Puffer died second day

MyShrimpDied

MyShrimpDied

Freddie Freeloader
Jun 2, 2004
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FW Puffer died second day

I went to my LFS yesterday and I picked up a 1/3" dwarf puffer, It had a very strong and distinct freckle pattern so I assume it was a female.

I brought it home and let the bag float for about 20 - 25 minutes and then I Let her in. The tank had been cycled and was ready for fish.

She was doing better the second day (today) and was swimming around like a normal fish would. I fed her a half cube of a mix of frozen food, brine shrimp, krill, bloodworms, ect. Then I left to go to lunch and i come back she is no where to be found. I must have looked around the tank for half an hour, i checked everywhere. So i assume she died and I couldnt find her body.

I checked nitrite and ammonia and both were 0. My PH is about 7.6 and the PH of the LFS where i bought her is about 8.0 or 8.2. Could the reason of death been that i didn't slowly add water to the bag while it was floating which would of acclamaited her to my ph? Are they very sensitive to chemical changes?

God, im so angry right now. I feel like a total idiot and I wanna throw my fist threw the TV.

~ MyShrimpDied
 
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Variety of things could be going on here. With that much food going in for just one fish, it could have caused an ammonia spike. Could have been a problem in acclimation--floating the fish really doesn't accomplish anything. Or, it could have just been something that happened before you purchased it--juvenile dwarf puffers are not the hardiest of fish until they hit about the 6 month age.
 
That does seem like an awful lot of food offered to a 1/3" fish. I always add tank water to the bag every 10 minutes for a total of 30 minutes.
 
I agree with previous replys, too much food. Besides I always feed less than I normally would during the first days. They fish are trying to get used to new surroundings, new fish, possibly ph and termerature. Why put more stress on it with heavy feedings?
 
Did you float the bag, or did you actually mix water? If you didn't mix the water, then I'd say it might have been the PH difference.

This is what I usually do when I bring a new fish home...

First I make sure that fish bag is put in a carrying bag (upside down or laying flat -- this keeps the fish from getting smooshed in the corners). The bag is to keep it dark so that the fish can't see what's going on, which is less stressful for them. When I get them home, I turn the tank light off and let the fish float in the bag for 5 or 10 minutes to acclimate the different temperatures and let the fish settle down. Then I open up the bag and add some of my tank water (so that the mixture is about 50% store water and 50% my tank water). Then I'll just leave the fish alone for about an hour, then net them out.

It depends on how sensitive the fish is and how different the water is. I might add my water in intervals of 25% over 2 hours if they are considered delicate and there is a big difference in PH. For my puffer, I acclimated him all day and over night, with a towel around his quarantine tank to keep it dark. I suspected he had parasites so I tried to be extra gentle in this case.

I usually don't feed the first day. 1) They may have already eaten at the store. I work at a LFS and employees DO overfeed sometimes. 2) The less you mess with the fish, the less stressful it is for that critical first 24 hours.

Anyway, hope this helps.
 
Pufferpunk said:
Do you leave him in the bag overnight?
Click to expand...

No, I acclimated him in a small tank with the water from the bag. By the way... some LFS will actually give you an extra bag of their water if you ask -- I know we do.

I also have a home made "fish acclimater"... it's just a tupperware with small holes in the cover that I can float in the tank. I find this works better than a bag. It is clear and kind of square shaped.
 
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