So I went out of town this weekend. Had a friend feed Karu and change his water on saturday. I came home and he seemed okay at a glance. I tested his water ammonia 0, nitrites 0, and nitrates 2-3. I tested twice just to make sure. I was happy for once his water parameters were perfect. He's in a temporary ten gallon tank lots of plants, rocks, hidey holes. I cycled the tank about a month ago so technically it's still newish. I added him, he's by himself, and he sparked a minicycle.
Anyway I went to feed him a krill for his dinner tonight and he only seemed to eat half heartedly so I took a closer look at him and it seemed he was having a hard time breathing. He wasn't at the surface but he was opening and closing his mouth quickly and widely and his body was heaving with each breath. The only thing I noticed is that a lot of the prime was missng so I wondered if maybe when my friend changed his water she added too much prime but I don't know if that would even cause any harm. I thought maybe the tank was low on oxygen. So I did a 80% water change (using the right amount of prime) and upped the current in the tank. He seems okay now but I really don't understand what's going on. The test kit is brand new and i tested the water twice. Could the prime have thrown off the readings?
I'm going to offer him a mysis shrimp in a bit to see if his appetite is back?
fig 8 gasping for air
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
-
qtrhorse89
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:15 pm
- My Puffers: Ratchet- Tetraodon Lineatus
Hikaru- Figure Eight Puffer - Location: North Carolina
fig 8 gasping for air
"Okay. You! Out of the Gene Pool!"- Don't know who said it but I enjoy using it
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
-
Myaj
- Tech Team
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish - Location: SE Wisconsin
- Contact:
Re: fig 8 gasping for air
I'm sure using too much Prime could have put some sort of a thick coating on his gills, a lot of products tend to do that either by causing irritation or just the way they change the water.. I think its safe to use in double doses but I woudln't want to really overdose it by a lot. So that very well could have been the problem and it should have been solved by the water change.
The other thing you could check is maybe the temperature got too high, warmer water holds less oxygen.
The other thing you could check is maybe the temperature got too high, warmer water holds less oxygen.
-
qtrhorse89
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:15 pm
- My Puffers: Ratchet- Tetraodon Lineatus
Hikaru- Figure Eight Puffer - Location: North Carolina
Re: fig 8 gasping for air
Thanks Myaj
When I checked earlier his water temp was at 78-80 but i'll turn it down a hair. It definitely could have been the Prime, there was a lot missing... Regardless the water change seened to have done the trick. He's poking around at his plants and I tried a mysis shrimp just now and he went for it like he always does.
Next time I let someone change his water i'll be sure to specify not too much, not too little *sigh* the sad part is I wrote almost two pages of instructions on how to change his water literally step by step, I would have done it myself but I had a family crisis crop up and had to leave town w/o notice
When I checked earlier his water temp was at 78-80 but i'll turn it down a hair. It definitely could have been the Prime, there was a lot missing... Regardless the water change seened to have done the trick. He's poking around at his plants and I tried a mysis shrimp just now and he went for it like he always does.
Next time I let someone change his water i'll be sure to specify not too much, not too little *sigh* the sad part is I wrote almost two pages of instructions on how to change his water literally step by step, I would have done it myself but I had a family crisis crop up and had to leave town w/o notice
"Okay. You! Out of the Gene Pool!"- Don't know who said it but I enjoy using it
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
-
LilGreenPuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 5301
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:26 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Dwarf puffer - Thumbelina (only mine in my heart now; she lives in CT with my friend)
RIP Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizinni.
RIP James Bond. - Location (country): United States
- Location: Kentucky
Re: fig 8 gasping for air
I left six pages, both sides covered, when I had a pet-sitter for a week for my DPs. I know the feeling. 
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!