The Puffer Forum

okay so my GSP Loops left eye has like this cloudy 'sac' thing covering it but the right one is fine and clear and stuff. i did a 25% WC today and then tested his waters salinity and its 1.015 like it has been for awhile, and this happened just like over one day,and his belly is white and im worried! is it like some bacteria thing?
he is in a 10gallon tank for the moment (but only like just maybe an inch long) and hes all by himself with some fake plants and just gravel
i just tested the water and it says
nitrate:40
nitrite:3.0
pH:8.8
Ammonia:3.0
so the thing is showing me that the pH and ammonia is high (All we have are those Quick Dip testers)
and theres no store within an hr drive for me to run to to go get the pH down so until tomorrow i cant change that and all I do is put this Cycle stuff from Nutrafin in the water once a week (when i do my weekly WC) i just put a cap full in like it says and im just so lost on what this could be and how to fix it, help please?! The tank has only been set up here for about a month and I got this Cycle stuff cause it speeds up and matures the tanks quicker and then keeps aquariums healthy. and I feed Loops like once a day and then like 1-2 snacks from my fingers (just like blood worms or just a thing or two of his food instead of a tap) what i feed him is freeze-dried krill(brand: Wardley)freeze-dried baby shrimp sun dried gammarus (suppose to support digestion) and freeze-dried bloodworms (says For energy and conditioning) both of those are from the brand Tetra, and freeze-dried mysis shrimp (brand:Top fin) and then of course crushed Pond Snails once a week (i breed). I think Ive told you guys just about everything I can, if something is missing please let me kno and ill find out, I jus want my little guy to be okay. Oh and I havent changed anything in the past week except the WC but i havent done anything different. So please Help Me! Im just freaking out!
~Amanda

Cycle doesn't really work much at all, in my experience. The problem is water quality, at least, if those strips are doing their job. That ammonia and nitrite are WAY high. Do about a 75% water change right away, and keep testing and changing water if they're high.

okay ill do that, and tomorrow were getting some stuff to lower the ammonia asap (stores closed for today) and how do you lower the nitrates? and im getting onto that WC right now.

The tank has to go thru a cycle or it will never cycle. The only way to do this is by massive daily WC or by adding Bio-Spira to the filter.

okay tomorrow ill get bio-spira too and ill do a massive WC, so will that help Loops eye? so tomorrow i have to get some more marine salt (just used the last in my WC) bio-spira, ammonia lock, and is there anything else? or should all that with daily WC clear up his eye?

im also getting some stuff for IPs and ich, i might as well get prepared again. I shouldve never tore my tanks down and put them away but it shouldnt hurt if after I get the tank cycled and his eye taken care of to treat him for IPs would it? I just dont want to take another chance with any of my fish especially Loops! Im going fish grocery shopping tomorrow lol. Thanks for all the help guys and ill keep you posted on Loops eye and the water quality

You shouldn't need meds for ich, if you catch it early. Good articles in our Library on treating. Clean water, good parameters & Melafix should clear the eye right up.

DO NOT USE AMMO-LOCK WITH BIO-SPIRA! It will starve the bacteria in the product & be a total waste. They need ammonia to "eat".

oh ok thanks PP! so ill just use the bio-spira, but i was reading the Treating Saltwater Ich thing in the library on here and i sat and watched Loops swim for a few minutes checking out his fins and noticed and itty bity tiny white speck on his tail fin and left fin and then read how it says symptoms of ich and the last one says *Eye cloudiness (especially with puffers). so im thinking it may be ich, which means im gonna go get another tank to quarantine him in. Or do you think thats a bad idea? Ive never had a puffer before Loops so im new to the brackish type and none of my tropical fish ever got ich or a cloudy eye so im lost on what to do. Im gonna make a list of what you just wrote so i dont forget anything! Any help and advice is very much appreciated so i can keep all this under control.

You can treat as per the article in his main tank. Don't jump the gun just yet--sometimes puffers get a spot here or there & it may not be ich.

okay, im just freaking out on what it could be. so i should just wait it out to see if its ich?

This is a GSP, so even if it is ich, the SG increase over time will kill it off just fine.

okay thanks PP and Nick Loops is sleeping right now but i think if he could hed say thanks too lol