Urgent Help Needed Ill Fig 8 Puffer

[Sliceofbeef]

I bought a fig 8 yesterday, in the shop it was kept in brackish water and seemed fine. I bought it home, and its in a tropical aquarium by itself, im going to make it brackish as soon as I can buy a hydrometer, in the next few days. I woke up this morning, and it's stuck behind the heater, I presumed it was dead, and moved the filter, it floated out and about 1 minute later, it started swimming, very very slowly and rolling over, like he didn' have full control, and then he stopped again, I thought he was dead again, but then he swam to the bottom and now he's kinda resting on the sand and moving a little. It looks like hes got hiccups, hes wriggling a bit. Is it coz hes really hot coz hes spent the night pushed against the heater, so should I turn the heater off for a while? I've just added some marine salt, I measured how much I should put in first, but Its not exact because I don't have a hydrometer.


PLEASE HELP

George

 

[Sliceofbeef]

Don't worry bought it guys, he's dead now =[ dunno why but I will try to find out

Thanks for the help.

 

[Fella]

I'm presuming this is a figure 8 kept in a non cycled 20l aquarium that you were posting about in your other posts?

It does not suit that aquarium and would be cruel to assume it would. Please don't replace it, consider getting a different kind of fish.

 

[Sliceofbeef]

I'm presuming this is a figure 8 kept in a non cycled 20l aquarium that you were posting about in your other posts?

It does not suit that aquarium and would be cruel to assume it would. Please don't replace it, consider getting a different kind of fish.

It was cycled, for a week actually. And the petshop owner told me it would be fine in that tank.

 

[Fella]

I'm presuming this is a figure 8 kept in a non cycled 20l aquarium that you were posting about in your other posts?

It does not suit that aquarium and would be cruel to assume it would. Please don't replace it, consider getting a different kind of fish.

It was cycled, for a week actually. And the petshop owner told me it would be fine in that tank.

You've learned the hard way then that the advice of salesmen isnt always the best advice to follow. And a week is too short for a cycle. What are the tank parameters?

Adding salt directly to a tank isn't the way to do it either. Mix it during a water change into the fresh water, then add it. Don't add it directly.

 

[nmonks]

Fella has summed things up pretty well already, but for the sake of clarity, here's where you went wrong:

Firstly, an aquarium needs 6+ weeks to cycle if you're not adding mature filter media (or filter bacteria) directly. Note that adding water or gravel from another tank doesn't count! The easiest way to jump-start the filter is to add filter media from another aquarium. You need quite a lot; at least 50% of the media new filter should be "old" media.

Since T. biocellatus can last a long time in freshwater, there's nothing to stop you setting up the new aquarium as a freshwater tank, adding media from another freshwater aquarium, and then once settled down raising the salinity as required. I'd recommend leaving it as a freshwater system for at least a couple of the weeks, with you testing for nitrite at least every 2-3 days to make sure the media 'transplant' had worked.

Secondly, you haven't mentioned nitrite or ammonia. This implies you haven't understood the nitrogen cycle. Almost certainly this fish died because of ammonia or nitrite poisoning. Puffers are quite sensitive to these chemicals; certainly more so that, say, zebra danios or bronze corydoras. In other words: you have less chance of getting away with mistakes.

Thirdly, 20 litres is way too small for this fish. I'd recommend not less than 75-90 litres, depending on the shape of the tank (length being more important than depth).

Essentially you did a bunch of unwise things and the fish died. This is sad. But what would be sadder is if you didn't try and learn from them, correct the mistakes, and then adapt your fishkeeping techniques. You shouldn't rely on the guys in the pet store. Sometimes these people are great, and you get first class advice; but sometimes they're not so great. If you can't tell the difference, then it's time to go buy/borrow an aquarium book, read it, and THEN go shopping.

If you're into puffers there are several good books out there, including mine and the Aqualog pufferfish book, either of which would save you a lot of trouble in the long term. Web sites are of variable quality because no-one edits them; so while you should certainly feel free to peruse them, don't take anything you read as Gospel unless you recognise the author and know he/she is a respected aquarist. There are plenty of first-rate aquarists here at TFF, and you'll be well advised listening to what they have to say.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jennybugs]

What a shame that you ignored advice from people who gave it in order to help you do the right thing

 

[Sliceofbeef]

What a shame that you ignored advice from people who gave it in order to help you do the right thing

Shutup, I'm a beginner and I made a mistake, I'm annoyed that I let that poor little fish die, but it doesn't help, when I have people that are really far up their own 'bottoms' telling me that I ignored information.

 

[BracKeeper75]

What a shame that you ignored advice from people who gave it in order to help you do the right thing

Shutup, I'm a beginner and I made a mistake, I'm annoyed that I let that poor little fish die, but it doesn't help, when I have people that are really far up their own 'bottoms' telling me that I ignored information.

I think what they are upset about, is that everyone on here told you how to make it right! You Ignored it! A Fish DIED!

No need to get uptight about it. Your biggest mistake was listening to the LFS employee, and not the experienced aquariast on here! If you are going to come looking for help and then ignore everything people on here have told you, then why come here in the first place? This is a place to gain knowledge and to share knowledge. If you want help ask away, If you are going to ignore everyone why bother? Please PLEASE PLEAS research any fish you are going to buy prior to doing so, and make sure you are able to care for it properly! If you do make a mistake (and you did) Learn from it and move forward, don't be rude! Do your research, get your tank set up properly, ask questions, and then buy fish! Not the other way around. You should be able to bring a fish home and put it in its proper habitat immediately, and not in something unnatural untill you have the money or means to house it properly! Think about it what if when you were born they were not ready, they brought you home from the hospital and did not have a crib for you so instead they put you in a cardboard box on the floor for a few weeks , would that be ok? Probably not! And lastly SHUT UP is very rude and not very nice! All and allit comes down to one thing

RESEARCH

 

[Sliceofbeef]

What a shame that you ignored advice from people who gave it in order to help you do the right thing

Shutup, I'm a beginner and I made a mistake, I'm annoyed that I let that poor little fish die, but it doesn't help, when I have people that are really far up their own 'bottoms' telling me that I ignored information.

I think what they are upset about, is that everyone on here told you how to make it right! You Ignored it! A Fish DIED!

No need to get uptight about it. Your biggest mistake was listening to the LFS employee, and not the experienced aquariast on here! If you are going to come looking for help and then ignore everything people on here have told you, then why come here in the first place? This is a place to gain knowledge and to share knowledge. If you want help ask away, If you are going to ignore everyone why bother? Please PLEASE PLEAS research any fish you are going to buy prior to doing so, and make sure you are able to care for it properly! If you do make a mistake (and you did) Learn from it and move forward, don't be rude! Do your research, get your tank set up properly, ask questions, and then buy fish! Not the other way around. You should be able to bring a fish home and put it in its proper habitat immediately, and not in something unnatural untill you have the money or means to house it properly! Think about it what if when you were born they were not ready, they brought you home from the hospital and did not have a crib for you so instead they put you in a cardboard box on the floor for a few weeks , would that be ok? Probably not! And lastly SHUT UP is very rude and not very nice! All and allit comes down to one thing

RESEARCH

I haven't been ignoring it, I've taken advice and made a few mistakes, I'm just going to forget about this site now and find somewhere else, a lot of people have helped me and I thank those people, but there are so MANY people that are so full of themselves and don't accept people make mistakes. But thanks very much for those who helped me, even though 'I ignored it.'

And to those people, who are just complaining about newbies, get a life.

 

[jennybugs]

I haven't been ignoring it, I've taken advice and made a few mistakes, I'm just going to forget about this site now and find somewhere else, a lot of people have helped me and I thank those people, but there are so MANY people that are so full of themselves and don't accept people make mistakes. But thanks very much for those who helped me, even though 'I ignored it.'

So you're telling me to shut up but you're also thanking me? Check back through your threads...you might just find I was one of those people who gave help in the form of advice. Thanks for telling me to shut up...that's really nice of you.

Everyone makes mistakes at one time or another while they're learning and everyone on here has been a newbie! You know what you've done wrong and why so there's no need to get that far up your own bottom when people comment on what you've done, be it right or wrong.

 

[Marine/Freshwater?]

Really Sliceofbeef,
Alot of people are perpetually bent over Green Spotted Puffers in the pet trade. I remember the first day my local W-mart got GSPs. I bought one, came home did some research and was crushed. People have been screwing up with puffers for years and it seems like everyone should know by now that GSPs and Figure Eights aren't freshwater, yet whenever I go to w-mart there is somebody buying a GSP for thier "tropical comunity tank". For this reason a lot of senior fish keepers are rather touchy over noobs keeping puffers in the wrong environment.

 

[jennybugs]

In this particular case that opinion about seniour fishkeepers being touchy has absolutely nothing to do with it! I suggest you read through Sliceofbeefs threads to see what's actually happened

I have only been in serious fishkeeping for a year (a novice compared to the experience of lots of people on this here forum and others like it), and when I ask for guidance and advice I listen to it, I don't go out and do the EXACT opposite of what I the majority have advised against doing. I also don't go hurling insults at people on ANY forum I belong to.

I'm dropping this now as I am sure (hope) Sliceofbeef has learnt a lesson the hard way, but it's good to read facts before jumping to conclusions such as 'senior snobbery etc'. It's always best to read up and enquire about the right way to keep any fish before going out and buying it regardless of how senior one is or isn't or how much of a newbie you are, so you know you're starting off on the right foot

If I have misunderstood your reply then I apologise in advance.

 

[Sliceofbeef]

In this particular case that opinion about seniour fishkeepers being touchy has absolutely nothing to do with it! I suggest you read through Sliceofbeefs threads to see what's actually happened

I have only been in serious fishkeeping for a year (a novice compared to the experience of lots of people on this here forum and others like it), and when I ask for guidance and advice I listen to it, I don't go out and do the EXACT opposite of what I the majority have advised against doing. I also don't go hurling insults at people on ANY forum I belong to.

I'm dropping this now as I am sure (hope) Sliceofbeef has learnt a lesson the hard way, but it's good to read facts before jumping to conclusions such as 'senior snobbery etc'. It's always best to read up and enquire about the right way to keep any fish before going out and buying it regardless of how senior one is or isn't or how much of a newbie you are, so you know you're starting off on the right foot

If I have misunderstood your reply then I apologise in advance.

I don't even know if I can be bovered to reply to this. For god sake, I'm 14, I made a mistake. I killed a fish accidently, and I'm angry that happened, I did things wrongly and it probably was because I ignored advice and didn't take in all the information. You say we were all newbies, and of course you all were/are but would you have liked it to have people ranting on at you, this topic was for help, now it's just turned into an argument, reply to this if you want, but please no more posts, let's just leave this.

George