dwarf puffer suddenly not eating
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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Boxermom
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 2182
- Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:34 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
- Contact:
Few of us actually change the media, I believe. Doesn't need to be changed unless its ungunkable or starts to fall apart. Just rinse it weekly when you do water changes and stick it back in.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
I have been using a HOT filter, _ clear, forgot the name. However, it is/was a three stage, sponge, carbon, and bio. I say was because I took the bio out and replaced it with a silicate/phosphate sponge to deal with the brown algae, thinking since I do not have an undergravel filter, the bacteria would live in the gravel without need for the bio media. I have decided to do without the silicate/phosphate sponge and go back to the bio media. I'll also take the advice regarding rinsing and not replacing the sponge/bio media. But I believe I should change the carbon.
Hopefully more frequent water changes will take care of the brown algae.
I'll also only use the RO for evaporated top offs.
Hopefully more frequent water changes will take care of the brown algae.
I'll also only use the RO for evaporated top offs.
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
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- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
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I think you will be best off replacing the carbon with the phos/silicate sponge. It has little to no value unless bad odors or medication need to be removed from the water, and does little after a week or so anyway.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
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Myaj
- Tech Team
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish - Location: SE Wisconsin
- Contact:
Nick is right on. Carbon is pretty much useless after a few days, and even then when its good, its used to absorb medications or odors.
So basically it sits there doing nothing, after a while it will start to grow some bacteria (its actually a good biomedia), then you chuck it and replace it with new stuff that will basically give you no help and you just tossed a bunch of good bacteria.
Aquaclears are awesome filters though. Most of us use them with the sponge on the bottom, put a 1/2" thick layer of filter floss (pillow stuffing, make sure its not treated with any chemicals to make it flame resistant or anything) and then the biomedia on top. Rinse the sponge and biomedia and change out the floss when it gets really gunky. Just make sure not to put too much floss or the filter can plug up and overflow, but this will give you really clear water.
So basically it sits there doing nothing, after a while it will start to grow some bacteria (its actually a good biomedia), then you chuck it and replace it with new stuff that will basically give you no help and you just tossed a bunch of good bacteria.
Aquaclears are awesome filters though. Most of us use them with the sponge on the bottom, put a 1/2" thick layer of filter floss (pillow stuffing, make sure its not treated with any chemicals to make it flame resistant or anything) and then the biomedia on top. Rinse the sponge and biomedia and change out the floss when it gets really gunky. Just make sure not to put too much floss or the filter can plug up and overflow, but this will give you really clear water.
