Spotted Puffer Wont Move

[loveforfhishies]

just got a spotted puffer today.. first experince with brackish water and i heard 2 teaspoons for ever 1.4 gallons.. i have put 25 teaspoons of salt into my 20 gallon.. i know the right amount would be more around 45ish but i tasted the water and it tasted more salty then the water the puffer came in his bag.. i slowy adjusted him to my water by adding my tank water ot his bag.. when i turned him loose he went to a corner and just layed there.. he moves every once in a while to a new spot but hes mostly just sittin around..


you think i have to much salt or not enough?

temp is 80

ph is 8.0

nitrate is 15

cant tell ya what the measurements on my salt are since i just bought a hydrometer and it needs to be calculated for 24 hours before use..

 

[Fella]

just got a spotted puffer today.. first experince with brackish water and i heard 2 teaspoons for ever 1.4 gallons.. i have put 25 teaspoons of salt into my 20 gallon.. i know the right amount would be more around 45ish but i tasted the water and it tasted more salty then the water the puffer came in his bag.. i slowy adjusted him to my water by adding my tank water ot his bag.. when i turned him loose he went to a corner and just layed there.. he moves every once in a while to a new spot but hes mostly just sittin around..


you think i have to much salt or not enough?

temp is 80

ph is 8.0

nitrate is 15

cant tell ya what the measurements on my salt are since i just bought a hydrometer and it needs to be calculated for 24 hours before use..

More importantly, what are your ammonia and nitrite stats?

What size tank do you have him in?

Is it definitely tetraodon nigroviridis? A few puffers go under that name.

You will need to measure salt using a hydrometer, or better still, a refractometer. That's essential for getting an accurate reading.

How did you add the salt? The best way is to mix it with air in slightly warm water in a bucket, then add it to the tank. Pouring the salt straight into the tank can be very harmful.


If you can answer some of these questions we can get on the road to finding how to perk up your little guy. For now, until you have stats on ammonia and nitrite, I wouldn't feed him either.

 

[nmonks]

Twenty-five teaspoons of salt in a 20 gallon tank is NOT NEARLY enough salt for the long term. Normal seawater contains 35 grammes of salt per litre, or about 4.7 oz per US gallon. For a young GSP, you want about 1/4th that level (i.e, about 9 g/litre) and for an adult anywhere from 50% seawater upwards (i.e., 18g/litre).

A hydrometer or refractometer can be used to measure the salinity level, but in the short term weighing will work fine because the error margin will be much smaller than the tolerance of your fish to variations in salinity. So get out the kitchen scales, open up a box of MARINE AQUARIUM salt mix, and make up some brackish water. For a 20 gallon tank, the salt concentration will be about 23.6 oz per 20 US gallons for SG 1.005 or 25% seawater. 23.6 oz is about 1.5 US pounds -- you'll be surprised how much salt is needed!

I have a little tool called Brack Calc that will help you estimate and understand salinity. Download it at the link below; it's free, and for Mac and Windows.

http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/software/software.html

Add the brackish water to the aquarium over the next few days by changing 10-15% of the aquarium water. Do it this way not for the fish (which could tolerate being dumped in 25% seawater straight away) but for the benefit of the filter bacteria, which will need to adjust.

HOWEVER, in the very short term a GSP isn't likely to get sick because of the lack of salt. Check the pH and hardness, check the ammonium and nitrite, and check that the water is well aerated and the tank not overstocked. A GSP will get to about 15 cm in length and so at least a 30 gallon tank, and ideally at least a 40 gallon tank, will be needed before too long. These are essentially very hardy fish that are easy to keep, but most problems (i.e., unexpected deaths) come down to water quality/chemistry problems rather than parasites or diseases.

Cheers, Neale

 

[loveforfhishies]

Wow. Thanks a lot.
I do plan on keeping my puffer in a 55 gallon tank when the time comes, so he’s all set there.

As far as my water chemistry goes.

pH 8.0

GH 2

kH 13

Ammonia 0

Nitrite .15 its on the downfall from the nitrogen cycle and should be at 0 very soon.

I just recently bought a hydrometer and the directions said to let it sit with saltwater in it for 24 hours so it can zero in. it has been sitting for about 16 hours now and the scale is still at zero. So this may not work for me, whats the difference between a refractometer?
I may have to get that instead.

I also have a digital scale, so I can weigh 23.6 oz. of salt and mix it in my tank..

Now im not sure what you mean by 15 – 20% water change mixing salt. Should I have one bucket mixed up with my 23.6 oz of salt and poor small amounts into my tank everyday to condition the filter or how should I go about that?

For the last question that just came up last night. If my cycle was just finishing its last chemical change would the salt I added last night break that cycle, or will it continue?

 

[nmonks]

I just recently bought a hydrometer and the directions said to let it sit with saltwater in it for 24 hours so it can zero in. it has been sitting for about 16 hours now and the scale is still at zero. So this may not work for me, whats the difference between a refractometer?
I may have to get that instead.

I have no idea what this is about. Hydrometers are just bits of glass with weights in them. They don't "zero it" to anything. Is this the floating kind (glass, looks like a thermometer) or the swing-arm kind (plastic, with a pointer)? I use the floating kind. Put some water in a large jar (a pickle jar is ideal) and let the water sit for a minute. Put the hydrometer in. Let settle down until there are no ripples. This may take 30-60 seconds. Read off result IGNORING the meniscus.

I also have a digital scale, so I can weigh 23.6 oz. of salt and mix it in my tank.

Under no circumstances add salt to the aquarium directly and certainly not 23.6 ounces of the stuff. Add about 1 oz of salt to each gallon of water IN THE BUCKET, so if it's a 2 gallon bucket, add 2 oz. Stir, let sit for 20 miniutes, stir again, and check there's no powder left at the bottom. If you're happy it's dissolved completely, remove 2 gallons of water from the tank, then pour in the 2 gallons of brackish water. Repeat this on the next day, the day after, and so on. For a 20 gallon tank, don't change more than 2 gallons per day. This will safely raise the salinity while keeping the filter alive.

Now im not sure what you mean by 15 – 20% water change mixing salt. Should I have one bucket mixed up with my 23.6 oz of salt and poor small amounts into my tank everyday to condition the filter or how should I go about that?

See above.

For the last question that just came up last night. If my cycle was just finishing its last chemical change would the salt I added last night break that cycle, or will it continue?

It'll be fine if you go slow and do what I say.

Then, when you're done, go buy Ebert's book on pufferfish or my book on brackish water, or at least go read my Brackish FAQ. Most aquarium books and practically all fish shop staff know nothing of any use about brackish water fishes.

Cheers, Neale

 

[loveforfhishies]

thanks again.. you really seem to know your stuff on brackish aquariums.

i have the swing arm hydrometer. plastic case with a plastic swing arm.. do i read my scale under water or pull it out and level it on the desk?


or should i take it back and get a glass one or a refractometer?

 

[nmonks]

Happy to help. Please do read around the topics and posts in the Brackish forum here. Some will be very useful.

Plastic swing arm is fine, though I happen to prefer the el cheapo glass ones. Refractometers are perhaps more fun to use and potentially more accurate, but it couldn't matter less with brackish water fish.

Read the instructions on the hydrometer you have. But generally, you dip them into the tank, fill up to the marked level (not to the top), set on a table for a few seconds, and then read off the reading when the arm steadies. When you're done, pour brackish water back into the tap, and then rinse out the hydrometer under the tap to wash away the salt. Allow to dry. Ideally, rinse off with vinegar or lemon juice or soda pop periodically to wash away any limescale build up around the hinge.

Cheers, Neale

 

[loveforfhishies]

is it still ok to use prime in my water when im mixing the salt?

it looks like 8 teaspoons is roughly 2 oz..

so now with every water change on this tank i continue to make i will always add 2 oz for every 2 gallons. and that will keep my tank salanity at the right level?

 

[loveforfhishies]

i have been searching for a good site with lots of info on brackish aquariums and cant really find much.. do you know of any good sites i could check out?

 

[Fella]

i have been searching for a good site with lots of info on brackish aquariums and cant really find much.. do you know of any good sites i could check out?

Check Nmonks' signature. The brackish FAQ is essential reading.

 

[loveforfhishies]

one more question.

right now i use an API master test kit for freshwater.. if im doint a brackish tank would i need the API marine test kit?

 

[loveforfhishies]

do i continue the 1 oz for ever gallon method with ever water change from here out.. or will there come i time that i need to cut back ?

 

[loveforfhishies]

can someone answere that last question to clear that up for me please

 

[nmonks]

Try to use test kits for use in fresh *and* salt water. Many work in both, and those are the ones you want.

You won't be doing the "one ounce per gallon" thing forever because this weekend you are going to learn how to use your hydrometer and use that to ensure the SG of the water you make in the bucket is 1.003-1.005. Once you've mastered that skill, it's plain sailing from here on.

Please remember: when you top up water lost through evaporation, you add freshwater, not brackish water (the water evaporates, but not the salt).

Cheers, Neale

 

[loveforfhishies]

so every time i water change i need to measure the amount of salt i want in my tank in every bucket that i change..

so if i take out 2 gallons i need to put 2 gallons back with the sg of 1.003? and that will keep my tank at that level from then on?