chadscharf
New member
We have a Hawiian Blue puffer, and although cute has been with his partner in crime (a bi-color angel) in our 30g QT tank for the past month while we get our re-constructed nano cycled and the live rock in it fully cured after a free-for-all bleaching session.
While in QT (nothing but water and some large PVC pipe for hiding spots) a week ago I found a large chunk of what looked like blue spotted skin on the bottom of the tank and stuck to the intake of the filter. I quickly did a large water change (75%) as the smell was rancid, like a rotting corpse. The fish seemed fine and so did the angel, although my hands were burning, the ammonia tested on both the old and new water at 0, and the nitrates at a modest 20ppm.
I've done another 50% water change earlier this week since then, and just tonight, going to take both the fish upstairs back to thier nano home, I noticed that the puffer had shed it's skin again. He's been eating, seems healthy, but not sure why he's shedding so often. I can't tell if he's just growing, if there was some other chemical in the water I should test for? All I know is that the angel was avoiding that floating skin like the plague.
Are puffers supposed to do this? I couldn't find jack using Google except for one old post on another forum (and it was only one short, vague sentence at best) that sometimes puffer / box fish will shed thier skin if it is irritated, from ammonia burn, etc.
Hopefully it stops now that thier both out of QT, but I need to know what should be done in my QT tank now short of full cleaning/sterilization before putting anything else back in there.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Chad
While in QT (nothing but water and some large PVC pipe for hiding spots) a week ago I found a large chunk of what looked like blue spotted skin on the bottom of the tank and stuck to the intake of the filter. I quickly did a large water change (75%) as the smell was rancid, like a rotting corpse. The fish seemed fine and so did the angel, although my hands were burning, the ammonia tested on both the old and new water at 0, and the nitrates at a modest 20ppm.
I've done another 50% water change earlier this week since then, and just tonight, going to take both the fish upstairs back to thier nano home, I noticed that the puffer had shed it's skin again. He's been eating, seems healthy, but not sure why he's shedding so often. I can't tell if he's just growing, if there was some other chemical in the water I should test for? All I know is that the angel was avoiding that floating skin like the plague.
Are puffers supposed to do this? I couldn't find jack using Google except for one old post on another forum (and it was only one short, vague sentence at best) that sometimes puffer / box fish will shed thier skin if it is irritated, from ammonia burn, etc.
Hopefully it stops now that thier both out of QT, but I need to know what should be done in my QT tank now short of full cleaning/sterilization before putting anything else back in there.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Chad
