My abei puffer has become sick. Water is okay: nitrite <10ppm, 0 nitrite or ammonia. Ph is 6.8.
He recently has become sluggish (not moving) and developed a thicker slime coat that is picking up a lot of the sand. The sand is also on his eyes. He has been resting completely tilted on his left side. Breathing is shallow but not rapid or slow. He is in a 30g tank which has been his home for the past 6 months. Abe is normally very happy and responsive. He eats market shrimp every other day. The tank has an eclipse filter and an ario circulation aerating pump. I change 25% of the water once a week. I changed the water two days ago and added a a slate background I made from slate tile I got from Home Depot glued to plastic eggcrate with black silicone sealant. I soaked the background in another tank and measured for any changes in water quality but none were apparant (i suspected it might alter pH but it didnt.) Since then he has gotten worse, I just did another 25% change.
Disease?
Toxins?
Similar experiences?
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Help me help Abe
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.
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SammyDee
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Re: Help me help Abe
Was the silicone 100% silicone?? MAybe the black stuff has an added chemical for color. Usually though I kno the clear 100% silicone is fine...MAybe the tile is leaching something???
If you suspect that atleast take it out for now....
If you suspect that atleast take it out for now....
"DREAM AS IF YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU'L DIE TODAY' -JAMES DEAN
Re: Help me help Abe
I'd take the slate out just to be safe for now. You can always add it again in the future but just in case...
I also want to add that a diet of market shrimp is not suitable for a puffer. Not only is it nutritionally deficient it's also high in thiaminase which will break down the thiamin in your puffer. This article has a lot of feeding information.
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
I also want to add that a diet of market shrimp is not suitable for a puffer. Not only is it nutritionally deficient it's also high in thiaminase which will break down the thiamin in your puffer. This article has a lot of feeding information.
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
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Dadof4
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Re: Help me help Abe
This sounds like a chemical issue from the tile or the silicone. A lot of slate tiles are treated so they adhere better to a mortar and also the silicone more than likely has an additive to it. There are silicone caulks out that are specifically designed safe for aquariums.
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Myaj
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Re: Help me help Abe
Or maybe the silicone wasn't fully cured before you put it in the tank. If you could still SMELL it, it was still curing and releasing fumes.
Yes, take it out and do a couple big water changes, see if he feels better. Maybe run some fresh carbon if you have it.
Yes, take it out and do a couple big water changes, see if he feels better. Maybe run some fresh carbon if you have it.
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pufferpuggirl
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Re: Help me help Abe
I'd just like to add that you might also want to up your water changes to 50% weekly, which I think, is better for your puffer.
I would agree that it sounds like something that the silicone is doing.
I would agree that it sounds like something that the silicone is doing.
"Puffer .... man's best friend?"
Re: Help me help Abe
The silicone was GE brand silicone II. I let it cure for 3 days before submerging it in the test tank. It didn't smell like wet silicone at all. I removed the slate and did another water change late last night. I just added some chemipure and will do another water change in another hour. Abe has righted himself and is swimming a little bit but his eyes are cloudy and his stress coat is stringy.....
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pufferpuggirl
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Re: Help me help Abe
I'd be putting some Melafix in there if you have it, and if you don't, you might want to get some.
"Puffer .... man's best friend?"
Re: Help me help Abe
Long story short, the tiles had water soluble adhesive on them and I believe they leached some type of toxic polymer into the water.
Abe, is in sad shape and after several large water changes, I moved him to a quarantine tank with a temp of 86, and added mela/pimafix cocktail and some salt. Not sure if he will make it.
I am seeking advice on how to detox both the tank and the puffer. I have put some fresh carbon into the tank's filter and have live plants.
If he survives, what effects could this type of poisoning have on Abe?
Is there any treatment I can use to aid in detoxing him?
Is there a way to detoxify the tank without tearing it down?
Is there a way to test for toxins?
Thanks in advance
Abe, is in sad shape and after several large water changes, I moved him to a quarantine tank with a temp of 86, and added mela/pimafix cocktail and some salt. Not sure if he will make it.
I am seeking advice on how to detox both the tank and the puffer. I have put some fresh carbon into the tank's filter and have live plants.
If he survives, what effects could this type of poisoning have on Abe?
Is there any treatment I can use to aid in detoxing him?
Is there a way to detoxify the tank without tearing it down?
Is there a way to test for toxins?
Thanks in advance
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J-P
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Re: Help me help Abe
A harsh lesson to learn but a valuable one. The silicone I use is "Marineland Aquarium Sealant". So far no probs. As to adding a slate background, real slate / rock is always the way to go, that way you can boil the crap out of it and know it will be reasonably good to go. There are some real rocks that will alter the chem of the tank but they won't be leaching glue
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...
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CarmenH
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Re: Help me help Abe
Oh that sucks What a sad week for puffs
What a sad week for puffs Carmen
Frankie, Monotrete Turgidus
Zephyr, Giant mutant Tetraodon Nigroviridis???
Odie, Tetraodon biocellatus RIP
Doug, Takifugu Ocellatus RIP
Frankie, Monotrete Turgidus
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Odie, Tetraodon biocellatus RIP
Doug, Takifugu Ocellatus RIP
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Re: Help me help Abe
Sorry for your loss...
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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pufferpuggirl
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Re: Help me help Abe
Awww, I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved puff (I lost one too this week) 
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lesleyanndunn
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