All Three Sick
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
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Well, the saltier water may help. You might want to use a name you recognize. Anything being sprayed or painted around the house?
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!"
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pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
Nope, not a thing. Should I stick with running just the one filter for now? I think I'll go and buy some salt that I actually KNOW is marine salt. What about having bubblers in the tank? Should I be trying to have the water more oxegynated? They honestly seem to be happiest and most active when I am doing water changes.
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pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Carbon Isn't necessary for your tank. Melafix is helpful for stress but isn't really called for here.
Last edited by Pufferpunk on Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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!"
-
pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Absolutely! Over-filtration is a must! Carbon is for removing unwanted chemicals, like meds. Pretty much useless for anything else.
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!"
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pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
Okay, just so I've got this all straight: I'll put BOTH filters on; remove the carbon from them; purchase salt that I know for a fact is marine salt; increase the SG by .002 to gradually reach 1.020; keep the light cycle at 12 on 12 off; stick with the weekly cleaning and the every other day 25% water changes; not bother with malafix; and stick with everything else. Any idea on how long a big spottie like these can go without eating? They've been way too long without a good meal. I've got a crayfish in here that's going to be a meal for me if they don't get at it! Thanks to everybody for their help -- if anybody thinks of anything else I should be doing or changing, please let me know.
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pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
Hmm, okay, one full day after my last post and I've taken the carbon off my filters, I've set the second filter back up, I've confirmed that I'm using marine salt, I've confirmed that my water is good, and my guys are still huffing and puffing and not eating. I'm really at a loss. And then this afternoon my biggest guy, Titan, goes almost like an albino fish, he went so pale it was scary. I did yet another 50% water change and he seems better now, I can at least see his black spots where before they were almost invisible. Man. Any thoughts at all? Anyone?
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
-
pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
Honestly, not a thing -- we haven't painted, we haven't sprayed anything, we keep our windows open throughout the day for fresh air, we don't smoke in the house... the only thing different that I can think of is that I brought an air purifier into my living room and it sits about four feet away from the tank. Other than that, nothing at all. What are you thinking when you ask this? Can something in the air affect the fish? I mean, I know several months ago when I lived in a condo we had to had our place sprayed for ants and I had to literally wrap my tanks, unplug my filters etc. -- but that was for fumigating -- I've had nothing like that in this house.
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pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
No to all the above, if I spray freshener in the room it's way away from them, I'm always cautious about that. Hands are always washed before they go in the tank. And now today, Titan, who was almost pure white yesterday is completely black, I mean completely and totally black. I'm thinking I'm losing them and there's not a thing I can do.
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pufferfattyfish1
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:40 pm
- Location: Calgary, Alberta
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
I'm sory we can't help more.