[dabossinokc]

150 gal, 220 lbs LR, 16KH,440Calc, 8.4PH, 25 Nitrate, .1Nitrite

This particular case is about the Med. African Mappa Puffer that I have had for about 90 days. I just recently had a female bird wrasse dissapear and I did not want to move all the rock to find her so I just let it ride.......I had a huge Red Slime Break out and I did a Chemi Clean treatment and Just did a water change of 20%. I went to feed everyone this rotation and I was feeding "Silversides" , about 10 minutes after he gobbled up about 3 oz. of them he started throwing them up. I believe he let everything come back up because it totally polluted the tank. I am really concerned because I have never seen this happen and am just wondering what's going on? Just a case of an upset stomach or eating to fast? Or is this something significant. He was pretty still for about 15 minutes after the event and then slowly began being his same curious self. Any advice you can give is always greatly appreciated.

[leebca]

The nitrite reading suggests that the wrasse has died. If not, then there is a major source of pollution to the tank, in addition to the regurgitated food.

The water quality has more than likely gone downhill as evidenced by the slime outbreak. Although you've addressed the slime, the underlying cause(s) has not been addressed.

The problem with Chemiclean and such treatments is that they may kill the cyanobacteria, but the treatment doesn't stop the cause. That is why they sell so much of it. I'd suggest finding and eliminating the cause (decaying and decomposing dead fish, for instance).

Considering the above, the reaction of the Puffer to poor water quality would not be a surprise. However, there is a chance that the food was not good.

With regards to silversides you want to follow these general guidelines:
1) Never allowed to thaw (to LFS, to your freezer, and after, until just prior to feeding);
2) After opening the bag, don't feed if they have been in your freezer more than 2 months;and
3) Never feed when frozen or even cold -- must be at room or water temperature when fed.

If you've adhered to the above guidelines, then you can rely upon water quality to be the primary issue at this point in time, for a single event.

If the fish continues to regurgitate its food a second or third time, and you're trying different food (try some large krill), please repost.

[dabossinokc]

Well the puffer ate again tonight and didn't spit anything back up that I know of, So I must conclude that the SS were just bad.... I will say though that the mappa's color has changed a little bit and I am wondering if this is due to stress? He is a bit darker than he should be and I have another question. How the heck do I get his teeth filed down? What is a good method of allowing him to grind his teeth down? Any thoughts?

[leebca]

Assuming the true color of the fish is lighter (and not the darker you now see), it generally means the fish is stressed. I can agree with that observation.

Controlling the teeth length on Puffers (and some other fishes) is to feed hard foods (clams they have to break open, shrimp with shell-on, crabs in shell, etc.) at frequent opportunity.

Then there is another feeding technique and that is to blend their food into Plaster of Paris blocks. They get at the food by tearing apart the block. See: How to Feed Your Fish Throughout the Day.

Still, the P of P isn't hard enough to keep their teeth ground down. In the long term, the fish will need to be caught, anesthetized (put to sleep), and you take a hobby grinder and grind its teeth down. Revive the fish and release it into its tank. Just one of the 'joys' of keeping such fishes!

[dabossinokc]

I hope someone reads this as I didn't want to cloud the board with a new post but my puffer all the sudden has turned for the worst. He is very shy now and hiding, Very dark and is breathing heavily, He came out to eat yesterday and I fed him some gelled food that is very rich in vitamins. I don't want to lose him and unfortunately I have to leave to go on a business trip for 3 days. My beloved puffer is not in good health and I fear his death, My clown trigger got sick at the same time and I can't put my finger on what happened, I have 10 other fish in the tank and they are all fine. I know I haven't given a lot of specifics ,but with my leaving I don't think there is much I can do anyways, Hopefully my water will stay constant while I am gone and they will be able to endure whatever is wrong with them while I am away earning money to pay for my aquarium habit. I know you can't tell me much from the info I have given but I just wanted to communicate with someone that cared because my wife certainly doesn't care much,She can't even put up with the time I spend on my tanks in the first place. Thanks so much....

[leebca]

I care. Sorry to hear of the problems. Maybe when you get back and there is still time, we might go over details.

Have safe travels.

[dabossinokc]

Well I lost my puffer, When I returned on Saturday night his skeleton was at the bottom of the tank and all of his previous buddies had eaten him down to the bone. The clown trigger was barely alive but I lost him a couple of hours later, The tank was completely trashed and I did a 30% water change and hopefully the other tank members will be able to survive. The only member of my tank that are showing bad signs of stress is my sohal tang and he is looking pretty bad, Please suggest what I can do to make him more comfortable, Water now 6 hours after the water change-8.3 PH, 16 KH, 0 Nitrite, 30 Nitrate, 420 calcium. I usually keep the water temp at 76 F, But have raised it to 77 and I took the salinity from 1.24 to 1.22 because of the ich outbreak. I know its drastic but it is what I did, Any suggestions at this point? I also threw some fresh live red algea in the tank and the sohal is still eating like nothing is wrong. His eyes are glazed and he has a dark fungus looking material growing all over him. I have never seen this before? ely.

[leebca]

I think you're fighting a losing battle. Until the causes are addressed, the Sohal and any other fish is in for a troubled life.

The thing to do? You're probably not going to like this recommendation.

Remove the fish you have into a large container (any large plastic bucket or garbage can that is food grade) with aeration and chemical filtration (for organics (e.g., carbon) and ammonia and nitrites (i.e. absorbents). Remove the rock from your aquarium into another container with tank water in it. Clean out all the decaying matter, bones, detritus, etc., etc. Put the rock back in; let the aquarium run for a few days testing daily. Return the livestock.

While the livestock is in the garbage can, treat them with Maracyn Two for Saltwater fish and continue to feed the fish in the container. You'll do daily water changes of the container water.

[dabossinokc]

Is it possible to treat with Maracyn Two while with live rock and all? Or will it kill the bio? I believe I got all the decaying matter out, When I did the water change I power siphoned everything and actually moved all the rocks around as I did it and sprayed with a powerhead to move anything stuck underneath around.

[leebca]

I'm glad you did the cleaning.

Maracyn Two should not adversely affect the nitrification bacteria (biological filter). It does and can kill other bacteria and that tends to throw the aquarium 'off balance' with regards to maturity and stability.

The manufacturer of the antibiotic recommends using a hospital tank.

The issue of where to perform the treatment becomes more significant, since I recommend that the initial dose be twice that recommended by the manufacturer. This dose is important in my opinion to be the most effective, yet it will also have a greater impact on the system. So it is best not performed in the display or system, but in a hospital/quarantine tank.