The Puffer Forum

Ive had my mbu puffer about 2mths now, he is in a 6foot, 100gal tank, tank has been running about 1yr now, parameters are
pH 7
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 12.5.

I had a few problems with my tank a few weeks ago and had a pH crash, pH was 5, watechanges didn't help and used pH up, which helped a little but I wasn't happy about using it and eventually got small ammonia and nitrite reading. So I took out vallis as it wasn't looking as good as it used to and added ocean rock as a buffer, this seemed to sort out problems and readings are now fine.

His regular feeds are, cockles, lance fish and pond snail once a week.

I fed him a prawn 4days ago and he hasn't been the same since. He just lies on the bottom of the tank and pants, he has changed colour and now looks darker, hes not interested in feeding anymore. This morning he was sucked onto the side of the filter, so I removed him and put him in a hospital tank I prepared yesterday, added tonic salt and anti bacterial meds, readings of this tank 3hours after he went in are
pH 7
nitrite 0
ammonia 0.8
nitrate 12.5

I'm going to proceed with a water change and try and get that ammonia back down, should I squeeze an established filter sponge in that tank

I want to know what else I should be doing, please.

Thanks

Has he pooped out the prawn as far as you can tell?
What meds have you used?
Does the hospital tank have an established filter and plenty of aeration in it?

I would start doing massive water changes on his tank & leave him in there. Clean every inch of the gravel w/a gravel cleaner (Python). Why do you think there was a pH crash? How much & how often have you been changing the water? What is the pH of your tap water?

I think he has pooped the prawn out, you can normally see a bulge in his stomach.

I'm not sure why the pH crashed, was changing water weekly 20% siphoning gravel and cleaning filters once a month (in old tank water). When the crash happened I done a 50% water change (tap pH is 7) took out all plants and give gravel a good cleaning, plants went back in, pH went up to 6 but dropped again over night, a series of Small wc every 2 days for a week didn't seem to sort it, I think vallis was maybe dying and causing it but I'm not sure.

Filter in hospital wasn't established but have replaced sponge with a mature sponge and done 50% change and ammonia is down to 0.1mg/l. He seems a little happier is moving about a lot more. Not going to add any more meds, used interpet anti internal bacteria, just going to stick with the tonic salt in his water for a while see what happens, unless anyone has any better ideas.

Hospital tank is just a bare tank no sustrate or decorations, added 4 small snails in there today. Puffer is only 4inches at the moment

100 gallons is way too small for an Mbu. You need to do more and/or bigger water changes, and I would probably clean out the filters more often.

What are you using for filtration?

It's only 4".

Keep up with the big water changes and hopefully he will be OK.

As you moved him into the hospital tank I am assuming that you have him with some tankmates in your main tank. What else have you got him in with?