The Puffer Forum

My current parameters:
PH – 7.4
Amm – 0.0
Nitrite – 0.0
Nitrate – 5.0 - 7.0
Sg – less than 1.001

Inhabitants – 1” f8 puffer (not including tail)
Tank size – 15 gallon

Things I’ve added:
Melafix
Tetra water conditioner (no amquel or amm-loc, etc)
Seachem Flourish fertilizer
Seachem Flourish Excel
Oceanic Natural Sea Salt
Fed Kirby: Pond Snails, frozen blood worms, shrimp

The aquarium has been setup for about 7 weeks, using ammonia from Ace Hardware for the fishless cycling technique

To all you puffer gurus and experts out there, I could surely use your help.
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Now onto the story:

I purchased Kirby about 17 days ago. There were about 15 other f8s all about an inch long, including Kirby. Although Kirby seemed to be a weaker swimmer in the current of the filter, he exhibited the best color and had a nice white belly. Most of the puffers greeted me at the front of the aquarium, as did Kirby.

When I brought Kirby home, I did an 80% water change (because I was using the fishless cycle method and continuing to feed the bacteria with Ace Hardware ammonia until I purchased a puffer), filled the tank with freshwater (the remaining 20% of the water still contained light amounts of brackish water), and slowly acclimated him. When I let him out, he was stressed out at first, and darted around and hid. A few hours later he settled down a little more, so I fed him a few blood worms. He had some torn skin on his side (which was apparent at the lfs), so in went Melafix.

As days went by, his skin healed quite nicely, and was already taking on the occupation of being a professional beggar of food. This little guy would eat pond snails, shrimp and bloodworms like there was no tomorrow. Its amazing that in a blink of an eye, food chunks larger than his mouth, would literally be sucked in like a vacuum cleaner!!!! This little guy could eat! He still had a white belly that was always round after eating. Even towards the end of the day, his tummy always had a slight roundness to it.

A few days into it, I noticed my nitrites were high, like around 2.00ppm! I immediately did an 80% water change, got the nitrites down to 0.5ppm, a day later did another water change and brought the nitrites down to 0.25 ppm, then after a third water change, nitrites were at 0. (I found that a dying plant was the culprit of the nitrites. Once I yanked the suspected the plant, the nitrites stabilized at 0).

So Kirby is cruising along for more than 7 days at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 5.0 nitrates. With the emergency situation over, life is good. At that point his skin has COMPLETELY healed, he was still eating, or begging for food when not eating. Then on Saturday (April 26), he seemed to be more reclusive and was hiding a lot. Because when I approach the tank, he’s usually pressing his beak up against the glass begging for food. I couldn’t even find him this time, but when I turned the lights on, he came out from his hiding spot. But only this time, he wasn’t begging for food. I thought nothing of it, and proceeded to feed him blood worms. He ate 4 segments, and had a nice round, white belly. At this point, he’s still a weak swimmer, but everything seemed okay. (Just as a side note, I was feeding him shrimp for the past few days beforehand). Later that night, he would go and hide again. “Odd” I thought to myself, but didn’t give it too much thought. That was the last time I saw him alive.

Sunday morning was church, and running late as usual, I didn’t get a chance to see the little guy. It was until Sunday afternoon (April 27), did I notice that his body was stuck along the intake tube of the filter!!! The filter is a Hagen AquaClear 30, which is meant for 10 – 30 gallon tanks. The setting on the filter was set to the lowest to reduce turbulence for Kirby. His poo was hanging out, but it looked like a solid healthy brown color. No white or clear stringy poo.

Needless to say I was completely devastated. I worked so hard to give Kirby a nice, safe, comfortable home. But in the end, he didn’t make it. I was soooo sad on Sunday, I was beside myself. I didn’t understand why he died. What could have caused it? Up until his death, he still looked healthy, still ate like a horse, still had a white, round belly. What happened to him?

The four things I could think of that gave me any clues were:

1. He was a weak swimmer ever since I purchased him. I don’t know if this indicates anything. But in the past when I saw him get close to the intake tube of the filter, he was able to swim away.

2. The nitrites were high at one point, but then were brought down to zero, and for several days, he seemed fine.

3. He seemed to hide a lot more on his last day.

4. I use Seachem Flourish Excel on a daily basis, but at LESS THAN THE RECOMMENDED DOSAGE. I never pour in a full cap after a 50% water change (like they recommend), and I always put in a little less than what they recommend. Just want to be safe.

So now I’m at a loss. I don’t even know what I’m going to do now. I didn’t think losing this little guy would be so heart breaking, but he was just such a neat little guy. If you have any ideas on what could have happened, at the very least to keep me from making the same mistake, please share your thoughts. Any shred of info would be much appreciated!

Thanks for reading.

R.I.P. Kirby

He really seems in PERFECT condition. perfect finnage, clear bright eyes, white belly. My ex and I lost a F8 like that once, though it was only 5 days after we got him, while he was in a cycled quarantine. He started swimming erratically, then, only a couple hours later, was dead by the time I actually called back after getting a message Riley was ill.

Thanks for sharing Nick. I'm glad I'm not the only one dumbfounded (albeit a small consolation), because I thought I did something wrong.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. It's heart breaking to lose a little guy like that, isn't it?

Sorry to hear that Kirby have left you. I find that when you use Melfix. You have to watch out for not over dosing. This med already strong even a little does and must add addtion airstone to provide more oxygen.
I heard that from someone you also have to becareful about using Flourish excel. I add flourish excel only when i do a water change which is once a week when i vaccum but cant really tell you whats the cause of poor Kirby going to puffer paradise. In the picture like Nick says he does look perfect conditoon. Like he's very healthy before he died.

Yea, we were very sad about Riley... the puffer we got at the same time, Velvet(so named because we thought he might have it after getting him home) is still healthy though. You did your best taking care of Kirby, they're just difficult fish.

I stopped using Melafix about 5 days ago. Even still, I did a 50% water change on top of that, so there should be a lot less Melafix in the water.

As for the Flourish, I'm not really sure what the right solution is then. I just followed Seachem's recommendation and went a little lighter than their recommendation. Kirby didn't look like he was gasping for air or hyperventilating or anything of the sort. He was just reclusive, maybe even a little bit slower.

I don't know what to think at this point.

I'm sorry for your loss

Nick what are any side effects of cyanide capture? besides the death part that is...

Unwilling to eat, spitting rather than swallowing(also a symptom of protozoan infection of the upper digestive track) vomiting any significant quantity of food swallowed, medium-slow painful death.

rules that out then...

I strongly suspect other chemical agents are used to collect fish. I have heard way to many times of a fish suddenly swimming really funny then crashing and dying in hours.

yes, these mysteries ought to be sorted out

I seen that once like what Nick says. The puffer just all the sudden freaks out twitching then it crash to the glass and puffed. It turns completely white after but i didnt see it die, This happen at a LFS.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your little friend. Sometimes we just can't explain their sudden death & then we call it SPDS (sudden puffer death syndrome). I also just use my fertilizer after the weekly water change, not daily.

First of all, Nick or Jase, what exactly is cyanide capture? That doesn't sound good thing to do.

As for my fertilizers, I'm with you Pufferpunk. I only fertilize once a week after a water change too, (not daily) using Seachem Flourish.

But I do use Flourish Excel CARBON on a daily basis, because that's what Seachem recommends. But I put in less than the recommended amount.

You know guys, going through this over and over again in my mind just makes me really reluctant to get another puffer. But they are just sooo smart and have really neat personalities. I dunno I just don't know what my next move will be....

cyanide capture is a way of catching fish. It also guarantees the death of the fish.
... it's supposed to be illegal.