Fish on side help!!

K

kattastorphy

Small Fish
#1
Mar 1, 2013
19
0
0
#1
I have two green spotted puffers I have had for over 6months. I woke up 4 days ago and my biggiest puffer cheetah was twirling like a football. Thinking about whirling disease I isolate him so if contagious it wouldn't hurt my baby puffer. It took almost a whole day but he finally stopped spinning. He just lays at bottom of Tupperware on his side. He has been like this for 3 days. How can I help cheetah?
They are in brackish water the day before I fed him pond snails he was only one that ate the snails. I took them out when I saw him spinning. My other puffer is just fine and acting normal.
My readings are:
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: .5
Kh: 300
Ph: 7.4

Any advice would be great!
 

FreshyFresh

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
#4
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#4
What test kit do you use? How often do you do water changes?

Like said, ammonia and nitrites are your most important water parameters to maintain (0ppm,0ppm) with nitrates being next order of importance.
 

K

kattastorphy

Small Fish
#5
Mar 1, 2013
19
0
0
#5
Yes. It's the next one from 0. The test strips said its a safe zone the next level up is caution then danger. It's always been between 0 and .5. I do a water change every Tuesday.
 

FishDad

FishDad

Superstar Fish
#8
Mar 4, 2012
1,218
1
38
Cleveland
#8
Not the water. Something is wrong with you biological filtration which in turn poisons the water. Are you familiar with the 'tank cycle'? And again, how do you perform water changes? After 6 months it stands to reason that something is persistently inturrupting the cycle.
 

K

kattastorphy

Small Fish
#9
Mar 1, 2013
19
0
0
#9
I do 30-40% water changes. I put marine salt in water an mix it till it desolves and let it sit a few hours them exchange the water. I been doing it the same since I first cycled the tank. It could not have been the snail?
 

K

kattastorphy

Small Fish
#11
Mar 1, 2013
19
0
0
#11
Nitrite has never been over .5 which on the bottle and my lfs say that is ok as long as it doesn't go over. It always read between 0-.5 I have never seen it go over. I am pariniod and test every morning and night.
 

FishDad

FishDad

Superstar Fish
#13
Mar 4, 2012
1,218
1
38
Cleveland
#13
You should be aware that after the tank is cycled any reading of ammonia or nitrite is not normal and a sign of issues. While a small ammonia or nitrite reading may not be immediatly harmful, over time it will kill your fish, which appears to have happened. You need to start exploring why your tank never completed its cycle.
 

FreshyFresh

FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
#14
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#14
kattastorphy said:
Nitrite has never been over .5 which on the bottle and my lfs say that is ok as long as it doesn't go over. It always read between 0-.5 I have never seen it go over. I am pariniod and test every morning and night.
Click to expand...
What de-chlorinator do you use for your tap water? As far as testing your water parameters goes, test strips are OK, but something along the lines of an API Master Test Kit would be better.

What type of filtration do you run on the tank? What type of biological media does the filter have (sponge, ceramic, etc).
 

R

Rotaripsnoc

Large Fish
#15
Feb 18, 2013
194
0
0
#15
I've seen Dwarf Puffers act oddly for a lot of different reasons. Was Cheetah Rolling - like a barrel, pitching - doing loops, or yawing - chasing his tail ? He wasn't swimming in circles against the glass was he ?

I'd agree with FishDad the spikes are not right for your tank and could be the cause.

I've seen smaller fish unaffected while larger fish suffer from imbalances.

Just wondering, are there any bite marks or damage to any of his fins ?
 

K

kattastorphy

Small Fish
#16
Mar 1, 2013
19
0
0
#16
I did a reading this morning and all the readings were 0. My little puffer is fine very happy to see me. Cheetah is still on side and alive. I fasted him for two days. Tried to feed him a pea because I thought it was whirling disease or bladder. He didn't eat it so yesterday I fed him very few blood worms. He gulped them up quick. It's been almost 6 days :(
 

K

kattastorphy

Small Fish
#17
Mar 1, 2013
19
0
0
#17
Rotaripsnoc said:
I've seen Dwarf Puffers act oddly for a lot of different reasons. Was Cheetah Rolling - like a barrel, pitching - doing loops, or yawing - chasing his tail ? He wasn't swimming in circles against the glass was he ?

I'd agree with FishDad the spikes are not right for your tank and could be the cause.

I've seen smaller fish unaffected while larger fish suffer from imbalances.

Just wondering, are there any bite marks or damage to any of his fins ?
Click to expand...
He was originally spinning like a barrel but stopped after a few hours and now lays on side. I have him in quarintine now. He has no marks on him at all he is still green all over just not as bright but he always varied.
 

FishDad

FishDad

Superstar Fish
#18
Mar 4, 2012
1,218
1
38
Cleveland
#18
kattastorphy said:
I did a reading this morning and all the readings were 0. My little puffer is fine very happy to see me. Cheetah is still on side and alive. I fasted him for two days. Tried to feed him a pea because I thought it was whirling disease or bladder. He didn't eat it so yesterday I fed him very few blood worms. He gulped them up quick. It's been almost 6 days :(
Click to expand...
Even your Nitrate was 0? You should show a reading for that. BTW did you stop feeding your regular tank as well? If so, and readings went down, that could indicate over feeding. Which could be the cause of an unstable tank. Just my thoughts.
 

K

kattastorphy

Small Fish
#19
Mar 1, 2013
19
0
0
#19
The only thing I have done different was where I bought the snails and the size since I have had the fish.
The readings are:
Nitrate-0 : my tank is brackish water it is suppose to be at 0.
Nitrite-0
Alkalinity-300
Ph- 7.4 (because its not full saltwater)
I have not stopped feeding my tank.
 

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