Puffer Disaster
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.
Puffer Disaster
I have a porcupine puffer is in seriously bad condition. I recently bought an 80 gallon tank to move him into, but while I was away this week the tank he was in (which was too small for his size) turned to poison. The filter quit working properly, not sure why, but water quality was horrible. I had to call in the guys from the local store to come move him into the large tank to try and save him. This was 3 days ago. He has turned very dark and hanging on the bottom, breathing is labored and his right eye keeps rolling back into his head in convulsions. He seemed to be hanging on but now he is staying the same. I know he is dying, but I'm not sure if / when to euthanize him. Or even how to do it for that matter. I do not want him to suffer but is there any chance that he will recover? He is about 8 inches long and we have had him for 4 years. i was planning his move upon my return...we are absolutely gutted.
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purplecandle
- Mbu Puffer
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1 Fangs Puffer
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Re: Puffer Disaster
Here is a euthanasia article
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18520
But, please if this puffer dies DO NOT go out and get another one..you are way under prepared to care for a puffer.
An 80 gallon tank for a porcupine is like a linebacker in a shoebox. And a typical filter is not good enough for this type of puffer. For salt water tanks there are much better options for filtration that would have kept this puffer alive even during a short power outage (at least for a while)
Please, please get a better sized tank (much larger than 80 gallons)
Even if you ad this 8 inch puffer in an 80 gallon tank, without better filtration a typical filter could not keep up with the bioload of a puffer.
Sorry to sound mean, but please do more research on puffers before you buy them, they are so sensitive to bad care or poor water quality.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18520
But, please if this puffer dies DO NOT go out and get another one..you are way under prepared to care for a puffer.
An 80 gallon tank for a porcupine is like a linebacker in a shoebox. And a typical filter is not good enough for this type of puffer. For salt water tanks there are much better options for filtration that would have kept this puffer alive even during a short power outage (at least for a while)
Please, please get a better sized tank (much larger than 80 gallons)
Even if you ad this 8 inch puffer in an 80 gallon tank, without better filtration a typical filter could not keep up with the bioload of a puffer.
Sorry to sound mean, but please do more research on puffers before you buy them, they are so sensitive to bad care or poor water quality.
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J-P
- Former Staff Member
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- Location: Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan
Re: Puffer Disaster
We'd need to know the water perams. Please answer the Q's in red at the top of the page.
You said you've had him for 4 years, can you tell us about the previous tank and how you did the move? It sounds like a biocrash. Massive water change around 80% if you can to start and 30% morning and night seems to be required.
You said you've had him for 4 years, can you tell us about the previous tank and how you did the move? It sounds like a biocrash. Massive water change around 80% if you can to start and 30% morning and night seems to be required.
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Puffer Disaster
Yes, by all means, please post ALL your water parameters. Is he in the 80g tank now? What kind of filtration are you using right now for him? How much live rock is in there? Powerheads? Protein skimmer?
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!"
Re: Puffer Disaster
He is in a complete 80 gallon Elos with sump and Ecotech powerhead. 100 lbs sand, 100 - 125 lbs haitian rock. When he was moved the Elos had excellent water quality. Last night the water had a .25 ammonia level and the ph was down a notch. Completed 20 gallon water change last night with a bottle of Bio-spira to help. This morning completed two more 20 gallon water changes. Was trying to use Artemiss to help him but I have to turn off the skimmer, which drives the entire filtration system. When the water quality didn't have an improvement this morning I decided to stick with the skimmer running to keep water quality up. I do not know what his water quality was in the old tank, nor how he was moved since I was coordinating from out of town with my local fish store. I believe they are good with fish and they have been monitoring his progress with me several times a day. He was and is in a bad way. So I am sorry to all of you puffers lovers that want to smack me down for having him in a smaller tank, but he was about 3 inches long when I bought and him and planned this upgrade until he is too big for this tank. Make no mistake he is loved by the entire family. NO, I won't be getting another puffer if we lose this one.
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Dadof4
- Tech Team
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- Location (country): United States
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Re: Puffer Disaster
Was the live rock cured?
"Darwin swings...annnnnnd a miss. Boy Jim, Chuck's suffered at the plate tonight. He's 0 for 3 and I'm not sure he's recovered from that shoulder pull a few weeks ago. I'll bet the front office is re-thinking that contract."
Re: Puffer Disaster
Yes, it had been cured at the store for about a month, and once I set up the Elos, cycled the tank for 2 weeks with just water, 2 weeks with sand and rock, and have added some other fish over three weeks (seagrass wrasse, clown, sailfin tang, red coris wrasse, cleaner crew, and briefly orange spot goby who went tile surfing in the middle of the night). The Elos tank has been running rock solid....I had been trying to do it all in the right order to make sure this very thing wouldn't happen. My smaller tank was rock solid for the last two years. Going away on business for several days I did not expect it's filter to die.
Re: Puffer Disaster
Unfortunately, it's over. Fat_hamster expired on Saturday night and was laid to rest on Sunday. Thanks for your help.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Puffer Disaster
Awww... so sorry, I was afraid that was going to happen. 
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!"