The Puffer Forum

Hey,

I have a single SAP puffer in a 20gallon tank. Water Params are as follows -

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

His water is changed once a week, and he is always very active, and looks to be begging for food. He is the only inhabitant of his tank.

Until 2 days ago he was eating very healthily, and greedily. He's fed on thawed bloodworm, pond snails, and protein rich goldfish pellets (hard enough to grind his teeth a little).

Yesterday I noticed one of his eyes was a little cloudy, and he wasn't making much of an attempt to eat food. I say his eye was cloudy, it just looked a little different. Today the other looks a little odd. I'm wondering now if he is struggling to see his food, because I dropped a pellet in for him today, and as it dropped right next to him, he ate it, and the next one.

Also, possibly significant, possibly not, I have noticed tiny beetle like bugs in the tank. They're small, and hard to see, but I can see them on the tank's filter and on the sandy substrate. They move very slowly (the snails move faster) and they flick occasionally. Any ideas what they are, and whether or not they a significant? The only way they could have entered the tank would have been hitchiking on rocks that have been in the tank since the start.

I am reluctant to medicate the tank, but I'm at wits end. I've had the little guy for about a month now, and he's been a very active and friendly little guy, I'm keen to get him sorted out.




Many thanks in advance. Don't be scared to ask any question, I'm meticulous about my tanks and I'm sure I'll more than likely have an answer for anything you feel is necessary to ask!

Check his teeth. Do they look a lil long? Try Melafix for the eyes.

Those little skipper bugs are nothing to be concerned about. You'll be surprised what you find crawling around in your tank after a few months. All part of a healthy mini ecosystem.

Maintaining good tank hygiene is important - how much water do you change each week?

Pufferpunk wrote:Check his teeth. Do they look a lil long? Try Melafix for the eyes.

His teeth look fine, he's not very old I dont think (we haven't had him long and he came direct from the aquatics place) and he was crunching up snails like no tomorrow a couple of days ago.

I've read some things about melafix and I'll grab some later from the nearest store. I know it's mainly tea tree oil, but will I need to make any special concessions for him because he's a puffer? I'm guessing not because it's a natural product.

Bred wrote:Those little skipper bugs are nothing to be concerned about. You'll be surprised what you find crawling around in your tank after a few months. All part of a healthy mini ecosystem.

Maintaining good tank hygiene is important - how much water do you change each week?

10-15% once a week. I have to to clear out some of the snail remains he leaves behind.

It's reassuring about those little bugs. They look a bit grim though, I'll have to hope no one else scrutinizes the tank as harshly as I do! Thank you for the reassurance though

50% weekly water changes are recommended for these messy fellas. Be sure to clean the gravel & under decor, fake plants, etc.

Ok, water changes are now 15% daily and I've begun treating with Melafix. I'll let you know how it goes!