1) Water Parameters
pH - about 7.5
Ammonia - .03 ppm
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 0
2) Tank size and list of inhabitants
He's in a 10 gal tank. will move him up to a larger one when he gets bigger. he's only about an inch long at the moment.
As of now, he only has two ghost shrimp with him
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank
Currently feeding him freeze dried blood worms and freeze dried krill. He's fed once a day, every day with one off day.
Change 50% of water once a week.
added TopFin water conditioner to the new water added
The tank has an Aqueon Quietflow10 on it. (I'm not sure of how I'm supposed to be changing the filter cartridges without killing off all my bacteria so any info on clearing this up would be much apprectiated)
Tank also has a TopFin 100watt on it. Kept at 80 degrees F.
4) No changes to the tank recently.
5) I fit into the category of an impulsive Walmart GSP buyer. So when we first brought him home, we didn't realize how high maintenance these fish really were. This is our first fish so we didn't have a clue about the need to cycle the tank. We just put him in a new tank without cycling, but that was more than a month ago and he seemed to be doing alright until recently. The little guy has continued to eat decently but has become lethargic and much less active than he used to be. He also started to get some black on the edges of his belly and around his face. I researched and found that it is a sign of stress or illness. I'm just not sure whether it could be IPs and I should buy a product to treat him or if there's something else I'm doing wrong.
Any suggestions and advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
GSP belly turning black
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.
-
RTR
- Mentor
- Posts: 6155
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): East Coast, USA
Re: GSP belly turning black
Your tank has no biological filter bacteria present, it has not been conditioned.
Upgrade the tank size immediately. Ten gallons is too small for a GSP. This will also dilute the toxic ammonia (and soon the nitrite).
Do 50% partial water changes at any time there is ammonia or nitrite present. Is Seachem's "Prime" available in your area? If so, I would strongly suggest changing to that conditioner. Along with the water partial anytime ammonia or nitrite is detected, add "Prime" sufficient for the whole tank volume. It can save your fish's life.
Get a better filter. You need to be able to rinse the media in dechlorinad water.
Upgrade the tank size immediately. Ten gallons is too small for a GSP. This will also dilute the toxic ammonia (and soon the nitrite).
Do 50% partial water changes at any time there is ammonia or nitrite present. Is Seachem's "Prime" available in your area? If so, I would strongly suggest changing to that conditioner. Along with the water partial anytime ammonia or nitrite is detected, add "Prime" sufficient for the whole tank volume. It can save your fish's life.
Get a better filter. You need to be able to rinse the media in dechlorinad water.
Where's the fish? - Neptune
Re: GSP belly turning black
What filter would you suggest? I'm kind of tight on money so upgrading the tank size at the moment isn't really an option. He still really small so I thought it would be okay until I can gather up enough money. His tank does have plenty of decor and hiding places.
I can't get a new filter immediately either. Unless it's not crazy expensive. Is there anything I can do with my current filter to clean or replace the cartridges that wouldn't cause more harm than good? I haven't replaced anything in about three weeks.
I'll run out today and get some prime and do a 50% water change immediately.
The nitrite and ammonia levels are nil.
He's stopped eating now. He doesn't even seem slightly interested - as if he's oblivious to the food. We bought some small snails yesterday hoping that he would perk up for them, but to no avail. We even tried crushing one of them and dropping it in, still not interested.
He still has a dark belly and is just kind of swimming around slowly.
Because I think it may be IPs, I treated his tank with the tetra parasiteguard fizz tablets. I would treat his food, but as mentioned above, he isn't eating.
Should I repeat the treatment with water changes in between?
I don't want to lose this little guy. I'm really dedicated to giving him the happiest life he can as my budget will allow.
Thank you for all your help.
I can't get a new filter immediately either. Unless it's not crazy expensive. Is there anything I can do with my current filter to clean or replace the cartridges that wouldn't cause more harm than good? I haven't replaced anything in about three weeks.
I'll run out today and get some prime and do a 50% water change immediately.
The nitrite and ammonia levels are nil.
He's stopped eating now. He doesn't even seem slightly interested - as if he's oblivious to the food. We bought some small snails yesterday hoping that he would perk up for them, but to no avail. We even tried crushing one of them and dropping it in, still not interested.
He still has a dark belly and is just kind of swimming around slowly.
Because I think it may be IPs, I treated his tank with the tetra parasiteguard fizz tablets. I would treat his food, but as mentioned above, he isn't eating.
Should I repeat the treatment with water changes in between?
I don't want to lose this little guy. I'm really dedicated to giving him the happiest life he can as my budget will allow.
Thank you for all your help.
Re: GSP belly turning black
It looks like my post didn't go through.
What filter would you suggest?
I'm kind of on a tight budget so I can't upgrade the tank size at the moment. I realize he needs more space, but I figured it would do for now since he's only about an inch long.
A new filter is also kind of out of the question at least for a little while. Can I change the cartridge in my filter without doing more harm than good?
I suspect he may have IPs because of his sunken belly, so I picked up some tetra parasiteguard and treated the tank with it because he has started to not eat very well. I did however soak a small fd krill in one of the tablets and he did take a few bites of it so hopefully that will help.
I also picked up some prime and did a 50% water change yesterday. The nitrite and ammonia levels are 0, so I don't think it's anything going on with the water.
I am very dedicated to saving this little guy and giving him the best possible life, as my budget will allow.
If there's anything else I can do for him at the moment to save him, please let me know.
I will continue doing 25% water changes every day until he starts to pick up.
I also go some snails for him to munch on (the size of his eye), but he has shown no interest. I even tried crushing one, but he seems oblivious. He just kind of swims around aimlessly.
He did pick up a little after the water change yesterday, so hopefully that will save him.
Thanks for you help!
What filter would you suggest?
I'm kind of on a tight budget so I can't upgrade the tank size at the moment. I realize he needs more space, but I figured it would do for now since he's only about an inch long.
A new filter is also kind of out of the question at least for a little while. Can I change the cartridge in my filter without doing more harm than good?
I suspect he may have IPs because of his sunken belly, so I picked up some tetra parasiteguard and treated the tank with it because he has started to not eat very well. I did however soak a small fd krill in one of the tablets and he did take a few bites of it so hopefully that will help.
I also picked up some prime and did a 50% water change yesterday. The nitrite and ammonia levels are 0, so I don't think it's anything going on with the water.
I am very dedicated to saving this little guy and giving him the best possible life, as my budget will allow.
If there's anything else I can do for him at the moment to save him, please let me know.
I will continue doing 25% water changes every day until he starts to pick up.
I also go some snails for him to munch on (the size of his eye), but he has shown no interest. I even tried crushing one, but he seems oblivious. He just kind of swims around aimlessly.
He did pick up a little after the water change yesterday, so hopefully that will save him.
Thanks for you help!
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
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: GSP belly turning black
You can rinse the filter material until the water runs clear & return it to the filter. As soon as you can afford it, get an Aquaclear filter. The largest you can afford. Check Amazon for best prices but if you do a net search, you may find one on sale or even a used one on Ebay. The fact that you were showing ANY ammonia at all & no nitrate, means there is no biological bacteria present. I'd keep doing 50% WC daily, for at least the next 2 weeks.
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
library/category/feeding/
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
library/category/feeding/
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: GSP belly turning black
I'll continue doing those daily water changes and keep my eye out for an aquaclear filter.
He had stringy poo yesterday morning a day after his first IP treatment. Does that mean he is passing the parasites and with continued treatment he will eventually get rid of them?
He still seems uninterested in all food except fd krill unfortunately.
Should I just continue to feed him what he'll eat until he's well and then attempt to get him off of it?
Again, thank you for your help.
He had stringy poo yesterday morning a day after his first IP treatment. Does that mean he is passing the parasites and with continued treatment he will eventually get rid of them?
He still seems uninterested in all food except fd krill unfortunately.
Should I just continue to feed him what he'll eat until he's well and then attempt to get him off of it?
Again, thank you for your help.
-
G S P Freak
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 421
- Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:58 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Figure Eight Puffers, Binks (29G)
Dwarf puffers, named "He-Puffer" (male) and She-puffer (female) (10g)
Non-puffer:
1 Red-eared slider, Tortuga (female)(100g)
1 rubber lip pleco - Location (country): USA, Indiana
Re: GSP belly turning black
FD krill is not a good daily diet, but given the fact that it is all he will eat then by all means continue feeding it, but do try to offer other foods... try to make them more enticing like adding garlic juice to them, giving live foods like worms, snails, etc. IME when a fish stop eating, thats when things really start to go sour so I definitely don't reccomend the starve and switch food method until your puffer is in perfect health. Sounds like ur making progress by starting to treat for ips, just continue the full treatment until his poo is normal (darker colored), but Instead of treating the tank, break off a small peice of the tablet and soak the FOOD in it. Treating the tank will do next to nothing for IPs. As a college student I understand the tight budget, but for the best interest of the fish save up for a better tank/filter and upgrade ASAP. Good luck with the little guy.
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
Re: GSP belly turning black
Thank you!
I'll keep you guys updated on his progress over the next few days.
I'll keep you guys updated on his progress over the next few days.
-
bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: GSP belly turning black
Try other foods garlic soaked as suggested before giving krill, keep it as a back up. Soak the other foods with krill so they get the smell and see if he takes them then. Yes please keep us posted
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
Re: GSP belly turning black
Update: He seems to be doing a little better. He's still not too energetic, but when I was doing a water change today, I found some ghost shrimp parts floating around. I removed the pieces and made sure the clean the gravel.
I'm hoping the fact that he could hunt down the shrimp and pick them apart is a good sign. I'll continue to post updates.
Again, thank you all for your help!
I'm hoping the fact that he could hunt down the shrimp and pick them apart is a good sign. I'll continue to post updates.
Again, thank you all for your help!
-
bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: GSP belly turning black
If he is eating ghost shrimp get some more ready and gut load them with some good quality foods.
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
Re: GSP belly turning black
I'm happy to say that our little gsp is doing much better. His belly is a lot less black and he's even attempted to much on some snails.
I'll attach a picture of the little guy as well.
Thank you all so much for your help. I really appreciate it!
I'll attach a picture of the little guy as well.
Thank you all so much for your help. I really appreciate it!
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
-
bertie 83
- Moderator
- Posts: 5298
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:28 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: lineatus R.I.P, South American puffer. Valentini puffer, porcupine puffer.
Non puffer
Danios, Tetras, Redtail Rasporas,
Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
- Location: brighton , england
Re: GSP belly turning black
Great news. Keep up the water changes
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
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: GSP belly turning black
Yay!
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!"