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Showing results for tags 'south american puffer'.
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Edit 9/30/21: I decided to turn this into a general journal. Will hopefully give an update on the 55 SAP tank as well as introduce my other tanks and projects! A fellow forum member very kindly suggested that I could start a journal about this tank and my efforts to address constant glass surfing by my juvenile South American Puffers. Here is the other post/thread, if anyone is interested: (I admit, the title is a bit melodramatic). Basically, they glass surf constantly and - without getting into any conflict about the ethics or morals about what that means or whether we should keep wild-caught animals in captivity - I personally just do not find it enjoyable to watch animals do this. So I was considering giving them up, but decided to take the other good advice I received on that thread (really I am so grateful to this community) and will try to adjust the environment to see if I can reduce this behavior. Attached is a picture of the tank as it currently stands. It is a 55 gallon with half sand, half gravel substrate; planted with jungle val, java fern, java moss,subwassertang, and frogbit across the top; pH is a bit high (8, sometimes up to 8.4); nitrates are always pretty low in the tank (5-10 ppm at most). I change out 15 gallons about once a week - mostly trying to clean up the substrate. There are 6 south american puffers - at first I intended to only keep 3, but there was one in particular that was much more stressed than the others and avoiding food, and I know they prefer to be in groups so I got 3 more. The biggest group I felt I could manage in a tank this size. They are still young (about 1"-1.5"). I got them in Dec-Jan. They get 1 cube frozen blood worms once a day (I do occaisionally skip a few days when I see a lot of planaria in the tank), and 10-30 snails that I toss in throughout the day. I tend to drop the snails into the plants, so that the puffers have to find them. I tried live blackworms early on, but had a parasite scare (happy to elaborate later if anyone asks), so I've been gun shy on using those since even though the puffers loved them. I thought the blackworms were from California Black Worms, though I bought them through a local fish store (I live in Northern California), so I'll have to look into a direct source since I hear that company is a trusted brand. Here are some links to videos of the behavior I'm seeing: https://photos.app.goo.gl/u9p2Mno1Dhmp88Vk9 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fxbzbvVGKcgPPkCoRJWi7ESHf7WQF6JI/view?usp=sharing
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- 55 gallon
- south american puffer
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pH - 7.6 Nitrates - 0ppm Hardness - 8dH Nitrite - 0ppm Ammonia - 0ppm KH/Buffer - 9ppm Water Temperature 74F Came back to the outbreak on my SAPS. Read through a post where another keeper is having a similar issue. Browsing through the link provided comparing ich to epistylis it does appear as though the white dots are raised off of the fish rather then being flat. They were wormed when I got them a little over a month ago. They are still rather active, are not clamping their fins much, but do not seem to have a lot of appetite based on what I see in the tank. Looking for opinions on if I should treat for ich or epistylis. Also, we have some otocinclus with them in the tank, added less then two weeks ago and they show no sign of this yet.
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I started keeping south american puffers 3 months ago. I have 6 in a heavily planted 55 gallon, and lost 1 in quarantine. I tried to do a fair pit of research before settling on this fish and felt prepared to handle the challenges of keeping this fish. The ones that made it through quarantine are doing well, they eat, have fat bellies. And each spends some time exploring the tank. They are still juvenile, about 1.5" long. Despite this, I'm considering giving them to a local fish store or seeing if I can rehome them through the aquarium club. Although they are generally doing well, they still do a lot of glass surfing, exclusively on the back and sides of the tank (which are covered in black to try to cut down on this). The tank has a powehead to provide flow, and is heavily planted -- I even bought $200+ worth of subwassertang to try to fill up the sides of the tank to see if that would help. The parameters are stable at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 10 nitrate. The pH is high, 8-8.4 - I've been adding pH neutralizing substrate and more cattapa leaves to try to combat the high pH of my tap water which I think gets even more alkaline from the snail shells they leave behind. The temperature is 75. I understand that glass surfing is quite common in the species, particularly early on. I got the impression that it was temporary. I realize now I should have done even more research. But research can't always tell you how much you might enjoy a particular fish or tank set up once you do it. I feel guilty saying it, but I just don't find watching them glass surf enjoyable. And I initially was attracted to a species-specific "oddball" tank, but I now think I'd prefer the variety of a community tank. If it weren't for this behavior, I would enjoy them much more and don't think I'd be at the point of trying to give them away. I worry that I'm giving up on them too soon. Not to mention that the stress of me catching them and being moved yet again will probably be even worse for them than their current situation. For people who have kept them long term, should I stick it out? Any other suggestions to try to reduce glass surfing? Would an even bigger tank help? could my water parameters be contributing to this behavior?
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I purchased 4 peruvian puffers on Sunday, all seemed normal that evening after acclimating. (eating, glass surfing, but starting to explore the environment) Yesterday night (Monday) I noted the smallest of the 4 was not interested in eating and was glass surfing, but at a much slower pace than during the day. This morning, the puffer is listless, earlier in the morning (9am), I tried to feed it, it would not even eat black worms that I held with tweezers in front of its face. I also noticed it's eyes were not moving or focusing on the worms or anything else. In the morning, it was just floating upright near the surface - got caught in the current and completely floated in the current (it got strewn across the tank), not swimming at all. It's small fins are moving, but it is not swimming with its tail. As of 11:30 this morning, it is sitting on the bottom not moving, just breathing. As you can see from the pictures, its very pale. Been trying to research the puffer forums but nothing is very helpful so far. But I did see that the puffer laying at the bottom of the tank is a very bad sign. I tested the water this morning: 0 ammonia 0 nitrite 10 ppm nitrate Gh 75 KH 120 temp 76 It is in a 55 gal planted tank, running for just over 2 months. The other 3 are doing well, active, and eating. So far they are leaving the sick one alone and not bullying it. Meds I have on hand are IchX, Maracyn, and Paracleanse. And salt. I can probably get my hands on some Maracyn 2 quickly. I haven't done it yet but can set up a quarantine tank. I havne't run any meds yet for any of the puffers because I was assured by the store they were quarantined already and I had them feed the puffers before I bought them. There's also no other fish in the tank. I'm very worried considering the rapid decline in just the last 12 hours, any suggestions folks have on what the best next step to do would be much appreciated.
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*UPDATE* This morning the lines area gone. Could it have been tiny bubbles attached to her from when I added water? There was lots of tiny bubbles in the tank - but they dissipated and what was on her tail remained. But she looks right as rain today for which I am so very grateful! Stats: 40 gallon long with a sponge filter and a power head Established moderately planted tank 2+ years PH 8.0 (normal is 7.4) But I did feed a block of bloodworms if that makes a difference some how. Nitrates 80 PPM* (the plants are helping - out of the tap I'm 80-160 PPM) Hardness Unkown but I do live in an area for having Hard to Extreme water hardness Nitrite 0 PPM (normal) Ammonia 0 PPM (normal) KH 300 PPM approx. Water Temp 82 degrees My well water is poisoned with Nitrates due to agriculture practices of big pharma. They have killed our soil and our water.. We are in process of purchasing a whole house nitrate filter. It is about $2K. I've vowed to purchase no more fish until this is resolved. When I began fish keeping I had no idea about water chemistry. I now know much more. Know better do better. Earlier today I did a water change - about 40% - I match my water temp with a thermometer when refilling (I don't want to repeat a mistake I made once). Prior to this water change I do not believe my SAP had anything on her tail. I usually keep a close eye on her as I have learned they can be susceptible to stress induced disease. After doing the water change I noticed these distinct white lines on her tail. They are raised on one side only. I turned on the night mode on my lights to see if they would fluoresce but they did not. I also shined a UV light on her tail, but it did not react to that either. Unless it is pertinent to the discussion of the disease I would prefer to not receive an endless diatribe concerning my nitrates. I have done every thing I can do short of driving many many many miles to obtain cleaner water at great expense for the quantities I would need to maintain lower nitrate levels. I am aware of the situation and dealing with it. I'm more surprised by my ph. So much so that I ran the test again. This is my absolute favorite fish. I absolutely adore her. She's mad at me for accidentally having my flash on and won't come near me now. These are the best pics I've gotten so far. I don't want to keep causing stress so I'm not pressing the issue right now. (PS - don't let the calm nature of my post beguile you - inside I'm calmly freaking out - I don't want to lose her.)
