Puffer Emergency!

cdubbs

cdubbs

Member
The last few days my porc has looked great..eating alot and swimming around very actively.. i just got home from the gym and he is looks horrible..he is laying on the bottom of the tank and when he swims around he looks so weak and just falls to the bottom...i tried to feed him and he is swimming away from the food..Could he be stressed from the shark biting at him every once in a while? Also i hate skimmers sooo much..when i got home from work it was bubbling up in the cup and i was at least getting some brown liquid in the cup, now its just bubbling under the collection cup and im not getting anything..do skimmers go some of the time getting stuff out and other times not? Could the bubbles that are getting into the main tank be bothering the puffer? Thanks
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
The bubbles are probably not doing anything. I have bubbles in my tank sometimes and my puffer just continues his business as if nothing was different. Having a puffer with a shark is usually never a good predicament. You are usually going to have one picking on the other, whether it is a dominant puffer picking at the shark or an aggressive shark trying to eat the puffer.
You said that you have already noticed some chasing from the shark. That is most likely where your problem lies. What kind of shark is it and what size is your tank?
As for skimmers, they go through that. They do not foam constantly and it is not a problem if they are not foaming. They are still adding a lot of aeration into your tank whether they are foaming or not.
 
cdubbs

cdubbs

Member
thanks alot for the info, that was very helpfull. yes the shark only bites him when he smells food in the tank and the shark cant see anything so the first thing he bumps into gets bitten but everything else is fast enough to get away from the shark except the puffer..the shark is a coral catshark and he is only about 15inches, still pretty small..the tank is a 125
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
yup, that is where your problem is for sure (granted that your water parameters have already been tested and are all ideal).
 
cdubbs

cdubbs

Member
yeah the water is perfect....i havent had a skimmer on this tank since i set it up about 7 months ago and everything has been fine and i was reluctant to get one but i know how everyone swears by them so i got one and its such a pain to get it right...is it just me or does everyone have probs with them at first? I also got it cause all i had in my tank was the small shark and small SFE so since i got he puffer and grouper i figured i would have a larger bio load so all it could do is help. Should i give the puffer back or give it another day and see if it works out? Thanks again
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member
i suggest moving him into another tank or sending him back having a puffer with your shark is just a disaster waiting to happen.puffers do not tolerate stress very well
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Originally Posted by unleashed
i suggest moving him into another tank or sending him back having a puffer with your shark is just a disaster waiting to happen.puffers do not tolerate stress very well
I agree fully.
 
cdubbs

cdubbs

Member
puffer died on monday night :(, just a few hours after i posted about his situation. I guess i should stay away from puffers..I am sort of afraid of getting a lion now too, because they arent too fast and the shark might stress him out too..What do ya think?
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
What brand of skimmer do you have?
If you have a good one you should not have to constantly adjust it, the cheaper ones I have delt with all need constant adjusting.
 
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