Lethargic/sick puffer
Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2021 4:41 pm
Hi all,
Have a tank with some pea puffers and the last few days, one of them has started to act almost lifeless. Always had a great appetite, the biggest of the puffers. Within the last week or so has become pretty lethargic and at the point where now it just lays on the bottom. Got it a little quarantine box so it can be left alone. Will just lay there and sometimes get small spurts where it tries to swim but then stops. Can’t get it to eat. I can tell he’s breathing but he just isn’t doing well overall. Stomach is sunken in. Other pea puffers are fine, still have great appetites, no changes or anything with them. Not super sure what to do with this big guy sadly. He’s gotten super skinny and almost looks like a hunchback. Any sort of advice would be awesome. Got them from a specialty fish store near me, not a large commercial one. Puffers are bred and not wild caught from what I remember.
Water parameters (using the API freshwater master test kit)
pH - 7.6 (I tested high ph as well cause I’m not sure of difference and that one reads around 7.8ish)
Ammonia - in between 0-.25ppm (not bright yellow but the slightest hint of lime)
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Tank size - 6 gal planted, 3 pea puffers total, 2 nerite snails
Feeding - bloodworms 1-2 times a day
Water change - 25-30% once a month, was advised because of my plants I don’t need to do weekly/as often
Products - water is dechlorinated with prime. Use API leaf dose for the plants once a week, small dose, around 2-3ml
Last week changes - added nerite snails. Switched from sponge filter to regular filter (was waiting on replacement part so media had been in that tank and part of the ecosystem), use filter floss to cut down to almost 0 flow, added air stone for minor bubbling since there were no more bubbles from sponge filter
Tank has been set up for around 2 months now. We cycled it with a bottle of turbo start, dosed it with a measured amount of ammonia and let it cycle itself, water was tested and given the okay to add fish to it
Have a tank with some pea puffers and the last few days, one of them has started to act almost lifeless. Always had a great appetite, the biggest of the puffers. Within the last week or so has become pretty lethargic and at the point where now it just lays on the bottom. Got it a little quarantine box so it can be left alone. Will just lay there and sometimes get small spurts where it tries to swim but then stops. Can’t get it to eat. I can tell he’s breathing but he just isn’t doing well overall. Stomach is sunken in. Other pea puffers are fine, still have great appetites, no changes or anything with them. Not super sure what to do with this big guy sadly. He’s gotten super skinny and almost looks like a hunchback. Any sort of advice would be awesome. Got them from a specialty fish store near me, not a large commercial one. Puffers are bred and not wild caught from what I remember.
Water parameters (using the API freshwater master test kit)
pH - 7.6 (I tested high ph as well cause I’m not sure of difference and that one reads around 7.8ish)
Ammonia - in between 0-.25ppm (not bright yellow but the slightest hint of lime)
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Tank size - 6 gal planted, 3 pea puffers total, 2 nerite snails
Feeding - bloodworms 1-2 times a day
Water change - 25-30% once a month, was advised because of my plants I don’t need to do weekly/as often
Products - water is dechlorinated with prime. Use API leaf dose for the plants once a week, small dose, around 2-3ml
Last week changes - added nerite snails. Switched from sponge filter to regular filter (was waiting on replacement part so media had been in that tank and part of the ecosystem), use filter floss to cut down to almost 0 flow, added air stone for minor bubbling since there were no more bubbles from sponge filter
Tank has been set up for around 2 months now. We cycled it with a bottle of turbo start, dosed it with a measured amount of ammonia and let it cycle itself, water was tested and given the okay to add fish to it