The Puffer Forum

Hi,

My ceylon puffer is very pale and lethargic this morning after I performed a water change last night. He seemed fine afterwards, I say that because sometimes he becomes stressed when I work in the tank (other times he's curious, even excited, during water changes). He has been swimming around, but not with his usual vigour... he mostly perches on the fake plants or driftwood. His breathing seems a little laboured perhaps, but I'm not sure if I only think it's abnormally so just because I'm worried. His tail is fanned out as usual. He was disinterested by food, which is not normal, even if he's just eaten. Just before making this post I laid an airstone next to him.

pH: 8.0 Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrates: <10 Salinity: 1.014

Feeding regime: Every other day with combination cockles, mussels, shrimp and blood worms.

Water change schedule: At least 50% per week.

No products added recently (except dechlorinater and salt to new water).

No changes at all except adding additional filtration.

Aquarium has been set up for six months, fully cycled from the start by using the gravel, filter etc from previous tank. Overall I've had him for nearly 2 years and he's always been healthy/seemed happy.

I'm about to do another water change in case there's something polluting the water that test kits don't pick up... I'm usually so careful I can't think what it might be, but a w/c can't hurt.

I know it's silly to be getting so upset, and I should tell myself he's 'just a fish' but he's my little puffer buddy and I hate to think I could lose him.

Here's a picture:


His colours are usually so vivid, it's really a worry. Please help if you can. Thank you.

OK, after another ~50% w/c he seems back to normal. If fish had necks, I could strangle him for worrying me like that.

If anyone else has this problem with no apparent cause, try a water change.

I'm glad all appears back to normal, but let me just say -- you weren't being silly. I am very attached to my puffers and I've cried when I've lost one of them, so you don't need to think you're being silly because you're emotional about them. I think it's perfectly normal. Why shouldn't we be emotional about something that brings us so much happiness?

He's being all weird and pale again. Argh!

Is my fish emo?

Just to say, pufferpuggirl, thanks... puffers are so personable, it's amazing.

I found and put an air curtain in, so if it is O2 depletion (unlikely, right?), that will help. If it isn't, he'll get some bubbles up his bum and might die with a smile on his face...

This really has me stumped... I know it must be the water, but what about it? We're on municipal water, maybe they added something to it that's harming the fish, in which case, why did the w/c seem to help earlier? Nothing like this has never happened before in my experience, and I've been keeping fish for a long time now, as has my partner, so I don't think it's happening because of some newbie error on my part.

This may be a silly question .... but do you use a water conditioner when you do water changes? If you are putting water straight from the tap without treating it, that could be the problem. But I suspect you know better than to do that.
Just trying to think of things that could cause this problem.

pufferpuggirl wrote:This may be a silly question .... but do you use a water conditioner when you do water changes? If you are putting water straight from the tap without treating it, that could be the problem. But I suspect you know better than to do that.
Just trying to think of things that could cause this problem.

I use Tetra Aquasafe. Since moving to Paris (from the UK) I've noticed that the tap water (known colloquially as Chateau Chirac) often smells strongly of chlorine, so I tend to add more than directed, to be on the safe side. I don't think this could be a problem, and it's something I've done for months anyway.

I can't think of anything else... he seems OK for now, it's the up-and-down, fine-one-moment-looking-terrible-the-next thing I don't get.

Thanks for trying to help. Audrey II says thanks, too.

Audrey II in better times:

I have a few Green spotted puffers that will turn light after a water change if they do not like the temperature....if mommy gets stupid and accidentally put in too much cold water..

I would try running carbon in your filtration just to be certain,if your not already,other then that im not really sure what could be the problem. He may be going through hormonal changes also.