F8. SERIOUS 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.
F8. SERIOUS HELP!
Uhmm..my girlfriend has a Figure 8 puffer...and hes been kinda odd...it started this morning..shes had him for almost a year...he was always by himself in a ten gallon tank..but last week she transfered him into a different tank...and hes been in there for a week..and this morning he was gliding around with his tail up and his head down..his fins are rotting and his lips...hes just floating around..and hes always goin to the tube cleaning thing...now hes back to where he was originally..theres a divider between him and the others.since hes had a history with mates..he bit off my precious bettas tale..and bit off half of a dwarf puffers body..who is now dead...but lemme know please...thank you.
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Hilly
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Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
Do you know water parameters of te new tank, was it cycled or was an existing filter used from an already established tank.
Sounds like water parameters were off and his immune system dropped making him susceptible to infection.
Moved to hospital section.
Sounds like water parameters were off and his immune system dropped making him susceptible to infection.
Moved to hospital section.
Hilly
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Boxermom
- Former Staff Member
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Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
Please answer all of the questions at the top of the forum, for both its existing tank and the new 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
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Pufferpunk
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
Was it moved into a tank with other fish & you used a divider? How large is the tank? How big is his space?
Please answer the above questions in this forum, so we can better diagnose the cause of his priblem.
Please answer the above questions in this forum, so we can better diagnose the cause of his priblem.
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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OraLacerta
- Former Staff Member
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RIP: C. travancoricus, Chilomycterus schoepfi. Canthigaster jactator. - Location (country): USA
- Location: USA
Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
If he was housed with a betta and DP at one point that leads me to believe he is being kept in freshwater, am I correct? Figure Eights have been known to develop skin problems when not kept in brackish water of about 1.005 SG.
Was the tank he was moved into cycled, and were the new fish he was moved in with quarantined for at least 4 weeks before he was introduced? This sounds like a combination of problems that lead up to his current condition, but we need more information so please answer the 5 questions listed in red on the top of this page.
Was the tank he was moved into cycled, and were the new fish he was moved in with quarantined for at least 4 weeks before he was introduced? This sounds like a combination of problems that lead up to his current condition, but we need more information so please answer the 5 questions listed in red on the top of this page.
-Michelle
Prevent unnecessary deaths due to disease- quarantine ALL new additions at least 4 weeks in a separate tank before adding to your main display tank!
Puffers: Hindenburg the Figure Eight, 75gallon Brackish
Prevent unnecessary deaths due to disease- quarantine ALL new additions at least 4 weeks in a separate tank before adding to your main display tank!
Puffers: Hindenburg the Figure Eight, 75gallon Brackish
Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
1. we have the PH powder...8.0 PH
2.10 gallons and then was moved into a standard 2 gallons..the water was mixed with salt. the betta lived through it.
3.dried blood worms..water change is every 2 weeks...aquarium salt.
4.no changes were made.we just moved him after he viciously killed a dwarf.
5.about 11 months.
we just got him his own 10 gallon tank..we are setting it up as i type...we added..ph powder...aquarium salt..water conditioner..and tap water declor....so that is it.
2.10 gallons and then was moved into a standard 2 gallons..the water was mixed with salt. the betta lived through it.
3.dried blood worms..water change is every 2 weeks...aquarium salt.
4.no changes were made.we just moved him after he viciously killed a dwarf.
5.about 11 months.
we just got him his own 10 gallon tank..we are setting it up as i type...we added..ph powder...aquarium salt..water conditioner..and tap water declor....so that is it.
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
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GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
You should stop using the PH powder and aquarium salt, and get marine salt... much safer for the fish, and probably cheaper long run. The DP, if he was getting aquarium salt, doesn't need it, and will do poorly with too much of it. IF you need PH buffering, use something like a tufa rock thats continuous acting.
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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Boxermom
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Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
No puffer has any business in a 2 gallon tank. Figure 8s need a minimum of 15 gallons, and brackish water made with marine salt, not aquarium salt, which will likely kill the betta and the DP won't fare well either. Like Nick says, do not use anything to adjust the pH, its not necessary and only causes problems.
Putting him in an uncycled 10g tank of his own will not be doing him any favors. Uncycled tanks kill puffers. You don't need water conditioner and declorinator, a declorinator is all you need. Do a large water change to get all of the chemicals out of there, get Biospira if you can to instant cycle the tank (do NOT buy any other crap in a bottle like Cycle or Stress Zyme no matter what the store tells you). If you can't get Biospira, use some gravel, plants, etc., from the existing tank in it to transfer some of the good bacteria. With the shape he's currently in, his chances of survival are almost non-existent in an uncycled tank.
Unless you actually saw it, I wouldn't guarantee that it was the F8 who chewed up the betta's fins. Its quite possible it was the DP. DPs can be extremely aggressive and can shred and/or kill fish much larger than itself, especially something with long, flowing fins. Its also possible that the F8's ragged tail and face injuries were also caused by the DP. They should not be kept with bettas at all. I would recommend putting the betta in the 2 gallon tank and getting it away from the DP.
Putting him in an uncycled 10g tank of his own will not be doing him any favors. Uncycled tanks kill puffers. You don't need water conditioner and declorinator, a declorinator is all you need. Do a large water change to get all of the chemicals out of there, get Biospira if you can to instant cycle the tank (do NOT buy any other crap in a bottle like Cycle or Stress Zyme no matter what the store tells you). If you can't get Biospira, use some gravel, plants, etc., from the existing tank in it to transfer some of the good bacteria. With the shape he's currently in, his chances of survival are almost non-existent in an uncycled tank.
Unless you actually saw it, I wouldn't guarantee that it was the F8 who chewed up the betta's fins. Its quite possible it was the DP. DPs can be extremely aggressive and can shred and/or kill fish much larger than itself, especially something with long, flowing fins. Its also possible that the F8's ragged tail and face injuries were also caused by the DP. They should not be kept with bettas at all. I would recommend putting the betta in the 2 gallon tank and getting it away from the DP.
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: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
I agree, and I think there's a chance that the F8 killed the DP in defense. In my experience F8's are fairly timid, whereas DP's are vicious.Boxermom wrote: Unless you actually saw it, I wouldn't guarantee that it was the F8 who chewed up the betta's fins. Its quite possible it was the DP. DPs can be extremely aggressive and can shred and/or kill fish much larger than itself, especially something with long, flowing fins. Its also possible that the F8's ragged tail and face injuries were also caused by the DP. They should not be kept with bettas at all. I would recommend putting the betta in the 2 gallon tank and getting it away from the DP.
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- 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
- Contact:
Re: F8. SERIOUS HELP!
I once was in petco when they were out of betta jars and dumped one in each tank of the tank walls... 6 or 8 DP's were sitting around "theirs," keeping it pinned in a corner and taking turns eating bites of his fins.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.