Amonia - 1.0
PH - 7.8
Nitrate - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Does anyone know what may be wrong with him? He is still swimming about like normal and seems like himself until it comes to eating!
Fahaka not eating
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.
Fahaka not eating
Our fahaka puffer has not been eating for about ten days now. Whenever food is put in his tank, he just ignores it. He used to have such a big appetite and made it clear when he was hungry but now he is the complete opposite! He is about 6" and is in a 200uk gal. I have just done a water test and have got the following results -
Amonia - 1.0
PH - 7.8
Nitrate - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Does anyone know what may be wrong with him? He is still swimming about like normal and seems like himself until it comes to eating!
Amonia - 1.0
PH - 7.8
Nitrate - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Does anyone know what may be wrong with him? He is still swimming about like normal and seems like himself until it comes to eating!
-
Myaj
- Tech Team
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish - Location: SE Wisconsin
- Contact:
Re: Fahaka not eating
Puffers are very sensitive to bad water conditions.
ANY ammonia will burn them, your ammonia reading should always be zero.
Start doing water changes to dilute it, and get him into clean water first. Then once you've done that, come back and give us these details:
How long the tank has been setup, how long you've had the Fahaka, what other fish are in the tank, what products you are using in the tank.
Basically, your tank isn't cycled. That's hard on any fish, but especially hard on puffers.
10 days is not really a long time to go without food for a puffer.. and one of the first things they do when they don't feel well is refuse food. If he isn't eating, make sure you take out any food you are offering him so it doesn't rot in the tank and make the ammonia levels worse.
ANY ammonia will burn them, your ammonia reading should always be zero.
Start doing water changes to dilute it, and get him into clean water first. Then once you've done that, come back and give us these details:
How long the tank has been setup, how long you've had the Fahaka, what other fish are in the tank, what products you are using in the tank.
Basically, your tank isn't cycled. That's hard on any fish, but especially hard on puffers.
10 days is not really a long time to go without food for a puffer.. and one of the first things they do when they don't feel well is refuse food. If he isn't eating, make sure you take out any food you are offering him so it doesn't rot in the tank and make the ammonia levels worse.
-
manutius
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1316
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:49 pm
- My Puffers: RIP Clooney the Mbu :(
- Location: Southend essex, UK
- Contact:
Re: Fahaka not eating
spot on once again Myaj, I have nothiong further to add to that
-
xxSarahxx
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:57 pm
- My Puffers: Blinky Bu
Dwarf Puffers
Figure Eight Puffers
Also care for congo puffers, south american puffers, fugu puffers and many more!! - Location: Woking area! UK
Re: Fahaka not eating
What test kit are you using as it is almost impossible to have 0 nitrAtes!?!?!
Myaj is right about the ammonia so once that is diluted through lots of water changes then we will be able to get to the bottom of it. Make sure your filter stays on 24 hours a day 7 days a week if possible. MOST filters can be kept on durign water changes as long as you can push them down in the tank (if they are internal) if they are external then just insure the inlet doesn't draw in air.
the moment you turn the filter off some of your beneficial bacteria begin to die as they need high levels of oxygen.
also unless the filter is not working effectively then try not to touch it at all as this will again disturb your bacteria.
i won't go into more details until we know a fwe more detail from you but as myaj has said the water changes will dilute the ammonia and once they have reached 0 and remained stable at that then you may find that his appetite comes back but when he does still only feed once every other day and small amounts so as not to shock his system or overload the tank and put your ammonia back up again.
also keep testing your nitrite due to the fact that as the ammonia comes down the nitrite will go up. then as the nitrite goes down the nitrate will go up!!
hope he's ok!!
Myaj is right about the ammonia so once that is diluted through lots of water changes then we will be able to get to the bottom of it. Make sure your filter stays on 24 hours a day 7 days a week if possible. MOST filters can be kept on durign water changes as long as you can push them down in the tank (if they are internal) if they are external then just insure the inlet doesn't draw in air.
the moment you turn the filter off some of your beneficial bacteria begin to die as they need high levels of oxygen.
also unless the filter is not working effectively then try not to touch it at all as this will again disturb your bacteria.
i won't go into more details until we know a fwe more detail from you but as myaj has said the water changes will dilute the ammonia and once they have reached 0 and remained stable at that then you may find that his appetite comes back but when he does still only feed once every other day and small amounts so as not to shock his system or overload the tank and put your ammonia back up again.
also keep testing your nitrite due to the fact that as the ammonia comes down the nitrite will go up. then as the nitrite goes down the nitrate will go up!!
hope he's ok!!
I love my Blinky Bu!!!!
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
Re: Fahaka not eating
I turn my filters off for at least an hour after feeding. As long as the filter material is wet, the bacteria shouldn't die off that quickly.
Your best bet is to start doing large, frequent water changes on that tank, as it cycles. Frequency detrmined by trying to keep the ammonia (& then rising nitrites) as close to 0 as possible. Ammonia of 1 is highly toxic! No fish will eat at that level of poisoning.
I would like to know how long the tank has been set up though?
Your best bet is to start doing large, frequent water changes on that tank, as it cycles. Frequency detrmined by trying to keep the ammonia (& then rising nitrites) as close to 0 as possible. Ammonia of 1 is highly toxic! No fish will eat at that level of poisoning.
I would like to know how long the tank has been set up though?
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!"