MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

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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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Mikeyburnsey
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MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Mikeyburnsey »

Hi all,
What a day car fails MOT, don't know how much that is going to cost< I need a rear brake Calliper :( And now Midge is looking like he is drunk!!!, eat last night, but he is just lying on the sand and like twitches , when he ventures to swim, it's wired he swims very fast and jerks, then back and lies on the sand
Any ideas would be welcome

Tank 80 Gallons
Water changes 2 a week about 30 gallons each time if not more,.
Cycle over 3 years using a Ehiem Professional 3
Air pump with 3 stones

PH 7.5 Temp 26-27
Ammonia 0
No 2 0
No3 20-30
I do use amquel and about 3 tea spoons of salt once a month.

He is fed on Mussel, prawns, now and again on cockles

Tank mates are 2 small Malwais , that stays in the rocks , a lot babies from the Malwais, a small Firemouth, Red Tail Shark Bristlenose Plecs
I take on advice, but refuse to be bullied by those who think they are in control!! Mikey
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L!$A
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by L!$A »

First how large is your mbu?
Nitrates are too high.. they should usually be below 20, so do a water change, add salt

Also when you feed mussles and cockles are they with shell?
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Pufferpunk »

Why are you using Amquel? How big is the puffer/tank mates? Generally, "drunk" swimming is a sign of nitrite poisoning. What test kits are you using?
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!"
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Mikeyburnsey
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Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:33 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: I own A MBU, bought 13th July 2010, it is called Midge. Housed in a 88 Gallon Tank External Filter Ehiem Pro 3. HMA water system, Blue and white lights for night and day. 2 Heaters.
Location (country): Redruth Cornwall UK
Location: Redruth Cornwall England
Contact:
Contact Mikeyburnsey

Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Mikeyburnsey »

Pufferpunk wrote:Why are you using Amquel? How big is the puffer/tank mates? Generally, "drunk" swimming is a sign of nitrite poisoning. What test kits are you using?
My No2 Nitrite zero so how can it be nitrite poisoning, I am now doing a water change, will answer the other questions later
I take on advice, but refuse to be bullied by those who think they are in control!! Mikey
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Hilly »

I always dread hearing I have a stuck rear caliper.

Any of the other fish displaying the jerky movement at all when you see them?
Hilly
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Mikeyburnsey
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Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:33 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: I own A MBU, bought 13th July 2010, it is called Midge. Housed in a 88 Gallon Tank External Filter Ehiem Pro 3. HMA water system, Blue and white lights for night and day. 2 Heaters.
Location (country): Redruth Cornwall UK
Location: Redruth Cornwall England
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Mikeyburnsey »

Hi Hilly,
Yeah just failed MOT, the right Calliper is not working at all, will look on Ebay and also see if I can free it tomorrow.

No other fish are showing any signs of jerking, just Midge. At the moment he is just lying on the sand, last night I went bed really late and then was up at 4am, checking him, his colour is fine, is belly is cream, and as I said he ate yesterday, confusing.
I take on advice, but refuse to be bullied by those who think they are in control!! Mikey
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Hilly »

I'm wondering if it might be worthwhile treating for constipation after his weird behaviour a short while ago. Perhaps he does still have some sort of intestinal blockage or constipation.

A preventative internal parasite dose could also be worthwhile, perhaps there is something that is irritating him.

It is a weird one so i'm just throwing some ideas around that could be done with little outlay.

I tried replacing the brake pads once years ago on a Peugeot 205, I ended up with 2 stuck calipers a broken bleed nipple on the replacement caliper and no brakes whatsoever. First and last time I worked on the brakes on my cars, LOL.
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Mikeyburnsey
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Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:33 am
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My Puffers: I own A MBU, bought 13th July 2010, it is called Midge. Housed in a 88 Gallon Tank External Filter Ehiem Pro 3. HMA water system, Blue and white lights for night and day. 2 Heaters.
Location (country): Redruth Cornwall UK
Location: Redruth Cornwall England
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Mikeyburnsey »

I have a few meds in the cupboard, but not sure which one to use, I am thinking on the lines of eSHa 2000, Fungus, Finrot & Bacteria Treatment, what do you think??
Might leave the car alone then!! Lol
I take on advice, but refuse to be bullied by those who think they are in control!! Mikey
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Hilly
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Hilly »

There are 3 staple meds I have on hand to use with puffers; Melafix for skin healing, Pimafix for fungal infections (both of these can be used together, plenty of aeration is required from the sounds of it you have that anyway). I use Kusuri wormer Plus for Parasites, its an entire tank based medicine none of the faffing around with treating the food. I have had excellent success with that several times

So I dont bother with anything else. i just treat and keep the water pristine during treatment phases and that seems to work the majority of the time.

I've never had to treat for constipation but I would use the epsom salt technique of 1Tablespoon per 10gallon of water.

LOL, I am crap at mechanics, dizzy caps, rotor arms, leads and air filters are about my limit.
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Mikeyburnsey
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Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:33 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: I own A MBU, bought 13th July 2010, it is called Midge. Housed in a 88 Gallon Tank External Filter Ehiem Pro 3. HMA water system, Blue and white lights for night and day. 2 Heaters.
Location (country): Redruth Cornwall UK
Location: Redruth Cornwall England
Contact:
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Mikeyburnsey »

Yeah I use use Kusuri wormer Plus for my Discus, dunno if I still got any, but sure do have Epsom salt, will give it ago.
My old job was Development Technician but that was on smaller machines, dunno much about cars, just know that they cost a lot and drink plenty of petrol, I wonder how the Americans would feel about paying over £5 per gallon, when I was over there 5 years ago you could fill up a car for a fiver Lol
I take on advice, but refuse to be bullied by those who think they are in control!! Mikey
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Hilly
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Hilly »

I'd go with the salt first then and if that doesnt show improvement pick up some more Kusuri.

I just dont have time to tinker with cars, ill quite happily rip a house apart and work on that but with a car I just want to drive it. A fiver used to last a couple of days of trundling round town and now we have the VAT petrol rise to look forward to in January, cant wait for that.
Last edited by Hilly on Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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L!$A
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Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by L!$A »

Constipation was my first thought as well, my mbu started to do the same thing, i believe that it may have been from feeding him too many hard-shelled things. He couldn't digest it all properly. .. Hopefully the end result is good for you!
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Mikeyburnsey
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Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:33 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: I own A MBU, bought 13th July 2010, it is called Midge. Housed in a 88 Gallon Tank External Filter Ehiem Pro 3. HMA water system, Blue and white lights for night and day. 2 Heaters.
Location (country): Redruth Cornwall UK
Location: Redruth Cornwall England
Contact:
Contact Mikeyburnsey

Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Mikeyburnsey »

Hi Lisa,

I hope he is on the mend, even though I have only had him since July, I have grown very found of him, last night I could hardly sleep, went be 01.30, then got up at 4am, to make sure he was still alive.
I have been watching him and he seems more lively, his swimming seems a bit frantic at times, at the moment he is lying on the sand, but his fins seem to be moving more, that's got to be a good sign???

I will do another water test later, just to see if No3 has come down, my Ammonia and No2 are always fine, but I do struggle to keep Nitrate down, so any suggestions would be welcome, also how much salt do you put in a week??
I take on advice, but refuse to be bullied by those who think they are in control!! Mikey
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Hilly
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Tetraodon Sabahensis
Montrete Abei
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Carinotetraodon Salivator
Location (country): UK
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK

Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Hilly »

Well sleeplessness and getting up at that time means one thing.... your puffer owns you now, lol.

Just out of curiosuty have you tested the nitrates in the water straight out of your tap.

I will let someone else answer the salt question not having experience of doing it myself. Wouldnt want to give you mis-information.
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Mikeyburnsey
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Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:33 am
Gender: Male
My Puffers: I own A MBU, bought 13th July 2010, it is called Midge. Housed in a 88 Gallon Tank External Filter Ehiem Pro 3. HMA water system, Blue and white lights for night and day. 2 Heaters.
Location (country): Redruth Cornwall UK
Location: Redruth Cornwall England
Contact:
Contact Mikeyburnsey

Re: MBU (Midge) Looks Drunk

Post by Mikeyburnsey »

Hilly wrote:Well sleeplessness and getting up at that time means one thing.... your puffer owns you now, lol.

Just out of curiosuty have you tested the nitrates in the water straight out of your tap.

I will let someone else answer the salt question not having experience of doing it myself. Wouldnt want to give you mis-information.

Hi Hilly, yeah I did that this afternoon, what I am doing is more water changes, also I have got rid of my Severums today. So now Midge food won't get nicked, if it does then, they will be gone :lol: Yes he owns me, as well as my wife and 2 daughters, so nothing new
I take on advice, but refuse to be bullied by those who think they are in control!! Mikey
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