The Puffer Forum

I just did a water change but parameters before the water change were.

PH 7.4
Nitrate and nitrite 0
Ammonia trace less than .25

It is a 5 gallon tank with some cherry shrimp and 2 dwarf puffers

I've been feeding bloodworms and tried brineshrimp and have live snails and do weelky water changes at 50% I use amquel but have switched to prime

I've been doing water changes almost every other day due to high nitrates and now nitrates are gone and am now getting trace ammonia.

The tank came to me already cycled. I think something got in my tapwater as it has crashed all my tanks, but right now only worrying about the 5 gallon puffer tank. Tap tested at Trate-Trite 0 Ammonia 1 and PH 8

I am currently trying to deworm the puffers so shrimp have been removed. I am using jungle fizz tabs but I am wondering if levamisole would work

I do know that the 5 gallon is to small, but the 20 gallon I had ready for them decided to crash and so now I am in the process of getting it straight again

Did the crash happen right after you received the tank? In what condition did it arrive? That is, did it still have filter, gravel/sand, etc.? How long was the filter off? Was there enough water to keep the gravel and filter wet?

Additionally, I don't think your water crashed the tank - your water has ammonia in it, so every time you change the water, ammonia goes back up. If you treat with Prime, that should solve this part of the problem, since Prime and Amquel both detoxify ammonia.

What happened with the 20g? How did it crash?

Brilliant, thanks for filling that out. Sounds like you have pretty interesting tap water. Prime will detoxify the tap water ammonia. It will be safe for your fish but it will still test. You should be using the dosing for water with chloramine and possibly higher than that but you'd best wait for someone else who knows more about that part.

When I deworm I use a very yummy food, typically bloodworms. Brine shrimp aren't very nutritious so I wouldn't bother much with them, especially right now when they need all the nutrition and calories they can get. How are the little guys eating? Are they eating the medicated food? I would stick with the fizz tabs right now since you've already started and I'd treat the water and their food. Apparently this makes them more likely to eat the food since it tastes less funny. That way if any live parasites come out they should be killed in the water.

Nitrate tests are the hardest to do properly. Follow the directions very closely. Since your tap water has more ammonia than your tank water it is likely that you do have some beneficial bacteria in your tank.

I've had the tank running strong for over 3 months. Everything was still wet including the filter when I got it. They nibble on the bloodworms and I picked up some blackworms today but it seems they ignored them. They will on occasion eat a shrimp.

The 20 gallon I forgot to add the amquel to it on a water change and killed 5 fish in it. Got it leveled back out and then it crashed again.

This is just a personal side note and maybe an option to consider...

You can set up a bucket (I got mine from a home brew shop to is is for potable water), and add your water to that first. Then treat it and let it sit for 24 ~ 48 hrs (aka aging it). Then test it. Treat it lightly again THEN do your water change.

This solves a couple problems:
1) You know the water is safe BEFORE adding it to your tank
2) It helps regulate the temperature so that you're not shocking the system with too hot or too cold water before it goes in
3) if you add an airstone or a pump to the bucket you know it will have high O2 content.

Then you can go advanced:
By having a 2nd pump in there connected to your tank you just flip a switch and you have an auto fill system (no lugging buckets and no hoses running around the house).

That's what I was going to suggest Since it's only a 5 gal (eventually 20) then it's a small enough tank to have one or two 5gal water containers around even for just a couple hours.

Ok finally after 2 weeks of tank trouble with the 20 it is finally done recycling. I went out and bought lots of plants and new gravel for it. Got it all planted and got the puffer in it and they look a lot happier. Nitrites and Ammonia are 0. PH 7.6 and Nitrate 5 I expect the nitrate to rise a little now with the addition of plants. I am also still giving them meds for parasites although I saw them poo and didn't see worms.



Not sure if I like the gravel or not, but it's not getting changed any time soon lol. It's also hard for them to see the snails in there I think, but they find the blackworms and bloodworms alright

I expect the nitrate to rise a little now with the addition of plants.

No, plants won't raise your nitrates.

I have a darn nitrite spike again...Totally getting mad and hating all my tanks

It's almost impossible to keep a 5g stable. I'd upgrade.

I did upgrade to the 20 yesterday after all the levels were back to what they are supposed to be and today I tested the water again and have nitrites The pics I posted are of the 20s new layout

Keep doing WC. Have you added any established bacteria? Tetra Safestart can help.