The Puffer Forum

I'm not sure but until someone else comes along..what is the medicine you are treating him with, when was your last water change and do you have some kind of air stone, is he still eating good
Sorry about all the questions these are just some of the things I go over with mine when they are not acting right. I always think of something in the water when they are surfing the top of the tank. I take my water parameters but even if they are good I still usually do a water change

"Perfect" means nothing. Please post exact water parameters. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH. How long has the tank been set up?

Oh good Pufferpunk I hoped you would come along

Yeah, been really busy trying to plan/build a new reef tank. I do pop in & comment when needed. Lots of great pufferfolk, other than myself, to give great advice here.

Ok...here are the answers to the questions:

Last water change one week ago.
Tank has been set up for 6 months.

I have a bubble wand that they play in and to introduce more oxygen into the water.

They are all eating well. They eat blood worms, krill, brine shrimp, and ghost shrimp (though I think that is when they get sick...after I give them the ghost shrimp).

Temp = 80 degrees F
SG = 1.010
Ammonia = 0
Nitrate = 20
Nitrite = 0
GH = 150
KH = 120
ph = 8.2

The meds they are being treated with are Melafix, and I am soaking bloodworms, brine shrimp and krill in parasite clear by jungle.

I am going to move the tank today so I will do another water change (50%) today when I do that.

I use marine salt (instant ocean) when I do it.

Does this help?

gruntle wrote:... (though I think that is when they get sick...after I give them the ghost shrimp)

Are you raising the ghost shrimp or have them in quarantine for awhile before you feed them to the fish? I believe if not quarantined, they can introduce nasties to fish the same way feeder fish can.

I am getting them from the LFS...which is a really great fish store...but I think that is what is making them sick...I think I will stick to snails, if I can get them...my LFS wont sell them to anyone...

Getting them from the LFS is fine, just make sure you quarantine them for at least 2 weeks, longer if possible, before using them as food.

Are you in the US? I bought my snails on eBay believe it or not they were cheap & healthy and I was able to set up a little 2 gal for snails. I think I even saw them in the UK on eBay but I'm not sure. Anyway the lady I bought from is in West Virginia she has a web site also and sells all different kinds in all sizes and ships priority so it isn’t expensive at all.

Got some from my LFS...apparently they cannot sell ram horn snails...not the other kinds...so I got come small ones and hopefully they will breed....

Hopefully you didn't get Malaysian Trumpet snails (MTS). They look like pointed ice cream cones. Those are not good for puffers, have been known to break their teeth.

thanks for the info...I think I got one like that...and I will not feed it to the puffers!

Is pufferpunk out there?

I was wondering if anyone has help with my original question...why are my puffers hanging at the top of my tank?

How long did you take to acclimate them to the level of SG, or is that what you got them at? How big are they? What size is the tank?