The Puffer Forum

Please Help!
Ollie has not eaten for 17 days, since we moved to a different state
here are the particulars:
20 gallon tank, as always
no other inhabitants
pH @ 7.6
NH3 @ 0
NO2 @ 0
NO3 @ 5.0
GH @ 143.2
KH @ 196.9
Temp @ 78 degrees
two water changes in the last two weeks, using Prime
all of these readings and conditions are consistent and in line with the chemistry before moving
all of the other fish in the other two aquariums are doing fine.............
i have not been able to get Ollie to eat anything since we moved
for a while, i figured it was the stress of the move, so i partially covered his tank, and on a daily basis, offered him all his favorite foods
(earthworms, crickets, defrosted frozen shrimp, feeder guppies) - no interest
yesterday, i noticed the white areas, especially on the inside of his lower lip
today i noticed that the pink tissue behind his lower lip (where our tongue is) seems swollen and mishapen
also in the last couple of days, he seems reluctant to bury in the sand, which may be due to the irritation in and around his mouth
i have Melafix on hand, which i'm adding now
any thoughts?
Please help!

Im new to the site , and in no way an expert but you didnt mention what water your using ! Is it possible thats a place to check , not sure if your using tap or filtered water ! I hope you get some better help to help out Ollie!

White is tough as it can easily be bacterial or fungal. Do you have Pimafix as well? If so I'd add that too along with an airstone.

chuckfriedrice wrote:Im new to the site , and in no way an expert but you didnt mention what water your using ! Is it possible thats a place to check , not sure if your using tap or filtered water ! I hope you get some better help to help out Ollie!

good thought, and i forgot to mention that since moving, we are on well water, rather than city tap water

Flutter wrote:White is tough as it can easily be bacterial or fungal. Do you have Pimafix as well? If so I'd add that too along with an airstone.

thanks Flutter!
i just got back with a bottle of Pimafix, and i have added the appropriate quantity and an air stone

My 1st thought was that you might have different water that he hasn't adjusted to. IDK if that white is supposed to be part of his mouth or not. I do have to say, that is the best macro shot of a puffer's mouth, I've ever seen! how did you get him to pose for that?

I'm linking RTR to your thread.

Pufferpunk wrote:My 1st thought was that you might have different water that he hasn't adjusted to. IDK if that white is supposed to be part of his mouth or not. I do have to say, that is the best macro shot of a puffer's mouth, I've ever seen! how did you get him to pose for that?

I'm linking RTR to your thread.

thanks Pufferpunk
the well water is a difference, and per the API test kit results, is surprisingly similar to the water he has been used to for many years in Los Angeles
the white is definitely something new
the pink tissue behind it looks unusual to me too, seems somehow irregular
thanks, too for your comment on the macro shot
i think Ollie knows that we need some help and support with this, and he has been more cooperative than his usual grumpy self
Ollie has been with me for nearly six years now, he's really my little desk buddy

what are NH3, NO2, NO3, GH, and KH?? i feel so dumb... sorry i cant help with the puffer, eieio, but i just noticed your dp(s) names and i love it! the whole (something) puff thing!

hadla wrote:what are NH3, NO2, NO3, GH, and KH?? i feel so dumb... sorry i cant help with the puffer, eieio, but i just noticed your dp(s) names and i love it! the whole (something) puff thing!

thanks hadla......
it was great fun to name the DPs
sadly, Cream Puff is the only DP left, and she lives in a 10 gallon tank across my desk from Ollie
NH3 is the chemical name/abbreviation for "ammonia"
NO2 for "nitrites"
NO3 for "nitrates"
GH for "general hardness"
KH for "carbonate hardness"

eieio wrote:

hadla wrote:what are NH3, NO2, NO3, GH, and KH?? i feel so dumb... sorry i cant help with the puffer, eieio, but i just noticed your dp(s) names and i love it! the whole (something) puff thing!

thanks hadla......
it was great fun to name the DPs
sadly, Cream Puff is the only DP left, and she lives in a 10 gallon tank across my desk from Ollie
NH3 is the chemical name/abbreviation for "ammonia"
NO2 for "nitrites"
NO3 for "nitrates"
GH for "general hardness"
KH for "carbonate hardness"

oh ok, thanks for clearing that up =P but i thought water hardness and ph were the same thing...

hadla wrote:oh ok, thanks for clearing that up =P but i thought water hardness and ph were the same thing...

pH is the measure of the acidity of the water
KH is the measure of carbonate & bicarbonate ions/minerals in the water ( water with low carbonate levels will tend to be acidic)
GH is the measure of calcium & magnesium ions/minerals in the water
the API test kits come with further explanations & instructions regarding these subjects
by keeping a log of my test results & water change schedule, i've noticed that the longer the intervals between water changes, the lower the KH levels go, and the more acidic the water becomes
so there definitely seems to be a direct relationship between water hardness and acidity, though they are not actually the same thing
with regular water changes, all of these measurements should remain in balance
as Pufferpunk always says:
" You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes..."

ok, thanks again =P

duh, i could have looked up the abbreviations myself on my test kit!

oh, my kit only explains Ph, high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate... and it is the api freshwater master test kit... are the newer test kits better? this one seems to be from 2007 or 2008, but I didn't want to just throw it out...

thats all my test kit covers

hadla wrote:ok, thanks again =P

duh, i could have looked up the abbreviations myself on my test kit!

oh, my kit only explains Ph, high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate... and it is the api freshwater master test kit... are the newer test kits better? this one seems to be from 2007 or 2008, but I didn't want to just throw it out...

my API "Freshwater Master Test Kit" booklet is dated "2000"
though they included GH & KH, they didn't include the test kit or info for nitrates

eieio wrote:

hadla wrote:ok, thanks again =P

duh, i could have looked up the abbreviations myself on my test kit!

oh, my kit only explains Ph, high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate... and it is the api freshwater master test kit... are the newer test kits better? this one seems to be from 2007 or 2008, but I didn't want to just throw it out...

my API "Freshwater Master Test Kit" booklet is dated "2000"
though they included GH & KH, they didn't include the test kit or info for nitrates

oh ok, that makes me feel better lol, so the older ones included that info...