Labored Breathing

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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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by Pufferpunk »

It won't hurt. Your hydrometer is off.
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!"
signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

I will change 50% tonight and get another hydrometer and a Nitrite test kit tomorrow at All Fish Emporium along with a couple gallons of SW
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Pufferpunk
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C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by Pufferpunk »

Forget the $W & just buy the salt & a power head for mixing. Check the new hydrometer against their refractometer, to make sure it's calibrated to 1.000 when FW is added to it.
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!"
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by J-P »

is it possible to get a refractometer off ebay?
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

I had spoke to the guy at the All Fish Emporium, he said peple come there all thetime to get their SW for their tanks, that's why I sked if I ould purchase it there. It costs 69 cents a gallon with a $5.00 deposit on the conainer. You just use the SW and go bck to fill when you need it. The water is mixing all the time when I am in there.
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

A Refractometer measures salinity in a tank?? Ok still learning......You have nitrates, nitrites and ammonia. I thought the hydrometer was for salinity....
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C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by Pufferpunk »

A hydrometer is a poor man's (or woman's) refractometer. $.69 is really cheap!
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!"
signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

Pufferpunk, are all of the fish you list in one tank
sevenyearnight

Re: Labored Breathing

Post by sevenyearnight »

signnet wrote:Pufferpunk, are all of the fish you list in one tank
Lmao!!!
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32976
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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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:

Re: Labored Breathing

Post by Pufferpunk »

I've got 8 tanks right now.
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!"
signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

Ok 50% water change complete, put in Prime.....will wait and see how he does in the morning
signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

Prime says 2 drops per gallon X 45 gallon........Cleaned sand again also. He's not real happy right now
signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

He's very black right now and breathing very hard
signnet
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

breathing very hard and sitting on bottom. I made sure the temp of water was the same. Cleaned sand still have 2 airstones and an extra filter for tank.......what am I doing wrong? Put Prim in also.
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Re: Labored Breathing

Post by signnet »

Sorry everyone. Hydrometer rads 1.000

I didn't realize the top of tank had ridges and hydrom was not level. Filld up also frm tap and set it on top of tank. Level readins are in act 1.000

Puffer still sitting on bottom. Black as anything. Suggestions? Let him rest for the night, shut light off?
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