The Puffer Forum

Water Parameters:
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 15ppm
Hardness = Hard
Alkalinity = 200
PH = 7.6

I have a Tetraodon Suvattii (Arrowhead or Pig-Nosed Puffer). I've had him for about 2 years in a 28 gallon planted tank with sand and driftwood. I didn't know that driftwood would lower the PH, but when he refused to eat, changed to a light colour, and swam up and down the tank, I knew something was wrong. The PH was off the Chart!! It was probably at about 6 or less. I have had the driftwood in the tank for about a year, but I went on holidays and didn't change his water for close to a month or more. Then the PH just crashed, while the other parameters were fine. Anyway he hasn't eaten for over a week, will not eat ANY dead or live food. Now he rests on the bottom or on top of the plants (Java Fern & Java Moss). He is breathing heavily and his tail fin is fanned out when normally is closed.

What I've done:
As soon as I noticed the PH level, I changed 30% of his water. The next day I changed another 25%, and today I changed about 20%. I've added a little stressguard here and there, a couple teaspoons of baking soda earlier, and a few caps of cycle. He is now much darker in colour, but still lethargic, and refusing to eat.

I thought he might have some air trapped while swimming to the top trying to escape the low PH level. He also looked a little bloated near the rear. I tried burping him but he is still a little bloated looking and I didn't see any air come out of him.

If anyone has any suggestions, please share, I'm not sure how long "Tiny" will last like this...

Do another WC of 50%, to remove the baking soda & Cycle, neither of which is good for the system. Regular weekly 50% WC is all you need to keep him healthy.

Thanks for the suggestion. However, he's in rough shape and the 75% of his water changed over the last 3 days hasn't helped much. I'm hoping that he's just trying to recover from the PH crash. I ruled out parasites/infections through visual inspection and because I have been feeding him frozen shrimp. About a year ago, another tank he was in cycled and produced ammonia and nitrites, however when I moved him, he recovered within hours. It's been 3 days since the PH crash and he's still messed up.

good luck, I hope he recovers

If you have a cycled hospital tank I'd move him in there and then clean the tank, especially the substrate and look for decaying spots on the driftwood. Stir the substrate well then vacuum it well, check for gas pockets.