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puffers have lost colour
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 5:07 pm
by snoopythe1st
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my boyfriends puffers (figure of 8s) have lost color on their backs and eyes. One even floating around the top of the tank but OK when prod-ed.
Any reasons why ?
Things that have happened in the last 24 hours
-feed them on shelled cockles (new)
-water change with fish bucket (normal salt and DE-clarify)
-changed over from internal filter to external (external run in with internal for 2 weeks plus have put the old internal filter sponges into the new external filter)
Nitrate levels high therefore, he did a 10% water change, they all seem to be a lot happy-er now.
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 5:20 pm
by Boxermom
Just an fyi, you only need to post it once. People will see it.
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 5:41 pm
by snoopythe1st
have i killed my boyfriends fish ?
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 5:44 pm
by RTR
If nitrate levels were high (what are the numbers?), a 10% chaage is 90% still high.
Are there any positive tests for amminia or nitrite?
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 5:56 pm
by snoopythe1st
How long has the tank been set up?
a couple of months but have change to an external filter
Did you cycle the tank? How?
once a weeks ???????
How long have you had the fish?
about 4 months
How big is the tank?
jewel 70
Any tank mates?
yes, spitting fish added yesterday
Are you doing weekly water changes? How much?
once a week about 10%
What are the water parameters:
Ammonia? (should be 0 at all times)
0
NitrItes? (should be 0 at all times)
0.8
NitrAtes? (should be <20, or even better, <1
20+ after a 20% water change
pH?
How long have you been keeping fish?
8 years but puffers just over 4 months
If you're <20--how old are you?
+20
For BW fish:
What is the SG?
???????????????
How fast have you raised it?
??????????
Are you using marine salt?
yes
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 7:15 pm
by Pufferpunk
From your answers, it sounds like you need a hydrometer (or better yet, a refractometer). Your SG (specific gravity, a measurement of salinity) should be around 1.005. Raised from 0, up it .002/weekly water change. We all do 50% weekly water changes here.
70L is about 18 gal. It is recommended to put 1 F8 into 15g & then add 10g more for every F8 added. Even 2 F8s in a 20g is probably ok, but in 70L (18g), you're really pushing it.
The "spitting fish" is probably a target fish, which grow quite large, 10 to 15 cms (4 to 6 inches). These fish are active and need to be kept in a large aquarium. I'd return it.
Bump your water changes up to 50% daily, until you get those nitrItes down to 0, then 50% weekly is good. Find out what the pH is too.