The Puffer Forum

Hi! I'm new, sorry for my english...
My name is Ivan, since 3 months I'm keeping 2 F8 puffers, unfortunally one has die 2 days ago after 3 months being in my tank.
the deceased had these symptoms :

He floated around the aquarium without control of the movement , colliding with objects .
He had gills swollen and breathing quickly, mouth was constantly open (but beek was regular, not overgrowth).
On the skin there was no symptoms. ( No dots , no filaments no cotton , the skin was ok )
One eye was little foggy

Now after the die of one, the other stopped eating, mouth is a little open, and continuosly up and down closer to the glass of tank, but on the skin there isn't nothing.


Here under the situation last days before die of the first puffer:

1) pH= 8.0 ,
Ammonia : I no have idea how to measure it
NO2<0.05mg/l
NO3=5mg/l
Salinity it's the density? 1005 g/liter at 25°C degree measured with densitometer range 1000 to 1030

2) tank size 40x40x40 cm aproximately 60 liters

3) feeding routine: first day 2 small mussels, in italian "tellina", second day 2 small shrimps 2 cm long each, third day bloody worms. Water change 20% every week not osmotized, i add marine salt for reach 1005 g/l (not kitchen salt)
Inhabitants: 2 F8 puffers, 3 Bumble bee goby

4) no changing in procedure of feeding or water changing in the last week

Since I brought to my tank this specimen, he did seems not so healty, the color was not bright like other specimen.
The eyes of this F8 look like foggy, not bright like other specimen.
He breath very fast and floats in water with no control, he bumps against the objects as he my being blind. Mouth is widely open.

My opinion is that the problem is related to the singular specimen, and not related to the water parameters because the other F8 puffer is happy and very healty (colors are very bright, he is very active and eyes are not foggy).


So I need some help trusting that it not be too late...

Thanks

YOU MUST find a way to test ammonia. Get yourself API liquid test kits. Do you have a pet shop or Amazon.com there? What about Ebay?

Specific gravity, tested with a calibrated hydrometer or refractometer? Using marine salt?

If the remaining puffer seems healthy, start doing 50% water changes weekly.

Your tank is only large enough to keep a single F8, so maybe it is survival of the fittest.

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... ocus/fig8/

I kept 2 Figure 8's in a 60l incorrectly for a number of years so I doubt that is solely due to the volume of water. The fact that you are showing nitrite is a worry and suggests that your tank still isn't cycled properly yet, it stands to reason that it would take longer to cycle an overstocked tank compared to fishlessly cycling an empty tank.

It may be too late for your second puffer but keep carrying out the water changes and consider adding an instant cycling product like Tetra Safestart.

In relation to your feeding: it seems that you are feeding a lot. I feed my adult Figure 8 about a 0.5cm sized piece of shrimp or cockle, overfeeding can affect the ability of a fish to take in enough oxygen and uneaten food can also pollute your tank.

I saved the second ball by using some pharmaceutical agents, I did not change the ' water during the use of the pharmaceutical product . So I suppose that the illness was not connected to water pollutants , but due to certain infections or parasites .

I have read several publications on fish diseases , even your library section , but the symptoms were not clear , it seemed a mix of different diseases .
Given that the situation was serious and fell fast , analyzing some symptoms I thought it was worms , so I dipped the fish in a solution of prozanquitel ( Droncit ) for 4 hours .
I did not get a result , then the next day I put in the aquarium DESSAMOR , a drug for fungal infections, and bacterial.

I dind't change water during treatment but , the fish began to eat and has regained color , only then I changed the water.
So unfortunately I can not say what was the real cause of having used two different drugs.

But i saved the fish.

Great news

Glad everything is going well