80% 2x/day, if you have to--do whatever it takes to keep ammonia & nitrites as close to 0 as possible.Nusquam wrote:Try to change at least 20% (AT LEAST) a day until the ammonia and nitrites both reach 0. It should take a few weeks, so good luck.
My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
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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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
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!"
Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
He died today... the other two have been bending their tail a lot, does that mean anything?
I'm currently trying to get a hold of some Biospira.
I'm currently trying to get a hold of some Biospira.
Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
I just changed the tank water (yet again) -and they are happier. Although, they are still not eating the blood warms I am trying to feed them. It's like they don't even know its food.
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PetPirate
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
They will eat in time, when the water quality improves.
Do bear in mind that each time you add food, you are simply adding more ammonia and nitrites to the water. Without an established biological filter (i.e., what we call a 'cycled tank'), that ammonia and nitrite will not be converted quickly enough, and it will build in the water, burning and harming the fish until they die.
In the meantime, as suggested, keep up with the daily water changes to keep ammonia at 0. A pinch of normal aquarium salt (following the directions on the packet with each water change), won't harm the dwarfs, but will significantly reduce nitrite toxicity -- and so I would recommend that you add some until the tank is cycled. (Slat is clearly proven in this regard -- not a myth in this case).
Also, until the tank is cycled, feed sparingly -- once every other day. If it looks like the fish aren't going to eat it, remove it before t can decay.
Sorry that you lost one already
... Hopefully the others aren't too damaged.
Do bear in mind that each time you add food, you are simply adding more ammonia and nitrites to the water. Without an established biological filter (i.e., what we call a 'cycled tank'), that ammonia and nitrite will not be converted quickly enough, and it will build in the water, burning and harming the fish until they die.
In the meantime, as suggested, keep up with the daily water changes to keep ammonia at 0. A pinch of normal aquarium salt (following the directions on the packet with each water change), won't harm the dwarfs, but will significantly reduce nitrite toxicity -- and so I would recommend that you add some until the tank is cycled. (Slat is clearly proven in this regard -- not a myth in this case).
Also, until the tank is cycled, feed sparingly -- once every other day. If it looks like the fish aren't going to eat it, remove it before t can decay.
Sorry that you lost one already
... Hopefully the others aren't too damaged.-
Boxermom
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
Unfortunately, its very common to lose puffers to an uncycled tank. They are very sensitive to water parameters. Hopefully the others will make it though. Keep doing large daily water changes, declorinate the fresh water, and as PetPirate says, feed sparingly. Curling their tails doesn't mean anything, their tails are like rudders, helps them steer and sometimes they curl for no reason.
What kind of bloodworms are you feeding, frozen or freeze dried?
They are very sensitive to water parameters. Hopefully the others will make it though. Keep doing large daily water changes, declorinate the fresh water, and as PetPirate says, feed sparingly. Curling their tails doesn't mean anything, their tails are like rudders, helps them steer and sometimes they curl for no reason.What kind of bloodworms are you feeding, frozen or freeze dried?
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
Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
I am feeding them live blood warms that I keep refrigerated and change the water ever day. There are also snails all over in the tank. Should I use a chemical to get rid of them?
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Boxermom
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
Oh, those are probably blackworms. I don't know of anywhere that sells bloodworms, they turn into insects. It can take awhile for puffers to settle into their new homes, sometimes weeks. Do not use a chemical to get rid of the snails. The puffers may not be hungry because they may be eating the snails, or still settling in. Especially with them dealing with an uncycled tank.
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
Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
If I get Biospira how many times do I have to use it? Can I just use it once and then use "cycle" or "stress zyme" stuff?
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Boxermom
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
You use Biospira once and never use Cycle or Stress Zyme.
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
Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
Is it normal for dwarf puffers to swim towards air bubbles and get pushed away and then go back and do it again? even if he hits the glass? He also swims into the glass at times or is sloppy and allows himself to lightly smash against rocks.
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Boxermom
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
Yes, they tend to like a good bit of current. Just make sure they have a place to get out of the current when they want to, a cave or other protected type area.
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
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PetPirate
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
Live bloodworms are for sale regularly here.... (in fact, live blackworms aren't, but live bloodworms are common)Boxermom wrote:Oh, those are probably blackworms. I don't know of anywhere that sells bloodworms, they turn into insects.
Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
What does it mean when the puffer's lips turn dark?
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manutius
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
Same herePetPirate wrote:Live bloodworms are for sale regularly here.... (in fact, live blackworms aren't, but live bloodworms are common)Boxermom wrote:Oh, those are probably blackworms. I don't know of anywhere that sells bloodworms, they turn into insects.
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Myaj
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Re: My crazed GSP dwarf needs help!
Usually a dark belly can be a sign of stress (or sleeping, or some puffers just naturally stay darker than others), but I have no idea about lips (never have seen it happen on any of my species) but I would guess its probably an extention of their belly changing color abilities.
How are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings? Are they getting better? Still doing daily water changes?
One more thing you can do is get a friend or the store (but usually a friend will have a healthier tank) to give you a handful of gravel from their tank. You can put that in your tank and bring in some live bacteria that way. If you do find Biospira, make sure the store kept it refrigerated, because if they didn't, it will all be dead (many stores don't realize this).
How are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings? Are they getting better? Still doing daily water changes?
One more thing you can do is get a friend or the store (but usually a friend will have a healthier tank) to give you a handful of gravel from their tank. You can put that in your tank and bring in some live bacteria that way. If you do find Biospira, make sure the store kept it refrigerated, because if they didn't, it will all be dead (many stores don't realize this).
