The Puffer Forum

Hi all!

It's been a WHILE since I've posted anything but I'm happy to read posts and haven't had anything unusual to report.

I have 1 F8 in a 12gallon Eclipse system. It's been cycled and he's been in it for approaching 18 months.

Ammonia is 0 -- and it's the only test I have on hand. The tank has been fine and cycled and all prams normal for so long I just occasionally check the Ammonia.

Anyway, I noticed the F8 spending more time than usual on the bottom. Wasn't sure what to do. Did my weekly water change but decided to do 75% instead of 50 just in case. Probably more like 80%.

Brackish tank at 1.005 btw.

All of that to say, the day after the water change, he was just floating at the top. Upright with his nose at the waterline. NOT MOVING at all. I've NEVER seen a puffer still with NO fins moving at all. I quickly opened the top and touched him. He moved his fins for a second and then nothing. I was planning his funeral for that evening. I'd never ever seen a puff do this.

I check the ammonia and again 0.

I just left him there and fretted for a while. A couple of hours later, he's swimming around normally. Begging for food and the whole 9 yards.

I now neurotically check on him all the time and since 2 hours after that one lethargic moment, he's been fine.

What do I do now? Hope it was just a momentary coma and go on? What else could it be??

Cooper

if you take out too much water, you can disturb the bacteria and start a re cycle. I don't think you did, you just have to be careful about that. wait for more input from the pros.

This only vaguely has to do with your situation, but it's a funny story.

A friend of my mom's has a Doberman (I think), and he's taught it quite the hilarious trick. He'll point at his pup with his finger (his hand in the shape of a gun) and make a semi-loud gunshot noise with his mouth. Upon doing this, his Doberman stumbles around (as though he were shot), and then just flops over!

Don't ask me how he did it, but it's one HILARIOUS trick!

Sorry I was absolutely no help...

or maybe he was sleep floating. I had goldfish that used to do that... but it usually meant they were dead.

... still not really helping you at all. sorry lol

Jase wrote:if you take out too much water, you can disturb the bacteria and start a re cycle. I don't think you did, you just have to be careful about that. wait for more input from the pros.

Not true. I do at least 75% weekly WC on all my tanks (other than SW) & 90% weekly on my discus tank. If you are already doing 50%, 75-80% won't be that much of a shock. Almost none of the benefitial bacteria needed to keep a tank cyckled is in the water column. It lives on surfaces--glass, substrate, decor & filter media.

What you really should be testing for is nitrate.

well then I stand corrected.

I would recommend getting a master test kit so you can monitor the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites.

If you change too much water when you haven't changed any recently, yes you can disturb the bacteria (via pH shock, etc). But if you've been doing regular weekly water changes, throwing a big 75% one in there shouldn't hurt anything.

Did you match temps? Salinity? Use dechlorinator?

He could have been sleeping too.. Frank (figure tends to just sort of drift around the tank in the current when he's sleeping. The other day he was stuck to the filter intake and I could have sworn he was dead, but no, just snoozing and that's where he ended up. He looked quite annoyed when I woke him up and he found himself sort of stuck (it wasn't that strong of an intake). If you could imagine a puffer swimming away then turning around and glaring at a filter intake.. that's what he did.

Is it possible he puffed some air, and was just stuck up there? And then maybe got it out on his own? =/