HELP. How much salt do I add to a 10 gal. tank?

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

hmm... how old are you? jk

?
I just turned 30.
And... yeah, the comment about the BF is probably sadly true.

Oh that was about Puffer Punk's post, but I don't think you'd be interest in a 16 year old, though I was only joking.

Yeah, sorry I answered 2 posts in 1. lol.

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

At the ripe old age of 51 & been married for 20 years, don't waste your time with someone who isn't the right one.

Thanks. You're right.

[Pufferpunk]

Pufferfish & relationship advice at TPF!

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

Pufferfish & relationship advice at TPF!

Ha! lol. Thanks guys!

[greenspottedlover]

One thing you may notice if you didn't know already, is there color will change by emotion, typically when excited there belly tuns dark. I thought mine was dying first time I saw it.

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

One thing you may notice if you didn't know already, is there color will change by emotion, typically when excited there belly tuns dark. I thought mine was dying first time I saw it.

I have noticed that! His belly gets dark! I was concerned, but then it went back to the white color, so I figured all was ok. It was dark when we first got him home. He also seems to change color slightly when it's time to eat. He LOVES food, and loves it when you come to the tank, even without food!

[sevenyearnight]

Wow, knowing it was 2 different people sure makes a lot more sense out of it all! Lol
I'm sorry about the stressful situation you are in, good thoughts to you and your puff

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

Wow, knowing it was 2 different people sure makes a lot more sense out of it all! Lol
I'm sorry about the stressful situation you are in, good thoughts to you and your puff

Thanks. That means a lot. I'm trying. I think I'm going to call the local Fish Store that is very well known around here for how well they are with their animals, and ask their advice to see if I can handle it. If not, and if it sounds like it's going to be a cost I can't afford (I'm a social worker, with a dog with health issues already... he gets bladder stones, is on a prescription diet that is $70 a bag, and tends to develop stones that need surgery every year- year and a half that costs about $1,000 per surgery. The dog is ONLY mine, not my BF's. He can't get pet insurance because the condition is now considered pre-existing, and it's all been within the last 2 years. He's only 6.), then I'm going to take him there- because I know he will be in good hands.
I will update you all tomorrow, and let you know what they say.

[Blaine]

Sound like a reasonable course of action....

I have no doubts that you could handle the task of keeping this fish...but the cost is a legitamite consideration.

Minimum needs are test kits, a larger tank, marine salt, and a hydrometer ....a container to mix the salt water in and a powerhead to mix it.

However, a decision or course of action needs to be made quickly. A fish in an un-cycled tank is like a person smoking in a sealed room. You can survive for a while fine,...but every day you are getting more and more poisoned. Very soon it may be too late.

Continue doing daily water changes of at least 50% until you decide what to do.

[sevenyearnight]

Can they maybe hold him got you while your tank cycles?
I hear you on the special needs "kid", my husband and I have 3 out of 10 furry kids with chronic health problems. I know ho w stressful it is because you just want them to be healthy and they don't understand what's going on.
Just a thought, have you looked into any holistic prescription foods? I used to be a pet (cat and dog) nutrition advocate and I know a lot of clients have had miraculous results when using holistic food vs something like Science Diet.

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

Sound like a reasonable course of action....

I have no doubts that you could handle the task of keeping this fish...but the cost is a legitamite consideration.

Minimum needs are test kits, a larger tank, marine salt, and a hydrometer ....a container to mix the salt water in and a powerhead to mix it.

However, a decision or course of action needs to be made quickly. A fish in an un-cycled tank is like a person smoking in a sealed room. You can survive for a while fine,...but every day you are getting more and more poisoned. Very soon it may be too late.

Continue doing daily water changes of at least 50% until you decide what to do.

Yes. I see your point totally. The decision will be made tomorrow for sure. I will sleep on it. I wasn't going to be able to get the bigger tank till at least tomorrow anyway. I need to make sure I can financially support this little guy.

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

Can they maybe hold him got you while your tank cycles?
I hear you on the special needs "kid", my husband and I have 3 out of 10 furry kids with chronic health problems. I know ho w stressful it is because you just want them to be healthy and they don't understand what's going on.
Just a thought, have you looked into any holistic prescription foods? I used to be a pet (cat and dog) nutrition advocate and I know a lot of clients have had miraculous results when using holistic food vs something like Science Diet.

Oh, he's not on Science Diet. He's on Royal Kanin S/O- it's a diet that lacks the minerals to form bladder stones, and actually helps dissolve them if they start to form. It has a lot of salt in the food, which makes him very thirsty, working to keep the SG of his urine down. Or else, the vet said his urine becomes thick, and it's like taking a string and sticking it in, and making rock candy. That's how the rocks form. The more he drinks, the more dilute his pee is, and the less chance there is something for a particle to grab onto for a stone to start forming. He has to go in about every month or so to have his SG of his urine checked. Poor guy. So, I don't want to put this puffer through any kind of health issues- especially if I am causing them. Therefore, if I can't care for him, he will go to a place that can. I hate to see him go- but his health is more important than his cuteness.

[sevenyearnight]

There are probably other brands I'm sure, but I didn't deal with any prescription foods so I'm not very familiar with them. But, here is one you could talk to your veterinarian about: http://www.wysong.net/prescription-cat-dog-foods.php

[sevenyearnight]

Poor guy! Well good luck to you, your dog and fish.

Can't wait to hear about your new boyfriend!

[Capt Dorsal Fin]

There are probably other brands I'm sure, but I didn't deal with any prescription foods so I'm not very familiar with them. But, here is one you could talk to your veterinarian about: http://www.wysong.net/prescription-cat-dog-foods.php

He's actually doing really well on this brand... only 1 bladder infection since we switched over! yahoo! And, the lowest SG the vet has seen since we started this whole mess! Which, the SG is the thing to watch out for. The higher the number, the more chance he's have to develop stones. PLUS, he loves it. Before, he would go days without eating... this food, if you don't feed him ON TIME, you are in trouble! lol.
There are really only 2 foods (prescription) that my vet said work on bladder stone issues- and he's on one of them. The other, doesn't work as well with dissolving the stones, which is why they want to keep him on this one. THAT, and he's got allergies like you wouldn't believe. We were lucky to find a food he could tolerate! (Although, it did take time! His body rejected it @ first. They had to give him fluids and the whole bit because when I was mixing his food to get him used to it, even a FEW pieces at a time... he loved it so much, that he would pic out all his old food and put it on the floor and only eat this food. It was crazy.)