After a lot of gong back and forth, tonight we decided we would try putting the green puffer in with our tank of P. Lanisticola... we noticed the cichlids nipping at the puffer slightly, but he seemed to be holding his own. We went to bed, and my fiance hap[ened to wake up a couple hours later, and when he went to check on our puffer, Squirt... one of our cichlids was floating upside down. I know he didn't attack the cichlid... but could he have some type of toxin he releases when attacked? a few of the other fish in the tank aren't looking so good.. so we removed puffer... but does anyone have any idea what happened here?
2007-04-15 17:08:05 · 4 answers · asked by lmaryott4 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
I know puffers need an almost brakish water, but since my cichlids are from malawi, we keep their water almost brakish anyway... or just below it, with malawi salt.. thats the only reason i even considered putting squirt in with them. but it is scary how many ppl don't realize GSP's are brackish water fish. Thanks so much for all of the feedback
After a 50% water change, the others seem to be doing great! Only lost one, thank god!
2007-04-16 00:52:07 · update #1
ok, i think I have T. fluviatilis.. given the pictures and description... he's been removed from the tank, but I'm positive he wasn't attacking the cichlids.. they are all at least 2-3" long, whereas he is about 1", I guess what happened will remain a mystery... but since the removal of the puffer and the water change, the rest of the cichlids all looked great this morning, eating normally and swimming happily, a big change from last night. also, i know no level of ammonia and nitrate are "safe" levels... but when tested last night, prior to the water change, ammonia was at 0.50ppm and nitrate was at 10 ppm. the ammonia was obviously a problem, why I am not sure... but the nitrate number wasn't hugely scary to me... what WAS weird.. is, we keep their pH at about 8.0 (since they are malawi cichlids) but when we tested that last night, it was 8.8... what would cause that? anyway, we did that water change and everything seems fine, but could these be the factor and not the puffer?
2007-04-16 07:08:18 · update #2
Do a fifty percent water change immediately. Puffer fish have tetrodotoxin in their skin, though I haven't heard of them releasing in into the water. It is possible Squirt bit your puffer and ingested some toxin from the surface of the skin. After changing half of the water, wait a day and do another 50% water change. As far as medications go, they don't make anything to neutralize tetrodotoxin but you would benefit from putting something in that aides in renewal of slime coat, such as Stresszyme or Prime. Puffers do best in a tank by themselves, I wouldn't recommend mixing them with any other fish.
2007-04-15 18:01:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
Be assured your puffer did not POISON your other fish. He will attack your other fish, but not POISON him.
Your puffer should also not be in a tank with cichlids.
Secondly what type exactly GSP do you have? There are green spotted puffers that are strictly FRESH water and ones that are brackish/full salt?
Do you have a scientific name for him? Most puffers sold in stores are misslabled which is the reason people have trouble taking care of them correctly.
If he is a Tetraodon nigroviridis he is a brackish/full salt puffer
Here is a good web page for determining exactly what kind you have:
http://puffernet.tripod.com/confusion.html
One of the most commonly sold puffers, it is often confused with t. nigroviridis, and also t. schoutedeni. In short, T. fluviatilis is torpedo-shaped with a smooth belly, while T. nigroviridis and T. schoutedeni are more club-shaped, with T. schoutedeni having backward pointing spines along its underbelly. Identifying these similar looking fish is important, since one is brackish and the others are fresh.
Puffers do not release toxins into the water source. the toxins in a puffer are contained to the bacteria in their gull bladders. Chances are your puffer is bullying them. Chasing them into a stress related illness. I would suggest separating your puffer from the rest of the community tank.
2007-04-16 13:50:12 · answer #2 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
OK yes puffer fish are poisonous, but and this is a REALLY BIG BUT they are only poisonous if they are eaten by another fish...sounds like the puffer was a new addition to the tank... i don't know if your other fish are territorial or not but you should find this out because if they are you need to change the environment before adding any other fish...puffers tend to be delicate fish and if I were you I would put the puffer back in the tank after rearranging it to confuse the other fish, so they will get to know each other, by the way you do know that puffers are brackish and not freshwater fish right? No mater what anyone tells you they are brackish, if you try to give them salt-less water it's going to be very difficult...you need to medicate him since evidently he's been injured...also if you're fish aren't territorial the puffer may have a disease and the other fish were trying to help him die...in any case medicate everyone in the tank with mardel brand maracyn plus..antibacterial...now...your fishes health depends on it email me back if you need any more fish advice...I can help you with just about anything...I have 2 freshwater aquariums and 1 saltwater.
good luck,
Michelle
2007-04-16 01:01:45 · answer #3 · answered by Michelle L 2 · 2⤊ 4⤋
Sounds like he may have poisoned your other fish. It's good that you took him out, but the other ones could be doomed anyways.
Contact an aquarium specialist as soon as possible for advice. You may need to add medication to the water to clear up the toxins. Good luck.
2007-04-16 00:24:37 · answer #4 · answered by DH 7 · 0⤊ 4⤋