HELP! Figure 8 puffer is breathing heavily and not eating
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 10:33 am
1. PH: 8.0, Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrates: >20, Salinity: 1.006
2. 29 gallon tank, quiet flow filter, heater (keeping it about 76°), and LED lights on the top. Inside we have sand, a few rock structures/caves, 5 fake plants, and a few other small aquarium decorations.
3. Feeding schedule: once a day (mainly frozen bloomworms and brine shrimp), 40% water change weekly, and we are using API QuickStart and Prime water conditioner.
4. In the last week we’ve made one 20% water change and one 40% water change.
5. The aquarium has been set up for 3 weeks, and was fully cycled by using API QuickStart before introducing the fish 2 weeks ago.
Hello,
My girlfriend and I got our first puffer (Mr. Edgar Allen Puff) about 2 weeks ago. We did as much research as we could before getting him, and for the first week plus a day or two he had been acting fine. Before he was introduced our table was fully cycled. Ammonia and nitrite both at 0, and nitrate at 15-20 ppm.
We noticed the ammonia and nitrite levels both start to spike to .25 ppm on Monday. We did our first 20% water change then as we did not want to shock him by doing it too early.
Since that water change, the ammonia level went back to 0, but nitrite was still at .25 ppm. Mr. Puff was very sluggish (but still eating) and only wanted to lay down on the sand, and would get up only every hour or so. Because of his weird behavior and the nitrites still being above 0, we did another water change last night at 40%.
After that water change, ammonia/nitrite are back to 0 (nitrates at 20 ppm or less throughout this whole period). But he still hasn’t been acting normal. He’s now just spending time surfing the glass, breathing heavily, and this morning he didn’t eat for the first time every since we fed him.
I have a feeling our ammonia and nitrite levels spiked because I think we over fed him for the first few days and had waited too long for our first water change. Not sure if this is an accurate assumption but either way we want to help Mr. Puff! Every time we help him it seems another problem pops up.
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Mark
2. 29 gallon tank, quiet flow filter, heater (keeping it about 76°), and LED lights on the top. Inside we have sand, a few rock structures/caves, 5 fake plants, and a few other small aquarium decorations.
3. Feeding schedule: once a day (mainly frozen bloomworms and brine shrimp), 40% water change weekly, and we are using API QuickStart and Prime water conditioner.
4. In the last week we’ve made one 20% water change and one 40% water change.
5. The aquarium has been set up for 3 weeks, and was fully cycled by using API QuickStart before introducing the fish 2 weeks ago.
Hello,
My girlfriend and I got our first puffer (Mr. Edgar Allen Puff) about 2 weeks ago. We did as much research as we could before getting him, and for the first week plus a day or two he had been acting fine. Before he was introduced our table was fully cycled. Ammonia and nitrite both at 0, and nitrate at 15-20 ppm.
We noticed the ammonia and nitrite levels both start to spike to .25 ppm on Monday. We did our first 20% water change then as we did not want to shock him by doing it too early.
Since that water change, the ammonia level went back to 0, but nitrite was still at .25 ppm. Mr. Puff was very sluggish (but still eating) and only wanted to lay down on the sand, and would get up only every hour or so. Because of his weird behavior and the nitrites still being above 0, we did another water change last night at 40%.
After that water change, ammonia/nitrite are back to 0 (nitrates at 20 ppm or less throughout this whole period). But he still hasn’t been acting normal. He’s now just spending time surfing the glass, breathing heavily, and this morning he didn’t eat for the first time every since we fed him.
I have a feeling our ammonia and nitrite levels spiked because I think we over fed him for the first few days and had waited too long for our first water change. Not sure if this is an accurate assumption but either way we want to help Mr. Puff! Every time we help him it seems another problem pops up.
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Mark