The Puffer Forum

My gsp was doing fine in his 20H. I found a good deal on craigslist for a 55 with stand and I went for it. I was able to transfer over his existing water from the 20H and most of the sand to the new 55 gallon tank. I then added water conditioner and refilled the tank with the python. I had also premixed salt and water so my SG was just under 1.010. The gsp is about 3" long by the way. He seemed fine in there even though there were fewer hiding places because it was so large. I also removed the driftwood from the 20 and left it out as it still leaches tannins into the water making the water a yellowish color. That was last Sunday afternoon. Anyway, he starting doing a strange curling move where he would go into the corner of the tank and curl up. His color would fade in and out. This freaked me out until I learned that they do take naps. So I thought all was well, but now he is bloated and has a hard time moving around. He will float head down toward the surface. When I reach in there and touch his tail he starts swimming normal again. Not for long though as he will end up floating again. I tried to burp him but I'm getting nothing to come out. He is just getting really mad and trying to bite me. I'd say he looks healthy still except for the gray stress line when I try burping him. Do you know why he is acting this way? I added the 5 tabs of the jungle labs parasite clear last nite hoping if it's IP's he will get rid of them. I disolved them first then added. I'm treating the water as I can't get him to eat anything. Also his anus is showing and it seems rather open, for lack of better words. Can anyone help with this situation? I can't figure out why he is acting like this?

Am=0, nitrite=0, nitrate=10, sg 1.010, 55 gallon, by himself, tank was fishless cycled with pure ammonia, been setup for 6 months. I feed him FD krill, frozen krill, and pond snails about the size of his eye. I think that covers everything. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

sounds like he could be costipated, i think adding epsom salts but hopefully someone with more knowledge can give you some more info real soon

Is there an article on the epsom salts? I have seen 1 tbs per gallon and I've seen 1 tsb per 5 gallons. Can I put this all into the 55 gal tank. Then do I have to do a very large water change after a few hours? I'm not sure of the procedure. Thanks for your response!

1 tbsp per 5 gallons. I would also test my water after a few hours for amm. I added epsom salt to my tank once but my tank was overstocked. By the next day my amm. jumped to 8. I would start with a half dose and see if that helps. Disolve it in water before adding it to your tank.

Should I add some prime along with the epsom salt to hopefully avoid an ammonia spike?

If your tank is not overcrowed like mine was you shouldn't have a problem. Just test your water after a few hours and then again the next morning. I had about 60 fish in a 160 gallon and I added a full dose of epsom salt. That's why I had such a large amm. spike. And it was a new tank only set up for about 3 months. If you don't have an amm. reading after a few hours of the next morning it will be fine. Didn't mean to make you worry. If you do show an amm. spike do a water change and add prime.

Good news, he is swimming around more normally. He has some white poop trailing him so I guess the medication is working. I added epsom salt to the tank, so we'll see what happens tomorrow. He still isn't eating, and he is still bloated, but he looks happier and his color is better.

White pooh can also be a sign of IP's. Once he starts to feel better you will probally need to treat him for IP's.

I used the jungle labs parasite clear last nite and I think I'll do it again tomorrow night. Do you know how long it typically takes to expel the worms? I'm glad he seems so happy. He just cruising the tank back and forth and his color is back to normal. He is still very bloated and he won't eat, I wonder how long he can go without eating? He didn't even take any interest in the couple snails I put in there. Maybe he'll be better tomorrow.

I'm glad he's feeling better. IPs need to be treated internally.

I would doubt that epsom salts would cause an ammonia spike as it is magnesium sulphate and present in all natural water. Magnesium combined with calcium is what gives you your level of water hardness.

When adding magnesium for constipation should you not just add an amount to give you the required ppm? 1table spoon per 5 gallons seems to be a hell of a lot.

My guess is that he still isn't eating because of constipation. Keep with the Epsom Salt treatment until his bloating subsides. It might take a couple days for things to clear out, so keep an eye on his condition. For food, I'd try feeding him cooked peas (not warm ones, though) with the shell removed. He might not take the food, but when he resumes eating, the peas will help increase his digestion and gets things back to normal.

Also, his current diet is not nearly varied enough, which is probably why he's experiencing constipation. Krill-only diets are linked with lockjaw in puffers, so I would suggest making Krill more of a "treat" (maybe once a week), and start feeding things (all of which should be raw, frozen and then thawed, and have no seasoning/spices) like clams, muscles, shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, blood worms, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp (also as a treat, as this one is fatty), and live shrimp (ghost/river shrimp are a good choice if you gutload them first). You can easily pick up mixed bags of frozen raw sea food (like scallops and shrimp) for a pretty cheap price tag.

In terms of an ammonia spike from the Epsom salt in an overstocked tank, it was likely because Epsom salt causes increased bowel movement, and thus increased ammonia (kinda like giving out laxative brownies at a club ). Therefore, I would not worry about ammonia spikes from Epsom salt unless you already have high concentrations of toxins in your water already.

As for tannins from your driftwood, unless you really hate having the water go kinda yellowy, tannins are actually very good for the tank environment and acts as a sort of dechlorinator (that's not to say you can stop using your dechlorinator, but it helps maintain a good balance). Just thought I'd mention that part. I personally love tannins in my water, but my driftwood has leeched out a long time ago.

PP, Jungle Labs Parasite Clear is one of few products that works for clearing out internal parasites without them needing to ingest the product directly. I agree that it's not as effective as internally-dosed medication, but it's a fantastic solution when the puffer is refusing food and it has worked for many of our members on almost every occasion.

Iliveinazoo wrote:When adding magnesium for constipation should you not just add an amount to give you the required ppm? 1table spoon per 5 gallons seems to be a hell of a lot.

My guess is that to achieve a therapeutic level of magnesium sulfate that allows for a complete system flushing, you need to increase the dosing significantly. Since it's relatively natural is terms of composition and occurrence, higher dosages probably don't do much harm on a short-term basis. This is only speculation, of course, as I'm definitely no scientist.

Won't tannins lower the pH & hardness in a BW tank? Especially with salt added?

Pufferpunk wrote:Won't tannins lower the pH & hardness in a BW tank? Especially with salt added?

Yes tannis will lower ph & hardness and if I'm correct the wood will rot quickly in (sw &/or) bw.