The Puffer Forum

I agree that the pH is a little on the low side, but aragonite will do little buffering in FW. Perhaps it's dropped do to organic build-up in the water?

The puffer seems to be healthy appearance wise, i am going to buy a new filter and possibly find a nitrate and ammonia test kit today. He is still breathing heavy and even bobbing its head it breaths so heavy. I am really hoping the new filter will help its heath.. any other suggestions or knowledge?

A new filter won't solve the ammonia and mitrite poisening. You need to be doing large water changes right now.

Keep doing large water changes. Lots of them. The ammonia and nitrite will keep building up while the tank cycles. This can take up to 2 weeks or so.

Follow the directions on the bottle of prime for detoxifying the ammonia and nitrite.

Adding another filter won't happen in the short term, because the bacteria need to grow IN the filter for it to do anything.

You could also get some ammolock typematerial to help slow down the ammonia build-up, but this will just slow down the cyclign process and when it is exhausted, the ammonia will go up again. So i don't recommend it.

Check with your local stores if they have any bio-spira.

well wanted to go to the pet store, but my friend wasn't working so i didn't. Came back and found out i didn't need a new filter... i need water changes. Right now i am going to do 50% water change daily, adding 5ml of prime. Does that sound like my puffer will pull through under those conditions? Also, dint know if this helps for cycling the tank and ammonia and nitrate stuff, but the tank has been running for a couple of months, i have had dwarf puffers in it before the current puffer ate them. During the time when the dwarf puffers lived i the tank i had multiple apple snails and they bread creating an egg sack on the lid of my tank. Just before i got on the forum, the egg hatched and i have tons of baby snails on the sides of my tank during the water changes... will they help the cycling and reducing harmful toxins?

We really need to know ammonia and nitrite levels. Invest in a good test kit, because without knowing this, it's still unclear what's going on with the tank.

It sounds like the changes in bio-load have caused your tank to cycle again to adjust. Adding another filter is a good idea. Doing 50% water changes twice a day will help in the mean time. You could double the dose of prime as well until we know what's really going on. It won't hurt.

plan on getting an early start and getting some bio-spira,more prime, and a nitrite/ammonia test kit from LFS. Maybe some snails too.

Sounds good!

You added a large predatory puffer in with your tiny DPs?

:s I read the part about the tank had DPs, but missed the part where the current puffer ate them... I retract my previous statement of "sounds good"

Just say 'NO' to tank mates!

the DPs lived one night with him. The only fish to still live in the tank with the puffer in the rainbow shark, first fish i bought. Now i am pretty concerned on raising and taking care of the other puffer. Also, one more thing... We have a 100 Gallon tank in the living room, been running for a real long time. They just had two new penguin 350 filters. I dint think that tank ever gets water changes because i only take care of my tank. The two 10 year old cichlids in the tank are some African species. One male and one female. They have breed and had fry over 20 times. Do you think the water in that tank might be able to establish the bacteria faster of stick with bio-spira?

I dint think that tank ever gets water changes because i only take care of my tank.

What does this mean?

forgot that there is a tank upstairs, 30 gallon, barbs and a peacock eel. This tank has been running for months also, but the filter is the same and hasn't changed in a LONG time either... again i ask would any of this water help the bacteria growth in my tank?

sorry didn't see your reply. I only take care of my 20 gallon tank. There is a 100 gallon tank in the living room, a 30 gallon at the top of the stairs, and a 10 gallon in the kitchen. I Ont mess with any of the tanks except the 20 gallon. I would die to change the 100 gallon and let the puffer live in it, but i have no say on the other tanks. Not my tanks, cant touch em.

Whose tanks are they? Very poor fishkeepoing practices, IMO.

In answer to your Q, you could use a filter from one of the other tanks or the media from them but I'd rinse them a little 1st, as they are probably too clogged to work anymore.