ER Puffercall!

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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.
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Pufferpunk
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Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Post by Pufferpunk »

I am wondering... the Ca was only at 200. Do you think that would have anything to do w/the fact that I couldn't see any teeth at all? I do think that krill would be hard enough to keep a fish's teeth somewhat trimmed, although an occasional crab & other varieties of hard food would be a much better diet. We have seen countless cases of lockjaw on fish that have been fed a diet of strictly krill..
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!"
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

You think krill would do it? I see very little crunch value in krill.

As for the Ca, that's an interesting thought. I wonder what, if any, effect calcium concentrations have on tetraodon plate growth.
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

That sounds like a grad studies project lisa.

The effect of calcium concentrations of tetraodon dental plate growth.
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

You're right.

...I"m never getting out of school..
ROFL
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Phaedrus
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Post by Phaedrus »

once you're in, it's hard to escape... I said I'd be done for a while after these degrees, but I think i'll be writting the LSAT in september... what the heck... I'm not getting any younger, and high priced defense attourney might be the only way to pay off the student loan people...
lisalisa

Post by lisalisa »

I'm about to start (yet another) undergrad. I think I might need your attourney services to get said student loan people off my back by the time I'm done!
I pay in krill. :twisted:
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The Fisherman
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Post by The Fisherman »

heh, theres a ton of degrees I want to get... I cant choose just one!!! I enjoy art/graphic design as well as fish keeping. I want to get a degree in icthyology, and then when I go for my masters, speacialize in tetraodontids. at least I think thats how it gos. I would have to dig up the PM that Swell sent me explaining everything.
-John
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32979
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
Contact:

Post by Pufferpunk »

John, although that sounds like a fun & interesting career, please pick something that will earn you a good living!
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!"
Jager

Post by Jager »

porcs teeth dont grow like other puffers. the diodon species do not have the obvious teeth, theirs are hidden behind their lips more, and are not prone to overgrowth.

however lockjaw they get a ton.
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The Fisherman
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Post by The Fisherman »

Pufferpunk wrote:John, although that sounds like a fun & interesting career, please pick something that will earn you a good living!
yeah, your probably right.... I should stick with my graphic design stuff, you practically make a fortune from it. and then I could get more aquariums! :P

10,000 gallon school of Mbu tank here I come! :lol:
-John
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Meander
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Post by Meander »

Pufferpunk wrote:I am wondering... the Ca was only at 200. Do you think that would have anything to do w/the fact that I couldn't see any teeth at all? I do think that krill would be hard enough to keep a fish's teeth somewhat trimmed, although an occasional crab & other varieties of hard food would be a much better diet. We have seen countless cases of lockjaw on fish that have been fed a diet of strictly krill..
My porc bites the live rock and the substrate often - maybe this one does too? Though 200 Ca is pretty bad. As hard as a porc puffer's teeth are, I don't think krill would be hard enough to trim them.

I feed crunchy food to Porky just in case and because he and I both enjoy it but I believe there is truth to Jager's assertion that porcs are not as susceptible to overgrown teeth. I have seen a 12 year old porc who doesn't get crunchy food in a pet shop around here (The Pet Shop on Breton and 28th) and his teeth are not overgrown. But since their natural foods come in crunchy shells, it's surely better to feed crunchies.
YBeNormal
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Post by YBeNormal »

PP, How is the porc doing now?
--Bob
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32979
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
Contact:

Post by Pufferpunk »

A lil better--still upright. Not swimming much at all. Not feeding it yet. Gonna do some more water tests today (they were on their way there when I called just now). Only doing 10% dailys on the tank. I think they should be doing 25% IMO.
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!"
YBeNormal
Former Staff Member
Posts: 506
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:19 am
Location: Northern Virginia
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Post by YBeNormal »

I would try feeding it at least a little! IRT water change %, I would start with 10% and gradually increase with each water change until water parameters were acceptable.
--Bob
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OraLacerta
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My Puffers: Tetraodon biocellatus.
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Post by OraLacerta »

PP: Great job saving this little guy. I can't believe they had filters but didn't run them.
Are they giving you anything for all this work you've been doing?
-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
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