and charlie hasn't ate and therefore the little one hasn't either. I bought some rosy from a trusted supplier and I'm gonna see if that'll entice them to eat.