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[RTR]

Why are these fish in BW? They are FW fish. Dilute the BW back to FW, but not all at once - drop down 0.002 per week max.

 

[tinister]

I know what happened now...

Thanks, RTR. I have them in brackish right now because the LFS had him in a brackish tank for about a month before I bought him. So I'm been pretty much doing what you suggested and slowly bringing my tank to FW levels.

My puffer was doing fine up until just after my last water change and then it started the whole huffing and puffing symptoms.

I thought it was my nitrites/nitrates, but then I back-tracked and had a hunch what was wrong:

I have a PUR water filter attached to my kitchen faucet and I had it turned on when I did the last water change. So I just did a 25% water change - this time with straight tap water treated with PRIME, and my puffer has now completely stopped huffing and puffing.

Is it just a coincidence - or can filtered water be the suspect? Maybe the filter adds something to the water that is harmful to the puffer?

 

[Pufferpunk]

I would ad an extra air source for now.

 

[tinister]

Thanks, Pufferpunk. The fishes (including the puffer) in the tank started coming to the surface again, so I installed a bubble wall temporarily like you suggested. It seems to be working.

Do you have any ideas there's not enough oxygen in the first place? I have a lot of live plants in the tank - could that be the problem? I'd imagine that could only help to produce more oxygen.

Should I have always had a bubble wall or some other oxygen source in the tank? I only had a biowheel setup before.

Sorry to be asking so much. Tinster

 

[Pufferpunk]

You mentioned that something was wrong w/the water during your last WC. If you don't do the same thing again, things should go back to normal. I have no airstones in any of my tanks & I think they are actually bad for plants.

 

[tinister]

Thanks, Pufferpunk. I will remove the bubble wall after a day or so. Thanks for all your help. Tinister

 

[tinister]

My puffer's dead

Man. He was waddling at the surface and I went to net him out to put into a smaller tank to change the water in his tank and he puffed while in the net. I didn't have him in the net for more that 5 seconds.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Hmmmm, puffing shouldn't have killed him instantly. For future reference, you should never net a puffer. Catch it in a cup/pitcher, or anything else like that. Also, why would you remove the puffer to do a water change? Sorry for the loss of your puffer.

 

[tinister]

He's Alive!!!

Hi, Pufferpunk. My puffer didn't die I submerged him in water and after 5 minutes or so - I came back and he was swimming at the bottom of the bucket. I thought he was dead because I read somewhere that once a puffer inflates out of water - there's no way for him to deflate.

I removed him because he wasn't looking very well - swimming at the surface and moving kind of crooked. So I conditioned a fresh bucket of water intending to place him in it temporarily until I could figure out what was the matter with the tank. That's when he inflated.

When he deflated - he was swiming and acting like normal in the bucket. So I did a 75% water change in his tank and put him back in it this morning. He seems to be 100% back to normal now - relaxing at the bottom of the tank in his cave.

I will monitor him for the rest of the day, but I think that everything is OK now.

Thanks for your help and support. Tinister

 

[Pufferpunk]

Whew! That's great news!