The Puffer Forum

I have a problem that has become an absolute emergency.

a few days ago, Ziggy, my oscar, stopped eating. 2 days ago, she was hanging out at the bottom of the tank and me and my roommate went out.

when we got back 2 hours later, she was laying on her side on the bottom, barely breathing.

I didn't know what to do, but a water change...however, I had to work at 7:00am (and I have to walk to work) so I had no time...

I Got home after work, expecting my fish to be dead (the pleco and the severum are eating, pooping they seem fine) instead, she was hanging out near the top, panting.

I tested the water and did a massive water change. Nothing.
Now, today....Ziggy is still panting. I just checked the parameters and there is NOTHING.

WTF is going on?? I can't figure it out, and it's really hard watching my fish suffocate. Her gills look normal, and the other two fish are fine.

What am I going to do??? could this have been ammonia poisoning or something.....a while ago and built up? could there have been traces? The nitrites had been checked before my last water change (2 weeks ago) and they were 0....everytime I've checked since = 0.

if it were a poisoning, is Ziggy guaranteed to die? Have I killed my fish???

Have you ever had a toxin spike?
I really can't think.....sorry. Do you have a quarantine tank for her?
Any unusual foods recently? Or could a chemical have got into the tank...hairspray...insect spray?
Wish I could help more.
Pami.

Not that I know of.

I SUSPECT something a few weeks ago, almost 3.... someone MAY HAVE poured an alcoholic beverage in my tank. My firemouth died the next morning, and the fish were sluggish for days.

I had been changing water...everyone seemed fine. There can't possibly be any left in there IF that was what happened. I have nothing to go on but a gut feeling.

I've been testing the water since then...but like I said, I don't KNOW if that's what happened.

in any event, the other two are breathing so normally while poor Ziggy is just panting like crazy. This is so upsetting.

and no, I don't have a quarantine tank...not a cycled one. I have a 29 gallon empty in my kitchen under my table. Ziggy would be a bit crowded in there, I think.

I can imagine it's extremely upsetting. Especially if it's a result of someone tipping alcohol into the tank.
Let some more experienced people than me have a look...it seems odd that it's taken three weeks...although you don't know what organs've been damaged and therefore how long they'll take to fail..
If she's not getting any better soon, though, and wiser heads than mine can't sort it, then you'll have to get ready to euthanize her, as she'll only be suffering. Do you have clove oil to hand? Just in case.
Which moron tipped a drink into the tank? Tell them well done from me
Pami.

yeah...I don't even know the guy (I men, I know who it was) and I don't actually KNOW that that is what happened.

I will be purchasing clove oil today, in case there is no change, and right now, there doesn't appear to b.e

She is swimming around a bit more though, and not hanging out at the surface anymore.

Does anyone have ANY suggestions?



PLEASE???


I am going to euthanize her if I can't figure out what to do within the next 12 hours.


She's panting. I can't stop it. The parameters are normal. There is NOTHING out of the ordinary. She will not accept food. I look in her throat while she gasps, I see nothing.

There is plenty of air...the ammonia and nitrite are 0. I don't know what to do. I can't watch my fish gasp for breath any longer...she is not getting better, she is not getting worse, and I can't find any information that leads me to do ANYTHING that I'm not already doing...

This is crap. I've had Ziggy since she was 1 1/2 inches. Since she was a baby.


I don't care if it is "only a fish". I'm truly heart broken over here.

Poo.

I feel your pain Sari. I had an Oscar for many years and he died while I was a teenager. I tried everything possible but couldn't save him.

Have you checked to see if the city changed their water treatment processes or chemicals? Other than that, I'm at a loss for suggestions.

Sorry, other than water changes, I wish I had more suggestions for you.

Maybe a piece of gravel got stuck in his throat? You'd have to tranq w/clove oil to get a good look.

Ahh, Ziggy died this morning.

I had thought over the last couple nights that she had been doing better. (Maybe it was something stuck...I had tried looking down her throat while she was breathing...she was opening up pretty wide and I could get a decent view, but I never saw anything.)

My other fish are fine. They are showing no symptoms of anything, at all, so I doubt it was a city water treatment issue... my prey tank had a water change the other day and everythings good in there.

I'm going to bury her in my garden, nice and deep so she doesn't get dug up.


Ziggy, healthy. She had grown a bit since this picture.

I'm sorry to hear that Sari, and anyone who keeps puffs certainly understands there's no such thing as "just a fish".

Alcohol could very well have damaged her gills, but honestly I have no idea what happened.

I do know, however, you have my condolences.

Sorry for your loss...

I suppose you wouldn't want to autopsy your friend?

Yeah... but I wasn't sure I'd really find anything. Nothing I would understand, anyway.

I mean, if it was an organ failure, I wouldn't know...or poisoning. I figure, if it was parasites (It wasn't) or something stuck (I kind of doubt it) I'd see a reason, but other than that, I figure she died of nothing I would be likely to recognize.

So I didn't, and I buried her beside the tree in my back yard.

I wish I knew what happened.

Thanks, you guys.

Sorry to hear that. You took very good care of her.

Poor Ziggy...I wish we could've helped, but sometimes you just cant.
Sorry for your loss.
Pami.

I am truly sorry for your loss.