Very Ill Mbu Puffer

[sharon000111]

hi..i have a very sick mbu puffer...Riley is over 1ft in size but not sure of his age...i have a huge 6ft bow fronted tank with 4 large filters plus under gravel filter..the tank is always crytsal clear and perfect water conditions...BUT...last week noticed Riley was on his side just laying on the bottom of the tank...so done quick water test..the ammonia was of the scales !!! i have not got a clue why...i have a 2ft pink finned Arowana..2 breeding pairs of Frontosa's...albino plec...royal plec..and2 kissing pinks..so not a lot for a tank this size..and all are very happy and healthy fish...has not affected these fish..i have done a 90% water change the last 3 days...also put Ammo lock in last 2 days...and water is perfect again...but the MBU has been affected badley...he has been on the bottom of the tank 4 days now..he is on his side and cannot get up...although he does try every now and then ..he just cant swim...i am desperate for some advise as he realy is not happy like this..and no puffer should go through this...PLEASE HELP...sharon

 

[Ace Of Spades]

hi..i have a very sick mbu puffer...Riley is over 1ft in size but not sure of his age...i have a huge 6ft bow fronted tank with 4 large filters plus under gravel filter..the tank is always crytsal clear and perfect water conditions...BUT...last week noticed Riley was on his side just laying on the bottom of the tank...so done quick water test..the ammonia was of the scales !!! i have not got a clue why...i have a 2ft pink finned Arowana..2 breeding pairs of Frontosa's...albino plec...royal plec..and2 kissing pinks..so not a lot for a tank this size..and all are very happy and healthy fish...has not affected these fish..i have done a 90% water change the last 3 days...also put Ammo lock in last 2 days...and water is perfect again...but the MBU has been affected badley...he has been on the bottom of the tank 4 days now..he is on his side and cannot get up...although he does try every now and then ..he just cant swim...i am desperate for some advise as he realy is not happy like this..and no puffer should go through this...PLEASE HELP...sharon

This is a joke right?

 

[sharon000111]

hi..i have a very sick mbu puffer...Riley is over 1ft in size but not sure of his age...i have a huge 6ft bow fronted tank with 4 large filters plus under gravel filter..the tank is always crytsal clear and perfect water conditions...BUT...last week noticed Riley was on his side just laying on the bottom of the tank...so done quick water test..the ammonia was of the scales !!! i have not got a clue why...i have a 2ft pink finned Arowana..2 breeding pairs of Frontosa's...albino plec...royal plec..and2 kissing pinks..so not a lot for a tank this size..and all are very happy and healthy fish...has not affected these fish..i have done a 90% water change the last 3 days...also put Ammo lock in last 2 days...and water is perfect again...but the MBU has been affected badley...he has been on the bottom of the tank 4 days now..he is on his side and cannot get up...although he does try every now and then ..he just cant swim...i am desperate for some advise as he realy is not happy like this..and no puffer should go through this...PLEASE HELP...sharon

This is a joke right?

no this is not a joke...why would you say this !!!!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

hi..i have a very sick mbu puffer...Riley is over 1ft in size but not sure of his age...i have a huge 6ft bow fronted tank with 4 large filters plus under gravel filter..the tank is always crytsal clear and perfect water conditions...BUT...last week noticed Riley was on his side just laying on the bottom of the tank...so done quick water test..the ammonia was of the scales !!! i have not got a clue why...i have a 2ft pink finned Arowana..2 breeding pairs of Frontosa's...albino plec...royal plec..and2 kissing pinks..so not a lot for a tank this size..and all are very happy and healthy fish...has not affected these fish..i have done a 90% water change the last 3 days...also put Ammo lock in last 2 days...and water is perfect again...but the MBU has been affected badley...he has been on the bottom of the tank 4 days now..he is on his side and cannot get up...although he does try every now and then ..he just cant swim...i am desperate for some advise as he realy is not happy like this..and no puffer should go through this...PLEASE HELP...sharon

This is a joke right?

no this is not a joke...why would you say this !!!!

Because of your horrendous stocking....

 

[sharon000111]

hi..i have a very sick mbu puffer...Riley is over 1ft in size but not sure of his age...i have a huge 6ft bow fronted tank with 4 large filters plus under gravel filter..the tank is always crytsal clear and perfect water conditions...BUT...last week noticed Riley was on his side just laying on the bottom of the tank...so done quick water test..the ammonia was of the scales !!! i have not got a clue why...i have a 2ft pink finned Arowana..2 breeding pairs of Frontosa's...albino plec...royal plec..and2 kissing pinks..so not a lot for a tank this size..and all are very happy and healthy fish...has not affected these fish..i have done a 90% water change the last 3 days...also put Ammo lock in last 2 days...and water is perfect again...but the MBU has been affected badley...he has been on the bottom of the tank 4 days now..he is on his side and cannot get up...although he does try every now and then ..he just cant swim...i am desperate for some advise as he realy is not happy like this..and no puffer should go through this...PLEASE HELP...sharon

This is a joke right?

no this is not a joke...why would you say this !!!!

Because of your horrendous stocking....

8 fish horrendous stocking..!!! the tank is just over 6ft long...2 1/2 wide...2 1/2 tall....i have very good advise from swallow aquatics who assure me my tank is just perfect at all times...

 

[sharon000111]

all my other fish are in perfect health

8 fish horrendous stocking..!!! the tank is just over 6ft long...2 1/2 wide...2 1/2 tall....i have very good advise from swallow aquatics who assure me my tank is just perfect at all times...

 

[Ace Of Spades]

all my other fish are in perfect health

8 fish horrendous stocking..!!! the tank is just over 6ft long...2 1/2 wide...2 1/2 tall....i have very good advise from swallow aquatics who assure me my tank is just perfect at all times...

Mbu Puffer need alot bigger then that, we are talking in the region of 4000 litres....

 

[sharon000111]

that size tank is for a full grown mbu...in a years time i am upgrading to a 9ft tank..i get bigger tanks as he grows...i do know about the mbu...i had a 2 1/2 ft mbu in a 10ft tank 5 years ago...i have not slept for 3 nights now trying to get my mbu back to health...a friend said i should ask on here as some one might be able to help..this is not the responce i thought i was going to get...i have kept fish for 20 years now and this is the first major problem i have had..i want help or advice on the ill health of my mbu..not an argument on the size of my tank..as im sure swallow aquatics...fishey buissness...whom i visit evry week and know me very well and my tank...would be the first to let me know if i was doing some thing wrong

 

[Keithoms]

that size tank is for a full grown mbu...in a years time i am upgrading to a 9ft tank..i get bigger tanks as he grows...i do know about the mbu...i had a 2 1/2 ft mbu in a 10ft tank 5 years ago...i have not slept for 3 nights now trying to get my mbu back to health...a friend said i should ask on here as some one might be able to help..this is not the responce i thought i was going to get...i have kept fish for 20 years now and this is the first major problem i have had..i want help or advice on the ill health of my mbu..not an argument on the size of my tank..as im sure swallow aquatics...fishey buissness...whom i visit evry week and know me very well and my tank...would be the first to let me know if i was doing some thing wrong

Nearly all fish shops aren't out there to make friends. They are out to make money. Selling you the biggest tank they have and one of the most expensive fish they have seems like a good deal to me? We are NOT here to argue or mock you or give you bad advice, we are here to help.
Is the response your wanting some sort of miracale cure? Im sorry, but your probably not going to get one as your problem is most probably an exceptionally cruel captivity.

Ace of Spades is very experienced. When he says a Mbu needs 4000+litres he knows they do. As i also know, Mbu's need a tank of 1000+ gallons.

I dont know if your fish is savable, but your best bet is listening in here.

 

[sharon000111]

the tank was bought from Cleair...not from the these shops...the mbu was brought and imported from holland.., again not from these shops..the only fish i have bought from these 2 shops are the frontosa's...so the advise and help they give me is realy not for money

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Ace of Spades is very experienced. When he says a Mbu needs 4000+litres he knows they do. As i also know, Mbu's need a tank of 1000+ gallons.

No, No im not lol... All I know is they need big tanks and so do arowna's im going on general consensus here...

 

[sharon000111]

yes i know they need big tanks...and i upgrade my tank as they grow..as i said i have a 9ft booked for the end of next year...the mbu was only 3 inches when i got him in a 4ft tank...when he got to 1ft i upgraded to this tank...and if he makes it through this i will end up with a 10ft tank..then when he is to big for that if i cant find a tank big enough for him i will house him to some one that can...i gave my last mbu to a shop to past on to the Sea Life Centre at southend sea front...so i always do whats best for the mbu...my last arowna is in china...in a floor to ceiling tank on display and still doing very well....and no ...not looking for a miracle cure...just thought some one out there may know of a way to help with ammonia and the mbu...perhaps i was wrong!!!!

 

[Corleone]

Mbus (and puffers in general) are sensitive fish, any ammonia/nitrite is bad for them, and the only permanent solution to ammonia is lots of water changes until the biofilter catches up. People house mbu's properly, only to have them randomly go on a hunger strike and starve to death. The fact that he's not cutting your other fish to ribbons sounds like he's stressed somehow, as they're reputed as one of if not the most aggressive puffer (and puffers are aggressive to start with) and equipped to deal lethal damage from what would be fin nips coming from any other fish.

With the tank upgrades, you've spent on the order of $1000 just on housing for this fish, and your next upgrade would run about that on it's own, and all for a fish you've said you're not keeping long term (and if you do, are looking at at one more tank upgrade beyond that), and you seem to know little about them. You need only browse this forum for story after story of people trusting their LFS, rejecting advice from experienced keepers (and no few professionals on the forum, a couple of which have admitted the advice they give at work is orders below what they give here), and been left with hundreds of dollars in lost fish and no sympathy.

 

[sharon000111]

i realy am not explaing myself properly..i have a mbu and arowna so do a 40 to 50% water change every week as they are both messy fish to keep...they both are hand fed..yes the mbu is hand fed of course with caution...but he is a big couch potatoe and has never shown any sign of aggression to any of his tank mates...some thing went wrong in the tank and the ammonia level went very high...all the other fish are still perfect health but it has affected the mbu...he has been poisend by the ammonia...he is just laying on his side at the bottom of the tank..i have done 2 major 90% water changes and put ammo lock in the tank...the water is back to perfect and i am testing it 3 times a day now as i realy dont know what happed to cause this in the first place...i realy do look after my fish and there homes..yes i spend a lot of money on them...but i do intend to keep them as long as i can always get a big enough tank...some times is better for the fish to rehouse them when they get to a massive size...i had my last mbu and arowna for over 5 years....they are in perfect homes now and doing realy well...when i go to the tank the mbu trys so hard to get up..he gets all excited when he see's me...this is very destresing to see him like this..i love my mbu like i love my Alaskan malamute any my 11 persian cats...sounds silly but he realy is not like a fish....some thing went wrong and my mbu is ill through the ammonia...the fish shops say it is just a waiting game now to see if he pulls through...but like i said to see him like this is heart wrenching...this is day 5 now he has been like this..i just thought some one might have some advise as to what i can do for him...the tank is back to perfect water conditions..i have 2 internal filters...the main Cleair filter running the lentgh of the tank and a Eheim under the tank..also under gravel filter...so lots of filters keeping the tank how it should be for a mbu...there is never any food waist left in the tank..my water is always crystal clear...i am very proud of my tank and fish..and this has caused me a lot of stress ....i have explained myself wrong....i need advise and help here as i dont want to lose my mbu...i coild not cope with that..

 

[sharon000111]

tank and contents now on ebay...mbu going to fish hospital today where he will stay until better...cant cope with it any more !!!!