The Puffer Forum

You need to change way more than 25%. Someone more experienced will have to tell you whether or not to do a 90% change now or do many smaller changes over several days.

Your nitrite should be at 0 at all times and nitrates should be below 20!

I dont think he has a IP. Its almost definitely your water parameters. My GSP hated FW with perfect water parameters. You should treat him not the other fish Dosing it in his food. He really should be in his own tank. As soon As my GSP had his own tank he got alot happier and became more active. With puffers they need near perfect water conditions as they're scaleless fish. All the other fish are a little more forgiving. Well my silver dollar was finicky all the time hows yours. Not to discourage you but IMO thats a bad mix of fish. I had all the same ones you did too with a GSP. They never got along for long. So I did THE RIGHT THING and gave them to a friend with multiple tanks and others to the store. Now at least they lived HAppily Forever. LOL

You could possibly be haveing a mini-cycle due to extra bioload you put on your system when you added him to the tank? Take your time b4 you start to treat for internal parasites some of those medication can reak havek on your system and with a sytem thats not fully cycled it could cause serious damage. Dont worry about treating for internal parasites untill you have 0 amm/nitrite. That should be your first concern. I would do at least 50% water changes dailey untill you are no longer getting amm/ nitrite readings.

Do 25% WC now & 25% again in 12 hours then 50% & again another 50% in 12 hours, until you've got that nitrate <20.

Pufferpunk wrote:Do 25% WC now & 25% again in 12 hours then 50% & again another 50% in 12 hours, until you've got that nitrate <20.

There you go!

So I got the messages today after I'd left from work, upon arriving home I did a 50% water change and then tested again, the levels are lower but still not there, so I'll keep doing it every 12 hours from now on. I also saw poo like white things hanging off two of the fish,so I think there are some wormies. What can I get locally to treat them so I can start tonight/tomorrow?

Lumpy tummy doesn't necessarily mean parasites. Lumpy tummy usually means that they just ate.

The white poo is definitely a sign, though. Pretty much any deworming product will do the trick. I use Jungle Parasite Guard and soak their food in a concentrated mixture of meds and water, rather than just treating the tank.

Can you explain exactly what the "spotted catfish" and "orange molly" are? Do you have a scientific name? If not, can you post pictures or look for an identification somewhere online?

Silver dollars are freshwater schoolers. You can't have just one.

Gouramis are freshwater. They get up to about a foot long.

I strongly encourage you to return your GSP until you can get all your other issues cleared up.

Pufferfreak42, coral will raise your pH. Driftwood will lower it, as long as you don't cure it completely.

Bcummings8521, the GSP should not be removed and treated separately; the whole tank must be treated now. The parasite spreads from fish to fish; the entire tank is now infected.

sblakeley, what is your usual water change percentage each week?

Yea, LPG to the rescue! Covered the entire thread in one fell swoop!

Didn't mean to give bad advice, just figured treating a tank with a unstable cycle could cause more damage then good. Especially when it's just a precaution with no real evidence of ip.

It takes bacteria to cycle a tank. They can be harmed by antibiotics. Adding anti-parasitic meds do nothing to harm the cycle of a tank.

Pufferpunk wrote:Yea, LPG to the rescue! Covered the entire thread in one fell swoop!

I've been on break for a week. I have to make up for my absence!

Thnx for the correction.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:Lumpy tummy doesn't necessarily mean parasites. Lumpy tummy usually means that they just ate.

The white poo is definitely a sign, though. Pretty much any deworming product will do the trick. I use Jungle Parasite Guard and soak their food in a concentrated mixture of meds and water, rather than just treating the tank.

Can you explain exactly what the "spotted catfish" and "orange molly" are? Do you have a scientific name? If not, can you post pictures or look for an identification somewhere online?

Silver dollars are freshwater schoolers. You can't have just one.

Gouramis are freshwater. They get up to about a foot long.

I strongly encourage you to return your GSP until you can get all your other issues cleared up.

Pufferfreak42, coral will raise your pH. Driftwood will lower it, as long as you don't cure it completely.

Bcummings8521, the GSP should not be removed and treated separately; the whole tank must be treated now. The parasite spreads from fish to fish; the entire tank is now infected.

sblakeley, what is your usual water change percentage each week?

I change at least 50% per week, usually twice. My stuff to set up the other tank comes Tuesday so the spotted cat, orange molly, silver dollar, and kissing gorurmi will all be moving to their new home then. Those 4 will be going to the 75 gallon tank along with the live plants. As soon as they make the big move I'll be starting add the instant ocean to make Puffydyle's water brackish. I had no idea the silver dollars were schoolers, I've had only one since well about a year now. How many do I need to make a school?

6+ for a school. Considering they grow as large as your hand, that'll take a very BIG tank.

Good lord! The things the LFS does not tell you... cursing under breath.... I do have a lead on a 200 gallon tank from a friend that is moving... sigh as 1 fish tank becomes 4 in a week....