The Puffer Forum

Thats good. Can you possibly find a pic of your filter on the internet somewhere?

How old is the fish? They only live about 3 years.

And... he's dead. damnit. damnit damnit. pardon my french, but I witnessed it. His gills are no longer moving, he's stuck on the bottom of the tank, and the only thing that moves him is the current.

I admit to being a newbie, but this is NOT EASY. I guess I just gotta keep studying.

http://www.rva.ne.jp/shop/suisaku/3.htm

That is the filter.

I wish I knew how old he was. All I can say is that he was electric blue a week ago, then rapidly changed colour to a dull grey which is when I started noticing problems, and then it was all down hill. The ammonia was a problem, obviously, but I removed it as soon as I knew it was there and they guy just had too much of a shock to his system, I guess. Perhaps the temperature changes also contributed. It has been very HOT here the last week or so.

Yea, sorry to hear that. They're good fish. My advice to you, get another betta, as they're pretty sturdy and now you know how to do better, it should be fine.

I've had mine for 3+ years now and he's still more active than ever. I keep him in his own 10 gallon with filter n all.

That looks like it could really be a good filter once broken in and 'alive' with bacteria. Only suggestion is get another betta and try again now you know some things not to do. Good luck to ya, lemme know if you get one.

In regards to changing the filter media, I never change sponges, only rinse them in tank water during water changes.
Sorry for the loss, dont give up though!

Sorry to hear that steve. I kind of expected the loss. The symptoms you described sound like a fish on its way out. BUT you did very well in managing the situation. So don't feel too disheartened. The plants probably had the most to do with it, as well as his already weakened condition.

If you plan on getting a new fish, you should do so soon to keep the tank from starving. Either that, or continue feeding fish food on your regular schedule.

Once you have the gravel cleared up, and keep it clean on a weekly basis with your water changes, you shouldn't experience that problem again. Your filter should be adequate for your tank and stocking level.

As for changing the sponges, if they are getting really brown and you can't rinse them very well, change one of them and then change the other a month or so later. You could try just rinsing them very well under tap water and squeezing them out to clean them. If they are durable, that's all you need to do to clean them out and they can be reused until the material starts to weaken from age.

Thanks for all the support.

I read another thread on here that really disheartened me - a thread talking about "newbies" that hadn't done proper research and lost fish. I am one of those newbies and am struggling against not only not knowing what I am doing, but dealing with a different language here in Japan. The advice I get on this forum is by far better than anywhere else. It doesn't help that I can't SEE good tanks and have someone SHOW me how to do this.

I won't give up. My fiance and I are planning on a big tank soon. I would just rather figure this out without killing too many pets.

What do guys think about Neons for this tank? When we get the bigger one we are thinking of STARTING with neons. I'd like to learn about keeping them. It's a small tank, but...

Again, thanks a ton.
-helium

I am not sure of which thread you are referring to, but you are definitely not the "newbie" type that discourages us here at TPF. You are very concerned about your fish, you tried your best to learn what was causing problems and you take any advice you can; you hunger for the right information!

Really newbies don't bother me at all. People who bother me are the ones who take shortcuts when they know they shouldn't and don't care about their animals. Those people don't like to hear it if they are doing something wrong and they get very angry when someone gives them advice.

I am so sorry to hear you do not have anyone locally that you can learn from. You are doing amazing for just getting all of your information online!
I'm glad you aren't giving up- you shouldn't! You genuinely care for your animals and whichever fish you choose next- they will be lucky to have an owner as caring as you!

Again, please don't feel unwanted or annoying on this forum; we love to answer people's questions! You seem like a really nice person and I am very happy you are coming to us for advice!
Don't hesitate to ask questions, no matter how 'newbie' like that question is

I'd stay as far away from neons as possible... at least in my experience they are very hard to keep alive, I won't even tell you how many times I tried and failed (while all fish in the tank thrived and are still with me).

Zebra danios, while not the most attractive fish to some, are very hardy.

Are you sure the weren't cardinals you had a hard time with GSP? I've found neons to be really hardy. As are rummy noses.

Ive always found neons to be great fish, they are also long lived. just make sure you get from a good source.

Gosh guys. Thanks.

I can't seem to get over losing this guy. He's still here in a glass I stuck him in hoping the change might revive him. But he's just dead. I am trying so hard to keep my fish alive, but without a proper mentor, it's so hard.

It's hard to deal with the fact that 5 days ago he was fine and now he's gone. My fiance has taking a surprisingly good attitude about it after my explanation that, as we do this, fish will die. But it isn't easy.

OraLacerta, your words touched me. I really appreciate the support. I am swimming upsteam here. I often feel that "you folks" all got it down and I'm the struggling beginner. But I guess we have to start somewhere. When we get the 55 gallon, I don't want to be killing off lots of fish.

But I learned about the importance of cleaning the gravel. With my puffer, I learned about ammonia. The other thread (which I can't find now, but will give a link when I do) was very down on people in my situation - but, perhaps, it was aimed at people that don't TAKE the advice here.

I started this hobby because my fiance has cared for marine mammals. I kind of assumed she knew about fish - but it turns out I am the leader in this endeavour. She can stick her hand up the butt of a dophin, but knows nothing about water chemistry or keeping fish.

Slowly, I will learn. And I will keep coming here until I "get" it.

Thanks so much for all the support and help.

-helium

stevehelium wrote:She can stick her hand up the butt of a dophin, but knows nothing about water chemistry or keeping fish.

I've just learnt something about Marine biologists.... They don't wear watches.

Don't worry steve. You've got a mentor in every one of us here. We're all here to help those who genuinely want to be helped. You've got the right attitude. Don't give up. It's tragic and sad when you lose a pet, but it's not your fault. There is a difference between not knowing, and ignorance. We love newbies, we're here to help them, but some people don't like the answers we give and choose to ignore the advice.

I'd recommend reading as much as you possibly can and askign as many questions as you can think of. The more you learn and the more you experience, the easier things will get. It just takes time, patience, and persistence.