New fish owner - Lessons learned after a loss
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2018 12:07 am
Although my fiance has a few years of experience, I am a new fish owner and I recently lost my first fish. He was Peter, the dwarf puffer.
This was a very sad experience, and I am determined to not let such mistakes happen with another fish again. I will return a fish before I watch one of my little friends pass like this again. Especially considering how friendly and dog-like puffers are, I am hesitant to even own one again for fear of losing it. If I do get another, it will only be once I am confident after caring for other fish.
Here is what happened in its entirety. I have also included a summary of what I learned; please share if I missed anything. I am sorry that I am a novel writer. For everyone's convenience I have underlined and boldened the critical information. I've also included attached photo to help:
_________
On 4 March, I just returned home from a month of training. My fiance and I had agreed that when I returned that we'd get our first fish together, and we both wanted a puffer. Kaila had cycled the tank while I was gone, so right away we went to get a dwarf puffer, Peter, and a bristlenose pleco, Col. Olds (look up Robin Olds, a Vietnam Air Force hero).
Peter and I had gotten close the last few weeks. He already greeted me every morning, and I'd put him to bed every night as I'd turn his light to moonlight and he'd curl up and lay on his favorite plant. I even invested a bit of money into getting a snail breeding tank to keep him well fed, happy, and with a healthy beak. I learned very quickly how different puffers were than any other fish I'd seen and became an instant fan.
On 1 April, 2018, Kaila and I noticed that Peter had a small red spot on his tail. We had no idea what caused it. He and Col Olds get along very well. That night I looked closer at Peter’s tail and noticed an incredibly small hole where the fin of his tail met the base. I assumed that the hole had always been there. Over the next couple days, I notice that the hole turned into a "tear" as it grew towards the outer edge of his tail, which I also assumed was just due to him swimming.
On 3 April, I noticed that Peter was not feeling good at all. His skin had turned pretty dark, and he would not even eat snails that I dropped right in front of him. Even then he still greeted me each time I visited, just much less spunk. It had just then occurred to me that medicine for fish exists, and that night Kaila and I went to buy Melafix. We put ½ tsp in the tank, a little over the recommended dose for a 2.5 gal tank.
On the morning of 4 April, I went to check on Peter as soon as I woke up and found him laying on his belly in the front corner of the tank, underneath a plant leaf, and he had turned almost black over much of his skin. I was shocked and scared he had suddenly died, so I woke him up. It was a surprise to see his skin lighten up a little and then swim around as he looked at me, seemingly happy to see me. This is when I noticed that overnight about half of his tail fin had disappeared!
I knew then that I had completely overlooked that fact that he was fighting an infection and that his tail was being eaten away. I took pictures right away to record what was happening. After completing a water test, I saw that the ph was as high as 8, and the nitrates were insanely high, about 160 ppm. Luckily, at least the ammonia and nitrites were both 0. Becuase Kaila was more experienced, I had let her do the water tests. She must have been reading tests wrong, because there is no way that the nitrates could have risen so high in just 2 days since her last test. I wish I could have gone to the store to get help, but I had no choice but to go to work.
That day, just 4 hours later, I returned home for lunch to check on Peter. In the few hours I’d been away, virtually the rest of his tail, except for the hard top and bottom edge had disappeared. Again, he was lying on his belly again in the corner and had turned very dark. The only way I knew he was alive was because I could see him taking quick deep breaths and his eyes turned to look at me. I also took pictures then to record the dramatic decay. I called a friend to ask for help. Although I wanted to do a water change he told me that the best thing I could do would be to do everything I could to reduce his stress, and keep medicating. Before leaving, I turned off all the lights and placed light fabric over the tank to darken the tank and help his stress. I also added another ½ tsp of Melifix.
3 hours later I returned home again to find him laying on his side in his favorite spot, a leaf on a plant a few inches from the bottom. Again, he was taking very deep and quick breaths. We went to the store soon after to get a stronger antibiotic, but we were told that it was best not to mix anything else with the Melifix. Returning home, I added primer to the tank to help neutralize the nitrates. He was now laying near the bottom of the plant, still taking panicked breaths. I knew now that he almost certainly would not make it through the night, and I wanted badly to put him out of his misery. Unfortunately, I did not have any clove oil on hand, and refused to put him through any less of a humane method. Also, his quick little breaths showed me that, unlike so many other fish, Peter was a fighter, and that I owed it to his brave little soul to let him fight till the end. Before I went to bed I made my peace, told him goodbye, and said “thank you” for being such a good little friend.
This morning, I found Peter lifeless lying on his side on the bottom back corner of the tank near an small opening that I had left in the blanket . . . opposite of the side I had left him. There is virtually no current in the tank, which meant the brave little guy had taken one last swim then laid down in front of the window the blanket made to get one last view of the world before succumbing to his wounds. Because there was still a lot of color in his skin, and there was no fuzzy matter to be seen on his body, I figured he must have passed not too long ago, perhaps earlier this morning, and had fought through most of the night.
I took his little body out of the tank, and made very sure he was unresponsive to touch. Because I had to leave for work soon, I put him in water and froze him so I could lay him to rest when I returned home. We buried Peter the Puffer in our flower garden this afternoon.
I am no stranger to death and loss. I grew up in the woods of northern Michigan, I've hunted all my life, and I've lost more dogs than I can count. I never would have imaged losing a fish could feel this way. But, I'd never owned a puffer before.
Important notes I learned from this experience:
1. Tank water gets out of control very fast, especially in small tanks!
- Overfeeding leads to an increase in nitrate levels. Although nitrates don’t kill fish, the germs that they feed will attack a fish as soon as the fish become weak.
- Use a good water test kit. Kaila was using a cheap water test kit that did not include an ammonia test. In addition, she could not tell that the nitrates were rising because the test was harder to read.
-If we had kept the water clean, it is very likely that the germs would not have been strong enough to cause fin rot.
2. Treat fish wounds and sickness as soon as possible!
- Always assume every time a fish is wounded that an infection will set it.
- Melifix is a great all around medicine for hurt fish. But know that you can't mix it with other medication (is this true?)
- Sulfa Plex is an awesome anti-baterical and anti-fungal agent. But you have to use it before you start anything else, so choose wisely. (Is this true?)
- If we had started with medicine as soon as we saw his wound, the fin rot would likely have never become so extreme, and my buddy might still be here.
3. Be very careful when introducing new equipment to a tank!
- The new heater we used certainly stressed him out. Because we could not figure out how to calibrate the heater, the temperature fluctuated between 85 and 65 over a 2 day span, about 4 days before the wound occurred.
4. Be careful of putting non-compatible fish together
- Although our puffer and our pleco get along very well when we watch them, I understand that bristlenose can be territorial, and it is possible that he accidentally injured the puffer.
5. Always have Clove oil and alcohol on hand. You never know when you might need it.
6. If you care about your fish, check your partner's work!
- I don't doubt for a minute that Kaila was doing her best. But, I should have checked her work when she was doing water tests.
- I also should have done more water changes. Kaila thought it was only needed every 2 weeks or when the water turned bad.
Even if you just skimmed through the highlighted parts, I appreciate your time and any advice you have to offer.
Photo 1: You can see here that Col. Olds and Peter got along great.
Photo 2: Peter saying "hi"
Photo 3: Morning 4 April, you can clearly see how half of his tail fin is missing.
Photo 4: Morning, 4 April, the contrast helps see the injured fin better.
Photo 5: Noon, 4 April, in just 4 hours, the rest of his tail fin disappeared. Believe it or not, he was still alive, breathing, and moved to greet me.
Photo 6: Water test done immediately after removing Peter from the tank.
Photo 7: Peter's home. Shared this to see if anyone has comments on the habitat. All plants but salvinia and drift wood are artificial.
This was a very sad experience, and I am determined to not let such mistakes happen with another fish again. I will return a fish before I watch one of my little friends pass like this again. Especially considering how friendly and dog-like puffers are, I am hesitant to even own one again for fear of losing it. If I do get another, it will only be once I am confident after caring for other fish.
Here is what happened in its entirety. I have also included a summary of what I learned; please share if I missed anything. I am sorry that I am a novel writer. For everyone's convenience I have underlined and boldened the critical information. I've also included attached photo to help:
_________
On 4 March, I just returned home from a month of training. My fiance and I had agreed that when I returned that we'd get our first fish together, and we both wanted a puffer. Kaila had cycled the tank while I was gone, so right away we went to get a dwarf puffer, Peter, and a bristlenose pleco, Col. Olds (look up Robin Olds, a Vietnam Air Force hero).
Peter and I had gotten close the last few weeks. He already greeted me every morning, and I'd put him to bed every night as I'd turn his light to moonlight and he'd curl up and lay on his favorite plant. I even invested a bit of money into getting a snail breeding tank to keep him well fed, happy, and with a healthy beak. I learned very quickly how different puffers were than any other fish I'd seen and became an instant fan.
On 1 April, 2018, Kaila and I noticed that Peter had a small red spot on his tail. We had no idea what caused it. He and Col Olds get along very well. That night I looked closer at Peter’s tail and noticed an incredibly small hole where the fin of his tail met the base. I assumed that the hole had always been there. Over the next couple days, I notice that the hole turned into a "tear" as it grew towards the outer edge of his tail, which I also assumed was just due to him swimming.
On 3 April, I noticed that Peter was not feeling good at all. His skin had turned pretty dark, and he would not even eat snails that I dropped right in front of him. Even then he still greeted me each time I visited, just much less spunk. It had just then occurred to me that medicine for fish exists, and that night Kaila and I went to buy Melafix. We put ½ tsp in the tank, a little over the recommended dose for a 2.5 gal tank.
On the morning of 4 April, I went to check on Peter as soon as I woke up and found him laying on his belly in the front corner of the tank, underneath a plant leaf, and he had turned almost black over much of his skin. I was shocked and scared he had suddenly died, so I woke him up. It was a surprise to see his skin lighten up a little and then swim around as he looked at me, seemingly happy to see me. This is when I noticed that overnight about half of his tail fin had disappeared!
I knew then that I had completely overlooked that fact that he was fighting an infection and that his tail was being eaten away. I took pictures right away to record what was happening. After completing a water test, I saw that the ph was as high as 8, and the nitrates were insanely high, about 160 ppm. Luckily, at least the ammonia and nitrites were both 0. Becuase Kaila was more experienced, I had let her do the water tests. She must have been reading tests wrong, because there is no way that the nitrates could have risen so high in just 2 days since her last test. I wish I could have gone to the store to get help, but I had no choice but to go to work.
That day, just 4 hours later, I returned home for lunch to check on Peter. In the few hours I’d been away, virtually the rest of his tail, except for the hard top and bottom edge had disappeared. Again, he was lying on his belly again in the corner and had turned very dark. The only way I knew he was alive was because I could see him taking quick deep breaths and his eyes turned to look at me. I also took pictures then to record the dramatic decay. I called a friend to ask for help. Although I wanted to do a water change he told me that the best thing I could do would be to do everything I could to reduce his stress, and keep medicating. Before leaving, I turned off all the lights and placed light fabric over the tank to darken the tank and help his stress. I also added another ½ tsp of Melifix.
3 hours later I returned home again to find him laying on his side in his favorite spot, a leaf on a plant a few inches from the bottom. Again, he was taking very deep and quick breaths. We went to the store soon after to get a stronger antibiotic, but we were told that it was best not to mix anything else with the Melifix. Returning home, I added primer to the tank to help neutralize the nitrates. He was now laying near the bottom of the plant, still taking panicked breaths. I knew now that he almost certainly would not make it through the night, and I wanted badly to put him out of his misery. Unfortunately, I did not have any clove oil on hand, and refused to put him through any less of a humane method. Also, his quick little breaths showed me that, unlike so many other fish, Peter was a fighter, and that I owed it to his brave little soul to let him fight till the end. Before I went to bed I made my peace, told him goodbye, and said “thank you” for being such a good little friend.
This morning, I found Peter lifeless lying on his side on the bottom back corner of the tank near an small opening that I had left in the blanket . . . opposite of the side I had left him. There is virtually no current in the tank, which meant the brave little guy had taken one last swim then laid down in front of the window the blanket made to get one last view of the world before succumbing to his wounds. Because there was still a lot of color in his skin, and there was no fuzzy matter to be seen on his body, I figured he must have passed not too long ago, perhaps earlier this morning, and had fought through most of the night.
I took his little body out of the tank, and made very sure he was unresponsive to touch. Because I had to leave for work soon, I put him in water and froze him so I could lay him to rest when I returned home. We buried Peter the Puffer in our flower garden this afternoon.
I am no stranger to death and loss. I grew up in the woods of northern Michigan, I've hunted all my life, and I've lost more dogs than I can count. I never would have imaged losing a fish could feel this way. But, I'd never owned a puffer before.
Important notes I learned from this experience:
1. Tank water gets out of control very fast, especially in small tanks!
- Overfeeding leads to an increase in nitrate levels. Although nitrates don’t kill fish, the germs that they feed will attack a fish as soon as the fish become weak.
- Use a good water test kit. Kaila was using a cheap water test kit that did not include an ammonia test. In addition, she could not tell that the nitrates were rising because the test was harder to read.
-If we had kept the water clean, it is very likely that the germs would not have been strong enough to cause fin rot.
2. Treat fish wounds and sickness as soon as possible!
- Always assume every time a fish is wounded that an infection will set it.
- Melifix is a great all around medicine for hurt fish. But know that you can't mix it with other medication (is this true?)
- Sulfa Plex is an awesome anti-baterical and anti-fungal agent. But you have to use it before you start anything else, so choose wisely. (Is this true?)
- If we had started with medicine as soon as we saw his wound, the fin rot would likely have never become so extreme, and my buddy might still be here.
3. Be very careful when introducing new equipment to a tank!
- The new heater we used certainly stressed him out. Because we could not figure out how to calibrate the heater, the temperature fluctuated between 85 and 65 over a 2 day span, about 4 days before the wound occurred.
4. Be careful of putting non-compatible fish together
- Although our puffer and our pleco get along very well when we watch them, I understand that bristlenose can be territorial, and it is possible that he accidentally injured the puffer.
5. Always have Clove oil and alcohol on hand. You never know when you might need it.
6. If you care about your fish, check your partner's work!
- I don't doubt for a minute that Kaila was doing her best. But, I should have checked her work when she was doing water tests.
- I also should have done more water changes. Kaila thought it was only needed every 2 weeks or when the water turned bad.
Even if you just skimmed through the highlighted parts, I appreciate your time and any advice you have to offer.
Photo 1: You can see here that Col. Olds and Peter got along great.
Photo 2: Peter saying "hi"
Photo 3: Morning 4 April, you can clearly see how half of his tail fin is missing.
Photo 4: Morning, 4 April, the contrast helps see the injured fin better.
Photo 5: Noon, 4 April, in just 4 hours, the rest of his tail fin disappeared. Believe it or not, he was still alive, breathing, and moved to greet me.
Photo 6: Water test done immediately after removing Peter from the tank.
Photo 7: Peter's home. Shared this to see if anyone has comments on the habitat. All plants but salvinia and drift wood are artificial.
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
It's lovely to see someone who loves their little fish so much.
