Need Immediate Help - Spiny Box Puffer
Forum rules
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.
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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Cobra Jack
- Puffer Fry
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- Location: Chicago
it's a FOWLR-
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:
-
Cobra Jack
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:16 am
- Location: Chicago
The PH was verified with my test kit and the LFS test kit, my guess is that it's caused by my use of straight tap water for water changes the last three months. (I knowPufferpunk wrote:Well then, I don't understand why your pH is so low. What salt are you using? What test kit? Try testing again.
)We moved into this house three months ago and I haven't hooked up my RO filtration system. I plan on setting up the RO this weekend
Last edited by Cobra Jack on Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Cobra Jack
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:16 am
- Location: Chicago
Well my puffer defecated last night.
I was feeding the other fish, and tried to give him some krill, he half heartedly nibbled on a piece when I put it close to his mouth with a feeding stick then he blew away.
Two minutes later he defecated, a very white watery poop, almost like white out, it wasn't very much though.
his stomach still remains swollen this morning
I was feeding the other fish, and tried to give him some krill, he half heartedly nibbled on a piece when I put it close to his mouth with a feeding stick then he blew away.
Two minutes later he defecated, a very white watery poop, almost like white out, it wasn't very much though.
his stomach still remains swollen this morning
-
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:
Well, it seems the Epsom salt is working. Hopefully, more poo to come! Why are you still offering him krill, when this is probably the source of the problem? At this point of his hunger, it would be a good idea to offer him other foods. Did you read those articles on feeding?
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!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Cobra Jack
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:16 am
- Location: Chicago
Pufferpunk wrote:Well, it seems the Epsom salt is working. Hopefully, more poo to come! Why are you still offering him krill, when this is probably the source of the problem? At this point of his hunger, it would be a good idea to offer him other foods. Did you read those articles on feeding?
I'm offering him Krill because he knows that to be food.... rather than giving him something unfamiliar.
At this point I'll be extremely happy once he starts eating again, after that I'll introduce him to other foods.
as of a few minutes ago, his stomach is still rather large.
should I add aditional epsom salt?
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Cobra Jack
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:16 am
- Location: Chicago
Well, he didn't make it
ran out for a couple of hours and when I came home he was at the bottom of the tank, lifeless.
When I picked him up tail end first, some crushed coral spilled out of his mouth.
I really hoped he would recover, and this morning he was more active that the previous few days. Very depressing, he was the highlight of my tank, his personality was awesome.
RIP buddy
ran out for a couple of hours and when I came home he was at the bottom of the tank, lifeless.
When I picked him up tail end first, some crushed coral spilled out of his mouth.
I really hoped he would recover, and this morning he was more active that the previous few days. Very depressing, he was the highlight of my tank, his personality was awesome.
RIP buddy
-
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: