Fahaka suffered foul hot water ! Now lethargic and won't eat!

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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.
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esotericbyte
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Fahaka suffered foul hot water ! Now lethargic and won't eat!

Post by esotericbyte »

How long does it take for puffer to recover from foul water?
What can i do to help besides clean water?
How concerned should I be with trying to feed him frozen blood worms and have them remain in tank / filter?
I net them if he does not eat them. He usually eats the cube as or before it thaws in the tank.
Should I try vitamin loading some nightcrawlers? He has never had nightcrawlers or earthworms.

My Grandmother died and my tank was already overdue for a water change before I went out of town.
While gone Fahaka "Taco" , became lethargic and would not eat.
Tank kept at about 78-80F normally. Taco eats frozen blood worms, frozen krill, frozen shrimp tails and snails. lately not enough snails and I've been trying to figure out how to introduce vitamins. He has never had vitamins
Unfortunately folks at home read a faulty electronic thermometer that said the water was below 70F. This is so nonsensical to believe that reading I can't even go into it but anyway he turned up the heater to it's highest settings so when I returned the water was 88.5 degrees. The temp marks on the the Marineland thermostatic heater were covered with algae.
The increase in temperature actually helped Taco and he became active and started eating for a few days ! And he was not cooked thank goodness!
I unfortunately did not key in on any this til I was home for a couple of days at which point he became lethargic and stopped eating again.
Anyway the water was foul for sure as the sand was DIRTY so I started changing water and vacuuming. Changed filter media. Filter floss was DIRTY -
Rinsed ceramic bio-media and the sponge pads with tank water. Dump the water and gunk replaced floss. Shook out floating plant and reduced it.
Got a polishing filter. Marineland. Ran it for 24h and then switched to filter pad with zeolite and carbon. I don't use carbon in my main filter.
I ran that for 2 days and have now turned it off. I've been changed water probably 30% twice

I try to go sit by him. I know this is probably just nuts but he does watch us outside his tank. When he is well he always comes up to great us and ask for food.

He still will not eat and does not respond to much of anything. Since he is in his next under the ceramic fake tree stump and prefers shadows I turn his light off for awhile at times.

I took water to store for test. I am going to get a real test kit today and have it tested again.
Water had 6.5 ph which i thought was odd. We have hard incoming water. I can't remember all the other numbers and they use a strip

The guy at the store suggested salt, and to do water changes not add chem to change ph. Since i have plants and do not want to cause a fast change for taco I've gradually added salt. I will add another tablespoons before I leave and I think it will be one tablespoon sort of the recommended amount at that point.

He now occasionally swims around.

I will do another 3 bucket water change later and add water back with python. Figuring salt after that change is a pain. I do not like dealing with this salt.
It is a temporary part of my plan.
I have not moved everything in tank and have not done sand change with fresh sand since start of tank.
Sand is natgeo i believe. It is white and course
40 gal breeder tank , ceramic stump ornament, sand, shale, floating hairy plant 1/3 of tank is glass bottom and sand is enough to play in but not more than 2 inches thick at peak. Marine land heater, canister filter, and a large airstone with air. fluval aquasky light on a program.
I plan to change 30% weekly but it is probably done only 2 or 3 times a month and amount varies between 25-40%
Now and then I move everything and be sure to vac all sand.

I know he may need a larger tank. Most "larger" tanks though are not as wide as the 40 gal breeder and there is not much more length space for a big tank.
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Re: Fahaka suffered foul hot water ! Now lethargic and won't eat!

Post by Pufferpunk »

Not sure why they recommended salt but stop with it. How big is the puffer? I have ALWAYS done 50% weekly water changes, often more. If he's not eating, definitely try earthworms. Do you have room for a 120g? They're only 4' across. Get yourself a decent API liquid test kit.
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!"
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esotericbyte
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Re: Fahaka suffered foul hot water ! Now lethargic and won't eat!

Post by esotericbyte »

I am going to do another 50% change in the morning and won't put in the aquarium salt and it will eventually work it's way out.
Taco is still not eating. :( but after 50% change his color is better. he is still fairly lethargic resting on the bottom of the tank, but he is not as pale anymore. Unfortunately I did put in the aquarium salt after the change. I had not read your post yet.
How long can he go without eating? Maybe he has constipation?
His fins look very good but his body is a little blotchy. Not sure what that could be about. His mouth eyes , gill holes , belly and vent all look pretty normal, but I don't manipulate him to examine things closely. I may need to do that and post pictures. I'd of course rather post healthy pictures.

i can research a 120gal. and figure out when I can afford it.

I got an API test kit and it gave different results than the strip test at the store. I find the Nitrate test hard to read but we both looked at.

The store said the water was acidic 6.2. That was a result from 2 stores on different days and after changes. Pretty clearly tho the API test indicated High Range and so I did the high range test and got 8.2. Tap tests as neutral. All tests showed ammonia and nitrite were below indicated levels. (they say zero at the store but I know better) . The kit has no test for phosphates. Some how after the 50% change I still got high ph in the tank. 7.8 !

Nitrates were at the start of this probably very high. Store said 90-100 but We tested it at 40 ppm and after a 50% change 20ppm. And YES I shake alot according to instructions very vigorously.
I really have a hard time matching colors in the red /orange range that the test uses. A supplemental nitrate test will be in the mail on monday.
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esotericbyte
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Re: Fahaka suffered foul hot water ! Now lethargic and won't eat!

Post by esotericbyte »

I got the ph to about 7.2 and the sulfates to between 5 and 10 ppm with another 50% water change.
No change in Puffer, Taco. Thinking of tring epsom salts.
Measured for 120 that is 48x24x24 and think that could fit but not sure when I'll be able to get one.
Boy 50% water changes on that are going to take a very long time. 3 times longer than the one today anyway. I may have to figure out something even better than a python working with the bathroom sink. I rent so plumbing options are limited.
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Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
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Re: Fahaka suffered foul hot water ! Now lethargic and won't eat!

Post by Pufferpunk »

Can you toss the Python hose out the window? Gravity will do the rest. I have around 400 gallons at my house between 7 tanks and that's how I do it. Fahakas are very sensitive intend to sulk pretty easily. Give him some time. I'm glad you straightened out the parameters. Hold the test tube up to a white piece of paper for proper color ID.

Have you tried offering him live earthworms?
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!"
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