Urgent Help: Ceylon Puffers Getting Dark & Not Eatting

[derStar]

I have 3 of these in my fresh water tank. After the first one died 2 weeks ago, one of the other two is not willing to eat, and the color is turning so dark, almost like black.

Since puffers are highly intelligent fish, i bet it might feel sad because one of his buddy is dead?

Or is there something else i should pay attention to?

I have been pulling 2 capful of "Cycle" chemicals into the tank every week, and changing 15% of the tanks water with one spoon of fresh water salt and two capfuls of "Aqua Plus", every week too.

So far, these puffers are very picky on food, they only eats bloodworms and dried shrimps.

Am i not putting enough salt in the tank? or should i use Ocean Salt?

Any inputs welcome... i love these puffers...

p.s. i also have a Green Spotted Puffer in the tank, i guess they should be fine together...

 

[derStar]

bump... puffers still suffering...

salt doesn't work, both fresh and ocean salt.

Ick Guard doesn't work either... Maybe i should try other medicine?

 

[WILDER]

Well going dark in colour can indicate a bacterial infections, any other symptoms to go on, is the fish bloated or laying to one side.

 

[tttnjfttt]

Also, check the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Puffers are very sensitive to bad water quality.

 

[Fella]

Hi

I just wrote a giant reply, and my PC crashed, so I haven't really got the inclination to do it again. It would probably be quicker and easier if you googled these things

"Tetraodon fulviatilis brackish water"
"brackish water"
"tetraodon nigrividis brackish water"

And see what they turn up. Basically, they need salt in their water, but check those links and see what turns up and if you're any better off for knowing what you need to do.

 

[Torrean]

Have you tried feeding them snails?

 

[derStar]

Hi all, thanks for the reply.

I have been maintain the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. The water tested out to be very good.

They are not moving at the bottom of the tank sitting on the gravel, dont' feel like to move at all.

One of them have black underside, another one have fading/pal color, and one of them have white dots on the skin.

I have been told to give them some IckGuard as medication, but doesn't seems to work either...

Is my really last healing move to these lovely, highly intelligent puffer is to shave the bacteria off their skins? Don't think i can do that... even imaging this is already horrible...

Help . . . .. .

p.s. i also have tried to search for this keywords, but it just come up with mostly general information about the first, but nothing about how to heal them... . .. . . once they are healed, i'll transfer them immediately to sea tank, i know a sea tank are more ideal to puffers...

never tried snail... maybe i should.

however, so far, they don't feel like eatting dry shrimps anymore, maybe the the they don't have energy to chew them.

They only feels like eatting frozen swamps and blood worms...

 

[Torrean]

Go get some snails as soon as possible. I bet they go after them very quickly. I could be wrong though. Make sure not to get malaysian trumpet snails though because the shell is too hard. snails about the size of the puffers eye should be about the right size.

 

[andywg]

The Green Spotted Puffer is a brackish fish that will require high-end brackish to full marine salinity water by adulthood.

Look for info in the oddballs section and the brackish section on this forum.

 

[Fella]

The Green Spotted Puffer is a brackish fish that will require high-end brackish to full marine salinity water by adulthood.

Look for info in the oddballs section and the brackish section on this forum.

The same conditions are required for a ceylon puffer also. It's requirement for salt in it's water here will IMO be why it is unwilling to feed.

What are the exact tank parameters?

 

[derStar]

20G only...
Okay... will change to marine tank asap...

 

[Fella]

20G only...
Okay... will change to marine tank asap...

Woah, don't do that!

Very, very slowly change it to brackish, which is somewhere between being marine, and being freshwater. Think of an estuary near the sea, that is part river, part ocean.

Check the brackish forum here for more advice. Make sure any other fish you own are brackish fish also, as freshwater fish die in brackish conditions.

Once you have reached brackish, after some time, you can raise it so full marine, which will be perfect for these puffers as grown ups.