The Puffer Forum

I can't do that money is tight for a few more days which is when I'm getting the tank

Well one other thing I should add is, you should feed them sparingly, make sure you siphon all debris, and as a said previously, do lots of water changes. This SHOULD keep them alive and healthy until a bigger tank is yours. Oh and if they have anymore odd behavior from them please post it as it may help asses the situation.

What do you mean by debris? There is no debris, they are actually very clean. Is this not normal!??

When you feed them make sure their bellies are not bulging, only slightly rounded. They will beg for more food and act like they are starving, that is their nature and adds to their charm. I think that two small bloodworms a day would be sufficient, maybe even to much depending on size. They also need snails to keep their beaks trimmed, this is very important and they love to hunt the snails. When you get a bigger tank (hopefully quickly) turn the 5 gallon into a snail tank. You can usually get pest snails from petstores for free, put them in the tank and they will breed. Get pond snails and ramshorns not trumpets...they cannot eat the trumpets as their shells are too hard. I dropped 1 trumpet in my 55 gallon dp tank months ago and now there are lots of them in there! When you get a new tank for your dp's it needs to be cycled or you will kill the dp's. Dump some tetra safestart in the filter and add as much as the decorations, substrate etc to the other tank. You also need to place some of the filter media from the old tank in the new tank. You need to get as much beneficial bacteria into the new tank ad possible. You really need to invest in a good LIQUID test kit as soon ad you can afford it. I use API master kit. It's about $36 at petstore chains. Dipstick tests are not ad accurate ad liquid tests, and become much more expensive in the long run. If I were in your shoes I would do large volume water changes on a daily basis. Both on the 5 gallon and on the new tank during cycling. If you had the proper test kits you would be able to see just how toxic the water is. It may look clear and healthy but the toxins in the water cannot be seen with the naked eye. About the only thing you can do until the tank is stable is large water changes to dilute the toxins..maybe even two partials a day. You also need to buy some Prime water conditioner. It will actually detoxify ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the water and might actually keep your dp's alive during the cycling of the new tank. If you can not afford a test kit please please please get the Prime at least and do massive daily water changes.

Nobody here has anything to gain as the fishstores do (your money). Water parameters are extremely important and that's why we ask. The size of the tank does directly affect the parameters. This is really a great community and they are so helpful, I promise.

I also need to add that more than likely your Dp's have internal parasites. They are wild caught and typically have them and they need to be treated soon. Remember you have scaless fish now and most medications are not safe for them...don't let anyone at the fishstore tell you different. If you buy the wrong meds not only will you be out of the $$$ of the meds but you will end up with dead fish. If you need advice on the meds for internal parasites let me know and I will get more into specifics. If you invest the time, and yes $$$ these guys need you will not regret it. They are great little fish!

Its actually great if there isn't debris. This would consist of any pieces or even particles of food or fish waste(or dead plant matter if it applies) that settle in or on the gravel. If you use a aquarium siphon when you do a water change you can suck up any debris by vacuuming the gravel. This is a great way to reduce the fouling of water.

Thank you thank you, so much amazing help!! I have a ?? What is filter media?

Do snails need a filter too?? Because I have a 1g betta tank too. Can they spread in there?

And yes I would like suggestions for meds. I live in Ontario, Canada so if you can tell me what I can find at a Canadian store that'd be super helpful!!!

I intend to buy a master liquid test kit asap also. I onl have liquid ph for now.

A one gallon would be fine for snails. Yes you want a small filter, as snails are dirty! Filter media is the pad that goes in the filter itself. It contains a large colony of the beneficial bacteria you need to cycle a tank. Give me a few minutes to find the meds I use and I will give you the name/directions.

You need to keep water conditions pristine in a snail tank as well. You only want to feed your puffs healthy food! I feed my snails algae wafers. This keeps them gut-loaded and in turn when my puffs eat them they get their veggies

Jungle parasite clear tank buddies is what I use for IP's. Follow the directions on the box. 48 hrs later do a large water change and repeat. Don't forget to remove carbon from the filter as it will filter out meds. If your filter pads have carbon in them slice open the pad with a razor blade and scrape out the carbon, but put the pad back in the filter. With Ip's the fish also needs to eat the meds, this is a MUST!!! Soak their food in Tank water and some of the meds overnight in the fridge before feeding. Use either frozen/thawed brine shrimp or bloodworms. Make sure each fish eats. I do this by squirting the food mean the mouth of each fish. If you have any inverts in your tank the meds will kill them. As bad as it sounds I suggest letting the inverts die....they are probably infected to and removing them will contaminate other tanks. Also siphon your substrate really well during changes. I know this all sounds like a pain but it's really simple especially in a small tank. First time I ever done this was in a 55gallon with buckets and a siphon. The meds only cost me a few bucks a pack here in the states.

I do hope you didn't find me to be rude, because I really do just want to help. I definitely "second" all the advice given so far, and a huge "second" to Seachem Prime water conditioner, that stuff is the best out there by far. I was especially thankful to it when the ammonia showed up in my tap water. :/

The medication used to treat internal parasites has a kind of strong smell, and my puffers wouldn't eat the food soaked in it, so I added a minced garlic clove to the brew, and they ate it then with no issues Pure garlic extract is usually used, but garlic powder should be avoided since they add anti-caking agents to it.

I've had good luck with fresh finely minced and crushed garlic.

Thank you!! Great info for the snails!

I looked at my puffs and I think I have three females. What will this mean for tank size or aggression?

The tank size is the same, though for your small temporary home this is good because the aggression between females is much less.

They are swimming higher today, maybe they just needed time to get used to their home?

This meds things all sounds really confusing.. Ugh any puff experts in southern ontario make house calls? Haha