Ive had my mbu puffer about 2mths now, he is in a 6foot, 100gal tank, tank has been running about 1yr now, parameters are
pH 7
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 12.5.
I had a few problems with my tank a few weeks ago and had a pH crash, pH was 5, watechanges didn't help and used pH up, which helped a little but I wasn't happy about using it and eventually got small ammonia and nitrite reading. So I took out vallis as it wasn't looking as good as it used to and added ocean rock as a buffer, this seemed to sort out problems and readings are now fine.
His regular feeds are, cockles, lance fish and pond snail once a week.
I fed him a prawn 4days ago and he hasn't been the same since. He just lies on the bottom of the tank and pants, he has changed colour and now looks darker, hes not interested in feeding anymore. This morning he was sucked onto the side of the filter, so I removed him and put him in a hospital tank I prepared yesterday, added tonic salt and anti bacterial meds, readings of this tank 3hours after he went in are
pH 7
nitrite 0
ammonia 0.8
nitrate 12.5
I'm going to proceed with a water change and try and get that ammonia back down, should I squeeze an established filter sponge in that tank
I want to know what else I should be doing, please.
Thanks
Sick mbu
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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I would start doing massive water changes on his tank & leave him in there. Clean every inch of the gravel w/a gravel cleaner (Python). Why do you think there was a pH crash? How much & how often have you been changing the water? What is the pH of your tap water?
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!"
I think he has pooped the prawn out, you can normally see a bulge in his stomach.
I'm not sure why the pH crashed, was changing water weekly 20% siphoning gravel and cleaning filters once a month (in old tank water). When the crash happened I done a 50% water change (tap pH is 7) took out all plants and give gravel a good cleaning, plants went back in, pH went up to 6 but dropped again over night, a series of Small wc every 2 days for a week didn't seem to sort it, I think vallis was maybe dying and causing it but I'm not sure.
Filter in hospital wasn't established but have replaced sponge with a mature sponge and done 50% change and ammonia is down to 0.1mg/l. He seems a little happier is moving about a lot more. Not going to add any more meds, used interpet anti internal bacteria, just going to stick with the tonic salt in his water for a while see what happens, unless anyone has any better ideas.
Hospital tank is just a bare tank no sustrate or decorations, added 4 small snails in there today. Puffer is only 4inches at the moment
I'm not sure why the pH crashed, was changing water weekly 20% siphoning gravel and cleaning filters once a month (in old tank water). When the crash happened I done a 50% water change (tap pH is 7) took out all plants and give gravel a good cleaning, plants went back in, pH went up to 6 but dropped again over night, a series of Small wc every 2 days for a week didn't seem to sort it, I think vallis was maybe dying and causing it but I'm not sure.
Filter in hospital wasn't established but have replaced sponge with a mature sponge and done 50% change and ammonia is down to 0.1mg/l. He seems a little happier is moving about a lot more. Not going to add any more meds, used interpet anti internal bacteria, just going to stick with the tonic salt in his water for a while see what happens, unless anyone has any better ideas.
Hospital tank is just a bare tank no sustrate or decorations, added 4 small snails in there today. Puffer is only 4inches at the moment
-
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: