The Puffer Forum

Just keep the wc to have ammonia/nitrite levels at ZERO. I guess you're the one who can tell how much to take out... sorry!

One thing I didn't realize Katie: Did you take the media filter out or you took the whole filter out? I mean, if your tank has no filter, got it? What medicine are you using? Is it not safe to the beneficial bacteria?

No I have a filter but I changed the pad thing (sorry I don't know whait its called). I would never have a tank without a filter ever again I had a fish bowl and I hated how dirty it was so I always have a filter. I used general cure(for IPs) but I did a w/c since then and the only other meds I am using is melafix and pimafix. I stopped using pimafix and am only using melafix for the ich along with a temp rise. I always check before I use any meds because I know that puffers don't do very well with meds.

If your ammonia and nitrite are still reading zero, just change as much water as you need to in order to get it tolerably clear. Eventually the cloudiness will get over itself.

I just had my water tested and the nitrates and nitrites are at zero but the ammonia is high she didn't tell me the exact number but she said it was half way down the list it was a light green color. (She was really busy) but thats ok because it got me a job there tomorrow so I will change the water before work and then take in a sample and do the test myself. Then I will have a real number for you. I don't understand because when I took the water up to be tested, I had just changed the water that morning, my levels should have been good or at least better then they were. The water is starting to clear up but it still looks bad. Could it be from the frozen bloodwoms? I notice when I put them in the tank I can see "blood" but its not very much since I thaw it first.

Frozen food can cloud the water unless rinsed in a fine mesh net after thawing before feeding.

I have a brine shrimp net so I should thaw them then wash them in the net? Sorry this is my first time using the frozen foods I usually give him freeze dried bloodworms or krill.

brine shrimp net is perfect blue fine mesh also works in a pinch. Yes, thaw, rinse, feed

Ok maybe that will help with the water. I just thought that I needed to thaw them. I do give it to him frozen sometime (sorry if this is bad and I will stop if it is) but he doesn't eat any hard foods. I can't get him to eat shrimp, snails, or clams. I don't understand this since he only eat moving food but he doesn't care about the ghost shrimp or snails.

Feeding it frozen is bad, they can use their beaks to nip off and swallow still frozen bits and if they eat to much of that, it will damage their insides.

Oh I see my bad I don't want to hurt him but I am really nervous that his teeth will be over grown since he doesn't eat any hard food I give him. My baby f8 loves the snails but my big one could care less. He loves the bloodworms but no hard foods.

I've noticed with my Ceylons that they find it hard to chew on even the small snails, you might want to consider crushing the snails between your fingers (in the tank) before feeding it to them. It might seem a bit mean, but after a couple times of eating crushed snails, your GSPs should be happy to gobble them up! Some people have said that their puffers don't like to work for their food, so you'll probably have to use the crushing method to feed them.

Don't worry, they'll get used to it.

Personally, I've never had problems with them trying to eat things... in fact, they're SO hungry that they often try to eat me!

I have tried crushing them but he just doesn't seem to care. My baby f8 loves them even if they are bigger then he is! The big f8 doesn't seem to like live food. He doesn't like the ghost shrimp either I saw one hitching a ride on my f8 and he didn't even seem to notice. The ghost shrimp come and steal food from the puffers too I am waiting for them to one day get mad and eat them just to show them whos boss

Oh and I just wanted to tell everyone but forgot, this morning I did a 50% w/c to once again try and fix the cloudy water and it worked this time yay!! But I think there might be something wrong with my heater. When I changed the water it went from 82 to 80 and when I got home from work its down to 78. I was trying to raise it to get rid of the ich and now I don't know if I just set him back from getting healthy by my stupid heater . It seems that no matter what I do something else goes wrong!!

I'm still worried about your ammonia readings, it means there's something wrong with bio-filtration... pay more attention to that. It's gonna sound silly but... did you check if the heater is plugged? Sometimes, when I do my wc I unplug everything and I always forget to plug the heater back, I just realize about it when I see my temperature getting low...

Good point coo, It's happened to me. My heater came unplugged. Let's hope that is all it is.