Dp Advice

[lilacamy931]

Hi Guys
As you know I have got 4 DPs and recently (around 2 to 3 weeks now) separated one from the main tank to his own 5g because he was an unhappy chappy. He has always been a grumpy little chap but thought he was on the road to recovery, liking mine and Alexs company, starting to eat plentiful again. The last couple of days he has gone downhill again, keeping hidden, unsure if he has eaten, having to search for him. He looks a little skinny for him but as said he goes through phrases. What really worries me is that when i did his water change he is usually curious, this time he has been on the bottom listless and didnt even move when I bumped into him gently with my hand. hmmmm.. Pale in colour also, can not decide if he is having the ultimate of mood swings or feeling abit poorly...Any help appreciated guys, you helped me so much through the moving of him and I really appreciated it

Also before asking, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia 0 (clear). PH is 8.1. Water change done half an hour ago. For the time being it is to tempt him with food and leave him alone whilst keeping an eye, let me know if there is something I can do otherwise.

Thank you

 

[bagu]

Hey

sorry to hear about your troubles

have you added anything new in the tank?

Just an idea, and a though but the pH seems high that might be a factor =/

All the best

Bagu

 

[lilacamy931]

The PH is quite high but that is what they have always been in and what they were in at the store.. I was assured that they would be ok in this and better to keep a constant then have fluctuating PHs and chemicals.

No changes to the tank at all..Hopefully my little man is jsut being moody, he is a bit of a chamaleon, of course it does not stop me worrying

thanks for answering Bagu always appreciate

 

[bagu]

Hey

Hmmm might just be in a mood like you said just keep an eye out; im sure you do anyway

I cant really see anything wrong in the tank really to be honest.

Take Care and try not to worry yourself out

And i'm glad to help you out anytime

Bagu

 

[lilacamy931]

More thanks Bagu!

You keep me sane

He is still moping but snapped out of it for 5 mins with bloodworm temptation - my poor moody man. I try to make things as happy for him as possible..

 

[iSnail]

Aww... bless him...

DPs are quite moody but a healthy DP shouldn't look sick. Does his belly look sunken? If so, it is possible that he has IP (internal parasite). I have no experience in IP treatments but have read that Wormer Plus (for discus) is a good. I'm sure Jennybugs can fill you in with more details if you pm her. Perhaps have a little search and check to see if symptoms match.

Hope your little man gets well soon

 

[lilacamy931]

Thanks iSnail! Well I am going to let him wake up a bit, had a late morning getting up and me and him can be grumpy in the mornings Will have a proper look at him in a little while to see about the shrunken belly thing

 

[lilacamy931]

Well here are some pictures of the little guy, let me know what you think, I am probably being overly worried..hope so

 

[bagu]

hey

he is looking quite pale =/

cant see anything other than slight color loss in the big man

as long as he is eating fine and swimming around i think he is fine; he might just want some alone time haha these crazy lil' fish

Take Care and lovely pics

Bagu

 

[lilacamy931]

LOL thanks again Bagu He is swimming around quite a bit now which is good sign, he definately is the grumpiest out of all the dwarves!

 

[jennybugs]

DPs can fluctuate their colouring for all sorts of reasons, but he doesn't look unhealthy to me.

I'd be inclined (if his tum looks sunken not long after he's eaten) to dose him with Wormer Plus if he's thin, but he doesn't look too bad in the second pic, belly wise. It's good stuff and I only ever had to use it once on my DPs to do the trick.

 

[lilacamy931]

He hadnt actually been fed by that point, so think he is good. Am thinking of getting some wormer to be on the safe side for all my puffs though. Was thinking of getting some Kusuri wormer off of Ebay as have not seen any locally, though going to have a better look.

Jennybugs - would you recommend worming them every 6 months or so to be on the safe side as know they are prone to this?

 

[bagu]

i cant see any problem with deworming; its just a safety precaution in my eyes although i might be wrong

 

[jennybugs]

Jennybugs - would you recommend worming them every 6 months or so to be on the safe side as know they are prone to this?

I have only ever used Wormer Plus as it is highly recommended elsewhere. I tend to recommend that as I know it works, it won't harm the good bacteria in the filters and tends to only need one dosing and that is it. I only had to use it once and do not agree with routine worming if it isn't needed.

If your puffer isn't looking skinny not long after eating then it's up to you about worming. Worming with wormer plus as a precaution isn't going to harm anything good in your tank - although it will kill snails.

I have wormed my DPs on purchase and while waiting for the delivery lost one of my original DPs to IPs. It got skinnier and skinnier even though it was eating well which was a classic sign of IPs.

 

[lilacamy931]

Really sorry to hear one of your DPs died from it, that is really sad!

I have always watched for this in my DPs to make sure their bellies get full and remain full, good so far! Should I get some wormer in just in case? From your experience Jennybugs what is the shelf life like? Thanks for the recommendation..off to source!