The Puffer Forum

Hi everyone
I am in need of some desperate help! My poor little valentini puffer is acting very oddly. He keeps inflating but not fully and picking at he's food which isn't like him. I don't know what to do every time he puffs he twitches for about 10 minutes. He's not upsetting any of my other fish. Please can someone help
Thank you

Please answer ALL the Qs above in red, so we can better diagnose the problem.

All my levels are normal and have done a 25% water change. The tank is 55 liter salt water. We have
4 chromis
1 algae blenny- new this week
1 pajama wrasse
1 snake pipe fish
And a few invertebrates

What are the numbers from your tests?

I'm not sure my other half did the testing. He said everything was within range except pH was a little low but we corrected that with buffer. He's fine in himself and is fat asleep. I just want to know if it's normal for them to puff up without obvious cause

chan-t wrote:All my levels are normal and have done a 25% water change. The tank is 55 liter salt water. We have
4 chromis
1 algae blenny- new this week
1 pajama wrasse
1 snake pipe fish
And a few invertebrates

waaaaaaaaaaay overstocked!
what are your water parameter readings?

The levels are not the problem. We have a ton of filters and have had the tank for several months without issues. All I want to know is if it's normal for a valentini Toby to puff up randomly. We have had him over a month and have never had any issues till now.

have had the tank for several months without issues

NOW, you have issues. This is the result of a horribly overstocked tank. Survival of the fittest... Expect more to perish.

Thanks but no thanks. Was only asking for some advice. Won't bother using this site anymore.

Water parameters do matter. Over-crowed /overstocked/inappropriately stocked tanks deteriorate at varied rates, but they do deteriorate. Even conservatively stocked set-ups degenerate with time if appropriate maintenance is not done. Adding commercial buffers is not ever appropriate maintenance. It enriches your LFS and does nothing to correct the underling issues with overstocked and/or inappropriately stocked tanks.

Buffers, especially commercial buffers, provide a very short-term adjustment to the pH, but unfortunately do nothing real of lasting to correct the issues with loss of alkalinity. Such dosing is like painting over a crack in the foundation of a house - it appears to conceal the problem, but in reality does nothing for the underlying problems.

Filters, both bacterial and mechanical, can provide valuable services if well-maintained. They cannot and will not restore depleted material critical to the balance and long-term stability of the water. Nor can either of them remove dissolved organic from the water. Without sufficiently large water partials to remove dissolved organics and restore alkalinity (depleted by normal nitrification), the whole system degenerates. The rate of degeneration is directly related to the bioload in the system.

FWIW

chan-t wrote:Thanks but no thanks. Was only asking for some advice. Won't bother using this site anymore.

Your fish's lives are more important than your ego. There is NOTHING we can do for you, as long as your tank is overstocked like this.

I don't have a 'ego' at all! I have a lot over filters which are all natural volcanic, bio, live rock and bio balls. I regularly clean and maintain my tank and filters as well as do water checks fortnightly before doing a water change. My levels are
Ammonia- 0
Nitrites- 0.0- 0.25 (if after feeds)
Nitrates-0
The pH does range around 8.0 but that is due to the corals we had but since removed.

I understand if you think the tank is over crowded but they are all juvenile and are being moved to a 200+ liter tank in a few months. We have followed very carefull advice from a very reputable aquatic shop and I don't doubt anything they say.

Please do not slate me or judge me based on a few facts as I have been doing this for many years.
Just so you all know my puffer is fine and is eating and acting like normal.
Cheers for the lack of advice I won't bother any of you again.

dear chan-t,
you came to this forum and asked for help
what you received was honest, accurate help (and, I might add, right away)
then you diss us because you disagree with what you were told
the problem with your tank will solve itself, unfortunately, with the poor health and death of your stock
YOUR problem , however..............

Bit not one of you mentioned my puffer fish. Rather than attack me and say I have a 'ego' why could you not say we are unable to help

No one is attacking you, even as Julie's that is a large bio- load for the tank. The best solution for all round health is bringing the upgrade forward. Everything in the current tank is clearly mature ( hence the readings). Puffers need territory and I believe the issue is that the puffer cannot claim enough for himself.