URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
I got home from work and my Mbu is lfeless on the bottom of the tank. Giant hard protrusion half way down his body sticking out. I think it swallowed a shell. Can't reach far enough down the mouth to get it out. Any suggestions? Has 5 minutes to live tops. I've been rocking him under an air stone.
- Pufferpunk
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Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
There was a recent post about this here about a puffer that had a shell stuck in it's anus. It passed on it's own. Puffers eat shells all the time & pass them just fine. Probably not feeling too great at the moment, which is why it's just laying there. Now if this is a tumor or something, I can't help you. Can you post a pic? What makes you think it's dying? Is it breathing normally? I know you feel this is an emergency but can yo answer the questions above, in red?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
It died. I'm gutted.Pufferpunk wrote:There was a recent post about this here about a puffer that had a shell stuck in it's anus. It passed on it's own. Puffers eat shells all the time & pass them just fine. Probably not feeling too great at the moment, which is why it's just laying there. Now if this is a tumor or something, I can't help you. Can you post a pic? What makes you think it's dying? Is it breathing normally? I know you feel this is an emergency but can yo answer the questions above, in red?
What made me think it was dying was the fact that it was lifeless and gills pumping once every 5-10 seconds and
I sliced it open after it died and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I have no clue how a fish goes from happy and healthy to dead in 15 hours. It was totally fine last night.
- Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32775
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Chicago
- Contact:
Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
Wow, so sorry...
What was in there where you saw the lump?
What was in there where you saw the lump?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
Nothing that I could see. I'm no expert on fish anatomy though. Nothing looked inflamed or discolored.Pufferpunk wrote:Wow, so sorry...
What was in there where you saw the lump?
- DMD123
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Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
So sorry to hear about your loss.
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65B Hairy Puffer
65B Angel fish x1, Monk tetra x7, BN Pleco x2
90G red devil
90G Trimac
46G Bowfront Community tank
30G Growout
- Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32775
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Chicago
- Contact:
Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
Did you ever do the surgery to his tail?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
I did not. I decided to leave it be. I got to thoroughly examine it postmortem and it was just badly creased on the top few rays causing the whole tail to fold strangely when not splayed out.Pufferpunk wrote:Did you ever do the surgery to his tail?
- scpion
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Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
I did extracted some large objects from mine before. Once was a huge piece of shell from the anus.. The other major thing was a whole crayfish from its throat. I had to knock him out that time.. It was a real traumatic experience for me... No fun messing with a 20+ in fish.....
I am not a Troll, I am just pissed..!
- bertie 83
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Re: URGENT Mbu swallowed a shell?
Sorry for your loss
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly