sick GSP

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.
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cassiusclay
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:49 am

sick GSP

Post by cassiusclay »

hey guys new here and to puffers in general loving both tbh!!! :P however about 4 days ago i noticed one of my baby gsp's was turning black did some research found out they do that now and then then turn back in a couple hours.the next day he was covered in black head to tail i mean real black. so i hospital tanked him asap to avoid any thing to my other little guy.he doesnt swim alot or eat anything and thats what worries me most he was always first to the glass at 4 and 12 pm every day for his snails or shrimp.my other dude still appears healthy. so im wondering what this could be ive started them 2 months ago in a cycled (old 20g community about 6 months old when they went in) all levels are 0 (ammonia, nitrate, nitrites)at about 1.002-1.003 gravity Ph is good holding at around 8.0-8.2 respectivly my tap is a little hard around 200 ppm. i am VERY religious on my water changes 25% weekly every thursday night. thats all i got puffers are still pretty new for me, but i love em plz help i might cry thnx guys
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Corvus
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Post by Corvus »

Try to increase aeration with a diffusor or similar and slowly increase SG in your hospital tank to 1,005.
Good luck, hope he gets well again!
Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man, and he'll eat for weeks.
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drjuzz
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Post by drjuzz »

Have a look at the bottom of the hospital tank and see if you can see any Poop lying on the bottom, check if is looks stringy or like pellets? (if it is stringy then good chance he has internal parasites)

Have you noticed any of the following signs ?

* wasting away - often gradually
* frantic for food (more than usual of course)
* red or white worms being purged from the anus
* loss of appetite

Read the following under the Puffer library:

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... t/#more-75

Good Luck!
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60 +- Snails :-)
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cassiusclay
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Post by cassiusclay »

nah no worms the hospital tank is a 1.003. his poo is kinda stringy so im thinkin IP's of some form or another. you guys got a med thats good?i dont wanna ask the LFS because theyll just randomly throw me one. and should i treat my other buddy also???
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Boxermom
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Post by Boxermom »

Anyone that has been in a tank with him needs to be treated. Gel-Tek and Prazi-Pro work best IME. You need to soak their food in it, not just treat the water. They need to ingest the medication.
Tina

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Hilly
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Post by Hilly »

If you're in the UK then get some Flubenol for treating for internal parasites, you dont soak the food in treated water you treat the entire tank water, a 4 week course of that seems to have cured my puffer of his parasite problem.
Hilly
cassiusclay
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:49 am

Post by cassiusclay »

started treating him yesterday but he didnt make it :( im still treating my other guy and will get him a new friend or 2 in a few weeks thanks for all the help any way guys
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Pufferpunk
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Post by Pufferpunk »

Sorry for your loss. :(
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!"
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